Saturday is Pi Day, and I figure we need at least one dinner pie to precede the parade of dessert pies currently on hand. (It's the whole parental responsibility thing. I do not judge adults who eat dessert pie for breakfast, trust me!)
Since the Free-Ride household is vegetarian, the pie Wilkins posted won't quite work. In lieu of an actual meat pie, we offer the vegetarian shepherd's pie.
"Meat" layer that isn't really:
Heat a tablespoon or so of vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 small onion, finely chopped, and saute until translucent. Add 12 ounces Yves Meatless Ground (or other vegetarian ground beef) and cook, stirring, for a few minutes. Puree 4 medium tomatoes (fresh or canned) and add to skillet, along with 1 cup water, 2 tablespoons rolled oats, 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, and 4 teaspoon vegetarian Worcestershire sauce. Stir and simmer until the mixture thickens up. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
Smashed potato layer:
Scrub and trim about 1.5 pounds of potatoes. Cut the potatoes into cubes (but leave the skin on them). Boil until easily pierced with a fork (about 10 minutes).
In a large bowl, mash the cooked potato chunks with about 3 ounces of cream cheese plus enough of the boiling water (or milk, or butter milk) to help the potatoes hang together rather than existing as distinct potato-y chunks. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
To assemble:
Spread the "meat" that really isn't in the bottom of a Pyrex pie pan.
Spread about 1/2 pound of peas (frozen are fine; no need to thaw) evenly over the "meat" layer that really isn't.
Pile the smashed potatoes on top of the pies. With a rubber scraper, carefully spread the potatoes outward from the center to reach the edges of the pie pan.
Bake at 350 oF until the potatoes get a little brown, about 25-35 minutes.
Serve to appreciative children.
- Log in to post comments
Verily, thou are Queen of the Pies. And yet, my Bird Pie is teh awesome and will totally win the contest! I am so sure.
That sounds like a great thing to try out. Soy-grounds are so good that the last time I made some filling for quesadillas, my guests never found out! Vegetarian! Way to go!
I just put mine in the oven - I added finely chopped mushrooms to the fake meat mix. It looks like it's going to turn out well!
No appreciative children, but two appreciative tummies here tonight. Great recipe! Happy Pi Day!
(I used Vegenaise to bind the potatoes instead of cream cheese & milk, so mine was a vegan version.)
I like Sandra's idea with the Vegenaise instead of the cow's milk products! No animals suffer that way!