Sunday, June 16, 2013

Curried Vegetable Pot Pie

 The last time I made something from Savory Baking by Mary Cech I spent the night vomiting up pine nuts. Therefore, I was understandably hesitant about trying another recipe from the book.


This just goes to show you can't judge a book by a single recipe because this pie was fantastic.

 I had a bit of trouble fitting the crust over the pan, but that was because I was using a single large dish for what was meant to be several small ones.






 My family finished this off for lunch, while I was out, which is pretty rare.
Here's  your music fix:

"Ca Plan Por Moi" by the Plastic Bertrand

  Pastry Dough

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/3 cup cold water

Vegetable Filling

2 1/2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
1/2 large red onion, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 small red bell pepper, trimmed and seeded, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon dried ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for taste
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
3 cups water
2 cups cauliflower florets (1 small cauliflower)
2 cups peeled and chopped yams (1 large yam)
1/3 cup currants
12 dried figs, stemmed and halved
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 egg, lightly beaten

Directions

1. To prepare the dough, put the flour, salt, and butter in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment. Pulse until the butter is the size of peas, about 10 seconds. Drizzle the water into the flour and continue pulsing until the dough starts to come together. Put the dough on a lightly floured work surface and knead once or twice. Wrap the dough in plastic film, pat into a 1-inch disc, and refrigerate for 30 minutes before using (see note).

2. Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, and red peppers. Stir to coat them in the oil. Add the salt and saut
the vegetables for 3 minutes. Add the garlic, curry powder, ginger, 1/4-teaspoon pepper, cinnamon, and allspice, and saute for 1 minute. Stir in the water, cauliflower, yams, currants, and figs. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Partially cover the pot with a lid, and simmer until the yams are tender, about 20 minutes (see note).

3. Put the cornstarch in a small bowl and stir in 2 tablespoons of the simmering liquid to make a smooth paste. Pour the cornstarch into the hot vegetables and gently stir to combine. Simmer for 3 minutes to thicken the liquid, and then add the lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove the pot from the heat and divide heaping cups of the curried vegetables between six 12-ounce (1 1/2-cup) ceramic baking dishes or ceramic crocks.

4. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and place it on a floured work surface. Dust the top with flour and roll into a large disc about 1/8 inch thick. Cut out 6 circles slightly larger than the top of each baking dish. Place a pastry disc over the top of each vegetable dish and push down gently to adhere the dough to the edges of each dish. Lightly brush the pastry with a little beaten whole egg and puncture the tops in three spots with a sharp paring knife to allow the steam to escape. Place the baking dishes on a baking sheet. Place into the oven and bake until the crust is deep golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve hot from the oven.

Note: Wrap freshly made dough airtight in plastic film and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw frozen pastry in the refrigerator overnight, and then roll the dough as directed above. The filling can be made 2 days ahead and gently reheated just before pouring into the ceramic dishes.

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