Mushroom Pot Pie

Last week on Top Chef Masters, my favorite, Carla 'Hootie-Hoo' Hall won with a chicken pot pie she made for Jimmy Fallon's birthday.  It looked so good, filled with Carla love, and the judges enjoyed it so much, I knew I had to make a veggie version for Sunday night.

In this recipe, the components are cooked separately and then assembled on individual plates rather than baked together as a pie.  It's complicated, but friends, it is so worth it.  You have complete control over all of the ingredients, so the veggies are perfectly cooked, the gravy is savory goodness itself, and the crust, is flaky and golden. 

Unlike many Top Chefs, Carla does a really detailed job writing her recipes up!  One day, I am going to make the pea salt everyone loved so much! Also stay-tuned, there will probably be an easier all-in-one dish version coming soon!  Meanwhile, for beautiful, delicious, individual 'pot' pies...

Mushroom Pot Pie

Adapted from Carla Hall's Chicken Pot Pie recipe

Makes 6 servings

Takes 2 hours

6 inch square piece of kombu*
2 dried shitake mushrooms
2 onions, diced
3 carrots, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
2 sprigs thyme
8 parsley stems
1 bay leaf
1 pound cremini mushrooms
1 shallot, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
5 oz. peas (frozen or fresh)

For Crust:
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 pound vegan shortening
 
For the gravy: 
1 stick (1/4 cup) vegan shortening
1/2 cup flour
leaves from 8 parsley stems

In a quart of water, soak kombu and dried mushrooms for at least 3 hours and up to overnight.

Roughly chop the soaked mushrooms.

In a large pot, saute half the onions, carrots, celery, thyme, all of the parsley stems, the soaked mushrooms, and the bay leaf.  Once the onions have become translucent, add the kombu liquid (including the kombu), and an additional quart of water.  Just before it comes to a boil, remove the kelp pieces.  Once it comes to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and let simmer for at least an hour on a back burner while you take care of everything else.
 

Mix the water, salt and sugar and refrigerate.  Cut the shortening into the flour until it is like course meal.  Pour in the water and form into a dough ball, adding more flour, if necessary, to make a solid ball that doesn't stick to your hands.  Divide into 6 balls, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

In a large skillet, on medium high heat, saute the shallots, garlic and mushrooms until they are all coated with oil and evenly distributed throughout the pan.  Then, leave them alone so that they begin to brown.  Stir once every 2 or 4 minutes until the mushrooms release their juices, Saute for an additional 2 to 3 minutes.  Transfer mushrooms to a bowl.

In the same skillet, adding more oil if necessary, saute the remaining onions and celery.  When they've become translucent, add the remaining carrots and thyme, and saute a little longer, don't let the vegetables brown.  Add a few ladles of the simmering broth, and simmer the vegetables until they are tender, about 10 minutes.  Just before they are done, add the frozen peas, cooking for just a few minutes.  Transfer the vegetables to the mushrooms.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Roll out the dough on a floured board into 6 6-inch circles.  Lay them out onto greased parchment paper molded around a ball of aluminum foil or parchment paper.  Top with a little dough ball to give the appearance of a domed cover for the goodness underneath.  Lay the scraps of dough on another baking sheet.  Glaze the crusts with milk, soy milk or just water.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, changing their position in the oven half-way through.

While the crusts are baking, in large skillet, heat remaining shortening until melted, then add 1/2 cup of flour, stirring until the flour no longer smells like flour, but kind of toasty.  Strain the stock and add to the flour and shortening, whisking continuously until there are no lumps and it thickens up.  Add the vegetables and stir.  Keep warm until your crusts are ready.

To serve, divide the crust scraps between 6 plates, pour the veggies and gravy over and top with the crust.  Yum!

We went traditional London-style and ate our pies with mash!

Best Sunday night TV dinner ever!

*Kombu is used to make dashi, Japanese stock for soup.  The seaweed adds umami, but doesn't really have a flavor.  You can find it in Asian grocery stores and also in many health food stores. Before soaking, rinse it in water to remove the white residue.

Pav Bhaji--the Indian sloppy joe!

Pav bhaji is a famous Mumbai street food that has become popular all over India and the world.  Mumbaikars have many opinions on the best places to eat pav bhaji in the city, and the best way to make it at home.  Pav means bread, and bhaji means curry, and I tell my non-Indian friends that pav bhaji is the Indian sloppy joe!

There are many amazing Indian home cooks with blogs, and this recipe is my mash up of several recipes.  Check out One Hot Stove, Annaprashana, and of course, Manjula!

We eat this fairly regularly because it is simple and one of Paddy's favorite meals, and we've made it for friends and family all over the continent because the only ingredient you need to get from an Indian grocery store is the masala.  We have been known to travel with our own supply of Pav Bhaji Masala (just in case).

Pav Bhaji

Takes 1 hour

Makes enough for 6 people

3 medium potatoes, chopped into 2 inch pieces

1/2 a large head of cauliflower, chopped into florets

3 or 4 cloves garlic, minced

1 inch piece of ginger, minced

2 small carrots, diced

1 green pepper (or other varieties of sweet pepper), chopped

1 Tbsp. pav bhaji masala (I have heard Everest is the best brand, I also have used Shan brand and MDH)
1 green chile

4 tomatoes, chopped

1 tsp. salt 
1/2 cup peas, frozen works great

6+ buns, I like to get the small ones that are stuck together

1 onion, diced

2 limes, quartered
1 green chile, minced (if you like it hot!)

bunch of cilantro, chopped

Add the potatoes and cauliflower to a large pot of salted, cold water, bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in another large pot, saute the garlic and ginger on medium high heat.  When they began to brown, add the carrots and peppers.  When they began to brown, add the pav bhaji masala and saute for a minute or so, until it gets really fragrant.  Add the tomatoes and green chile, and cook until it gets very thick.  

Eventually the oil will come to the surface, this will take about 10 minutes.

While this is happening, keep checking on the potatoes and cauliflower.  They are done when you stick a knife in a potato and a cauliflower and they slide right off.  Drain, reserving about 2 cups of the water.

Add the drained potatoes and cauliflower to the tomato pot.  Stir and mash adding water as necessary.  Check for spice and add salt and more masala as necessary.  Turn the heat down very low, put the lid on, and let the flavors blend together for 15 to 20 minutes.  If you are not going to eat the Pav Bhajis until later in the day, turn the heat off and let the covered Bhaji sit until you are ready to eat--then just reheat.  Add the peas for the last 5 minutes of cooking.

To serve, heat a griddle or saute pan and toast the buns, with butter if you like.  Top the buns with the bhaji.  Sprinkle with onions, cilantro, chopped green chiles if you are brave!  Top with a squeeze of lime juice.

Eat!

Pasta with Morels and Peas

It's morel season!  The markets around Berkeley have had them for the past few weeks, and we've eaten three versions of this simple pasta.  The first time with asparagus, the second time with morels only, and today, with young peas.

What's wonderful about this recipe is that the vegetables cook for the same amount of time as the pasta!  So start the 'sauce' immediately after you put the pasta in the water.

Pasta with Morels and Peas

Makes 2 servings

Takes 1 hour

1/3 pound of pasta

2 cloves garlic sliced

1/4 cup shallot, minced

1.6 ounces of fresh morels (about 1/10 of a pound)

an equal amount of trimmed peas (about 1 cup)

salt

pepper

Heat salted water for pasta.  When it comes to a boil, add pasta.

In a large saute pan on medium high heat, saute garlic and shallot for 1 minute.  Add morels, spread them around the pan, and let sizzle for about 4 minutes.  Stir, and once they are evenly spread around the pan again, let sizzle for 4 minutes more.  Add 5 grinds of pepper and peas, and saute for 2 minutes.  Add 1/4 cup pasta water.

Drain pasta reserving 3/4 cup of pasta water.  Add pasta to the pan, stirring to combine.  Add 3/4 cup pasta water, and let cook a few minutes more.

We ate our pasta with roasted torpedo onions (425 degrees for about 20 minutes).  They were really sweet and delicious (if you cut a small x into one of the ends, they won't burst while cooking).

Hurry while there are still morels to be had!