Recipe: Cauliflower and mushroom potpie with black olive crust
As requested by rosina_alcona and abigail89.
Serves 4-6
Time: A little over an hour (warning: I tend to faff when faced with things like flour-sifting, so it took me nearer two hours)
Notes: This hearty pie is best served with sauteed greens or a simple salad.
From: Veganomnicon
Sauce:
3 tablespoons vegan margarine (er, which I think means pretty much any marg)**
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups unsweetended plain soy or oat milk**
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons dried tarragon
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
1 teaspoon salt
ground pepper
Vegetables:
1 pound/400-ish g cauliflower, trimmed, washed and cut into bite-size pieces
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil or olive oil
1 leek, sliced thinly
1 small carrot, cut into small dice
1/2 pound mushrooms, washed, trimmed and sliced into large chunks
1 teaspoon sherry or white wine vinegar
Black olive biscuit crust:
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour or a combination of wholewheat pastry flour and all-purpose flour*
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
pinch of dried thyme leaves
3 tablespoons vegan margarine, chilled**
4-5 tablespoons cold water
1/3 cup pitted black olives (kalamata recommended), coarsely chopped (I recommend being generous with the olives)
Preparations:
Preheat the oven to 375 F/190 C. If you have one, use a large Dutch oven/oven-to-table casserole dish. If not, use a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan to prepare the filling and a large, deep casserole dish to bake the finished potpie.
Prepare the sauce:
In a small heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, melt the marg and sprinkle in the flour. Stir to form a thick paste. Cook the mixture until fragrant, bubbling and lightly browned, 4-5 mins.
Temporarily turn off the heat. Slowly pour in the soy milk, using a wire whisk (or fork if you're me) to stir until smooth. Whisk in the dried herbs, mustard powder and salt, and add bay leaf. Turn on the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly with whisk, for 8-10 mins, until a thick sauce forms. Turn off the heat, remove the bay leaf, and adjust the salt & pepper to taste.
Heat the oil in the Dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add the leeks and carrots and saute for 6-8 mins, until softened. Add the mushrooms and vinegar/sherry, stir, and cook for another 6-8 mins until most of the excess mushroom liquid has evaporated. Add the cauliflower, stir briefly, cover partially and steam for about 8 mins, until the cauliflower has just begun to soften. Remove the lid, turn off the heat and set aside.
While the cauliflower is cooking, prepare the biscuit crust:
Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and thyme in a small bowl. With a pastry cutter or two knives held together, cut in the cold marg until crumbs form, then drizzle in 3 tbsp of cold water and mix. Drizzle in additioanl tablespoons of cold water, one at a time, until a soft dough forms (but be careful not to overwork it). Fold in the olives.
Pat out the dough on a lightly floured surface or give it a few rolls with a rolling pin, to form a circle/appropriate shape slightly smaller than the casserole dish. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into diamonds (you'll be placing small squares of dough over the casserole rather than one big disk of dough).
To assemble:
Put the cauliflower mixture into the casserole dish if it isn't already there. Give the sauce a good whisking (no worries if a skin has formed over it), pour into the cauliflower mixture and stir completely to blend the veggie juices and sauce. Arrange the diamonds of dough over the mixture and brush with soy milk. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender and the biscuits are cooked.
Allow to cool at least ten minutes before serving, as the filling will be boiling hot straight out of the oven
* Sorry, I have no idea what this is in grams, as I just used a measuring cup.
** Obviously, I'm sure you could just use butter and cow's milk if you prefer.
Enjoy!
Serves 4-6
Time: A little over an hour (warning: I tend to faff when faced with things like flour-sifting, so it took me nearer two hours)
Notes: This hearty pie is best served with sauteed greens or a simple salad.
From: Veganomnicon
Sauce:
3 tablespoons vegan margarine (er, which I think means pretty much any marg)**
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups unsweetended plain soy or oat milk**
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons dried tarragon
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
1 teaspoon salt
ground pepper
Vegetables:
1 pound/400-ish g cauliflower, trimmed, washed and cut into bite-size pieces
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil or olive oil
1 leek, sliced thinly
1 small carrot, cut into small dice
1/2 pound mushrooms, washed, trimmed and sliced into large chunks
1 teaspoon sherry or white wine vinegar
Black olive biscuit crust:
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour or a combination of wholewheat pastry flour and all-purpose flour*
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
pinch of dried thyme leaves
3 tablespoons vegan margarine, chilled**
4-5 tablespoons cold water
1/3 cup pitted black olives (kalamata recommended), coarsely chopped (I recommend being generous with the olives)
Preparations:
Preheat the oven to 375 F/190 C. If you have one, use a large Dutch oven/oven-to-table casserole dish. If not, use a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan to prepare the filling and a large, deep casserole dish to bake the finished potpie.
Prepare the sauce:
In a small heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, melt the marg and sprinkle in the flour. Stir to form a thick paste. Cook the mixture until fragrant, bubbling and lightly browned, 4-5 mins.
Temporarily turn off the heat. Slowly pour in the soy milk, using a wire whisk (or fork if you're me) to stir until smooth. Whisk in the dried herbs, mustard powder and salt, and add bay leaf. Turn on the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly with whisk, for 8-10 mins, until a thick sauce forms. Turn off the heat, remove the bay leaf, and adjust the salt & pepper to taste.
Heat the oil in the Dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add the leeks and carrots and saute for 6-8 mins, until softened. Add the mushrooms and vinegar/sherry, stir, and cook for another 6-8 mins until most of the excess mushroom liquid has evaporated. Add the cauliflower, stir briefly, cover partially and steam for about 8 mins, until the cauliflower has just begun to soften. Remove the lid, turn off the heat and set aside.
While the cauliflower is cooking, prepare the biscuit crust:
Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and thyme in a small bowl. With a pastry cutter or two knives held together, cut in the cold marg until crumbs form, then drizzle in 3 tbsp of cold water and mix. Drizzle in additioanl tablespoons of cold water, one at a time, until a soft dough forms (but be careful not to overwork it). Fold in the olives.
Pat out the dough on a lightly floured surface or give it a few rolls with a rolling pin, to form a circle/appropriate shape slightly smaller than the casserole dish. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into diamonds (you'll be placing small squares of dough over the casserole rather than one big disk of dough).
To assemble:
Put the cauliflower mixture into the casserole dish if it isn't already there. Give the sauce a good whisking (no worries if a skin has formed over it), pour into the cauliflower mixture and stir completely to blend the veggie juices and sauce. Arrange the diamonds of dough over the mixture and brush with soy milk. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender and the biscuits are cooked.
Allow to cool at least ten minutes before serving, as the filling will be boiling hot straight out of the oven
* Sorry, I have no idea what this is in grams, as I just used a measuring cup.
** Obviously, I'm sure you could just use butter and cow's milk if you prefer.
Enjoy!