vegetarian shepherd's pie
A while ago I introduced The Hypocrite, a combination yuppie juice cleanse spiked with gin. Well, it's time for another contradiction in terms with a vegetarian shepherd's pie. It's kind of based on Rachael Ray's "meatless" version, except, you know, it's actually vegan/vegetarian. It's kind of a pain because it's a lot of chopping vegetables and using multiple pots and pans for a single dish, but it's different, it's mostly inexpensive (the mushrooms are like half the budget), and it's good for you - even slow-carb vegetarian. I've only made this twice, but I needed a place to write down what I did, so, here you go:
1 head cauliflower, torn into florets
salt
1 T prepared horseradish
1 t dried chives
3 T extra virgin olive oil
6-8 oz portabella mushrooms, wiped clean and chopped into cubes
8 oz mushrooms (basically whatever is not stupidly expensive in the produce aisle), quartered
1/2 t dried rosemary
2 carrots, chopped (or 24 baby carrots, halved the short way)
3 stalks of celery, chopped the same length as the carrots
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 t minced garlic
1 bundle kale or spinach, stems removed, chopped (way cheaper to buy in bulk than in bags)
1 dash nutmeg
1 dash soy sauce
2 cups of vegetable stock or broth
3 T water
2 T cornstarch
In one pot (I use a large saucepan), cover cauliflower with water and bring to a boil, then add salt. Boil cauliflower for about 8 minutes until done. Drain water, then mash the cauliflower by hand, adding the horseradish and chives and stirring. Set aside.
Meanwhile, in a second pot over medium-high heat, pour olive oil and add mushrooms and rosemary. Do not freak out if it seems like the mushrooms are burning - they will eventually release their liquid and all will be well. Takes about 10 minutes. Stir in the carrots, celery, and onion, and cook for 5-10 more minutes; meanwhile, if you haven't started de-stemming and chopping your kale, welcome to the next 5-10 minutes of your life. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Stir in the kale, garlic, and nutmeg and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring, to watch the kale wilt. Add the stock and soy sauce (barely enough to cover, maybe a touch less) and allow everything to boil. Meanwhile in a small bowl, whisk together a slurry of water and cornstarch and add that to the pot. Pour contents of pot into a casserole dish or individual serving dishes and top with the mashed cauliflower (and if so desired, a sprinkle of white cheddar cheese or appropriate vegan substitute - but I like to see the cauliflower still so it's really not a lot). Bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes or until the peaks of the cauliflower turn golden brown - this also lets the liquid boil off and thicken and such.
This is a dish I like better the next day - the longer you let it sit, the better it holds together (if you're serving out of a single casserole dish). I think it's still a little watery served straight away, but you can mostly control that at the "add broth" step.
I suppose there are ways to reduce the ridiculous amount of cookware needed for this one - like having a dutch oven - and maybe I am just the worst person ever at washing, de-stemming, and chopping kale - but aside from those things, I'm happy with this one, and amused at making a meat-and-potatoes dish like this into a mushroom-and-cauliflower one instead.
1 head cauliflower, torn into florets
salt
1 T prepared horseradish
1 t dried chives
3 T extra virgin olive oil
6-8 oz portabella mushrooms, wiped clean and chopped into cubes
8 oz mushrooms (basically whatever is not stupidly expensive in the produce aisle), quartered
1/2 t dried rosemary
2 carrots, chopped (or 24 baby carrots, halved the short way)
3 stalks of celery, chopped the same length as the carrots
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 t minced garlic
1 bundle kale or spinach, stems removed, chopped (way cheaper to buy in bulk than in bags)
1 dash nutmeg
1 dash soy sauce
2 cups of vegetable stock or broth
3 T water
2 T cornstarch
In one pot (I use a large saucepan), cover cauliflower with water and bring to a boil, then add salt. Boil cauliflower for about 8 minutes until done. Drain water, then mash the cauliflower by hand, adding the horseradish and chives and stirring. Set aside.
Meanwhile, in a second pot over medium-high heat, pour olive oil and add mushrooms and rosemary. Do not freak out if it seems like the mushrooms are burning - they will eventually release their liquid and all will be well. Takes about 10 minutes. Stir in the carrots, celery, and onion, and cook for 5-10 more minutes; meanwhile, if you haven't started de-stemming and chopping your kale, welcome to the next 5-10 minutes of your life. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Stir in the kale, garlic, and nutmeg and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring, to watch the kale wilt. Add the stock and soy sauce (barely enough to cover, maybe a touch less) and allow everything to boil. Meanwhile in a small bowl, whisk together a slurry of water and cornstarch and add that to the pot. Pour contents of pot into a casserole dish or individual serving dishes and top with the mashed cauliflower (and if so desired, a sprinkle of white cheddar cheese or appropriate vegan substitute - but I like to see the cauliflower still so it's really not a lot). Bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes or until the peaks of the cauliflower turn golden brown - this also lets the liquid boil off and thicken and such.
This is a dish I like better the next day - the longer you let it sit, the better it holds together (if you're serving out of a single casserole dish). I think it's still a little watery served straight away, but you can mostly control that at the "add broth" step.
I suppose there are ways to reduce the ridiculous amount of cookware needed for this one - like having a dutch oven - and maybe I am just the worst person ever at washing, de-stemming, and chopping kale - but aside from those things, I'm happy with this one, and amused at making a meat-and-potatoes dish like this into a mushroom-and-cauliflower one instead.