Winter Vegetable Pot Pie

I received Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison this past Christmas.  I could not wait to dive into it! While I am not a vegetarian, I do prefer to cook vegetarian meals over those with meat as I am not a big fan of handling it. With over 750 pages of recipes, it was certainly difficult to choose which one to begin with.

I decided to challenge myself with the Winter Vegetable Pot Pie.  While the sound of it does not seem intimidating, the recipe definitely was.  This was by far the most involved recipe I have ever prepared, but I was up for the challenge.  Besides, I had plenty of time before the season three premiere of Downton Abbey!

When it was done and over with, I realized that she called for far too many vegetables than could fit in a 2 qt gratin dish…and I did not even use all that was in the recipe.  In the end, I had to move the whole lot to a 3 qt casserole dish. The béchamel was delicious as were the mix of vegetables. I’m always a fan when celery root or parsnips are involved.

Ms. Madison called for frozen puff pastry, but instead I used the cobbler topping recipe she included at the beginning of the vegetable stews and stir-fries chapter. I think if I were to make this again I would use the frozen puff pastry. 

Winter Vegetable Pot Pie

Adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison

Serves 4-6

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed	2 cups Herb Béchamel, (see recipe below)
1 ½ lbs butternut squash, peeled and diced into 1-inch cubes	Flour for dredging
2 Tbs. olive oil	2 Tbs. butter
16 shallots or boiling onions, peeled and left whole	1 small celery root
Juice of 1 lemon	3 parsnips, peeled and diced
2 kohlrabi or turnips, peeled and cut into wedges	5 medium carrots, cut into 2-inch lengths
Salt and freshly milled pepper	4 thyme sprigs
½ cup cream or milk	1 egg, beaten

Choose a 2 qt. soufflé or gratin dish or four individual 2-cup casseroles.  Roll out the pastry between 1/8 and ¼ inch thick and cut it to fit the dish.  Cut out leaves or other decorative shapes from the scraps.  Refrigerate the pastry until needed.  Have the béchamel cooking in a double boiler while you prepare the vegetables.

Toss squash in flour, letting the excess fall away.  Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet and add the squash and shallots.  Sauté over medium heat until browned and tender, 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally so that they color evenly.  Transfer to the baking dish.

Peel the celery root, dice it into 1-inch cubes, and put them in the bowl with the juice plus water to cover.  Parboil the remaining vegetables in salted water until tender but still a little firm.  Drain then parboil the celery root for 1 minute.  Combine all of the vegetables, season with salt and pepper, and transfer the stew to the dish.  Tuck in thyme sprigs.  (My note: I just mixed ½ tsp of thyme leaves with the vegetables at this point as I did not have thyme sprigs).

Mix the béchamel and cream and pour it over the vegetables, allowing the sauce to fall between the cracks.  Refrigerate if baking later, and then bring to room temperature before baking.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 425° F. Remove the pastry from the refrigerator and lay it on top of the vegetables.  Brush the top side with egg, add any decorations and glaze them, too.  Bake for 12 minutes, then lower the heat to 350°F and continue baking until the crust is golden and puffed and the sauce is bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes more.  Let settle for a few minutes, and then serve.

Herb Béchamel Sauce

2 cups milk	¼ cup finely diced onion
Aromatics: 1 bay leaf, 2 parsley sprigs, 2 thyme sprigs	3 ½ TBS. butter
3 ½ TBS. flour	Salt and freshly milled pepper
Grated Nutmeg	1/3 – ½ cup chopped herbs (parsley, thyme, chervil, or tarragon)

Heat the milk with the onion and aromatics in a heavy saucepan over medium heat.  Turn it off just before it boils and set aside for 15 minutes to steep.

In another saucepan, make the roux by melting the butter, adding the flour, and stirring constantly over medium heat for 2 minutes.  

Quickly pour the milk through a strainer into the roux and whisk until thickened.  Stir until the sauce comes to a boil. Set the pan over very low heat or transfer to a double boiler.  Cook for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste.  Add chopped herbs and mix.  If you’re not ready to use the sauce right away, lay a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming.