Mushroom Pot Pie

Yet another recipe that I've put my own spin on. This recipe is from In The Kitchen With Stefano Faita. The main thing I changed was using my own dough recipe instead of puff pastry to try and save on some of the fat.

If you decide to make your own pie dough, you'll want to start by making your dough since it needs to sit for about an hour. My go-to dough for this recipe is 10 oz all purpose flour, 5 oz margarine/butter, about 1/2 tsp salt, and water.

Combine the flour and salt in a bowl and with a pastry cutter, work in the margarine/butter until it is evenly distributed. Slowly add enough water to form a dough. The amount of water needed is never the same because of humidity, so add a bit then you can always increase it. If you find your dough too wet, just add small amounts of flour. When your dough is formed and feels wet enough, wrap in plastic wrap or a produce bag, and put in the fridge for about an hour so the gluten does what it does. Now to make the filling. You will need the following:

- a medium onion, chopped
- a clove or two of garlic, minced
- a few kinds of mushrooms (shitake, cremini, king oyster, button, portobello, etc)
- one or two carrots
- one or two parsnips
- 1 cup frozen peas
- about 1 cup cooked lentils or 1-14oz can rinsed
- 2 cups stock (I use mushroom and vegetable cubes- one of each)
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- salt and pepper
- thyme and rosemary either dried or fresh
- 2 tbsp oil (evoo, canola, etc) 

The ingredients I didn't use are: 1/2 cup red wine, diced potato, brussel sprouts, leek, and puff pastry. The real recipe is found at http://www.cbc.ca/inthekitchen/2013/03/mixed-mushroom-pot-pie.html.

So, first you need to heat the oil in a stock pot. Add the onion, celery and garlic and cook until softened. Add the mushrooms and start to brown them. In a few minutes, you house will smell awesome. This is when I add the stock cubes minus the water, the salt and pepper, and thyme and rosemary. Now add the flour and tomato paste and stir until the flour disappears and you can smell the tomato paste. Slowly add the water or actual stock, soy sauce, lentils, carrots, parsnips and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the veg is softened. Add the peas and turn off the heat.

I spray my ramekins with non-stick spray and add about two laddles of the mixture into each. I place them on a baking sheet for ease of movement in and out of the oven. Roll out your dough, and cut rounds that fit your ramekins. Place on the top of the filling and pierce the dough for air vents.

I find this recipe usually fills five ramekins. Cook in a 425F oven until your dough is golden.

There are a few reasons why we love this recipe. It is portioned out in the ramekins that are easy to store and take for lunch. I LOVE mushrooms, so I can go nuts and add a ton of them. This recipe is tasty, and tastes even better the next day when warmed up. It is full of vegetables and lentils and is a meatless main.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!

Lisa