Vegetarian Pot Pie with Biscuit Top

By Loretto J. Hulse, Herald staff writer

The cover of the Tri-City Herald's Food & Wine section Jan. 28 will feature the Top 10 Flavor Trends according to a survey by McCormick, producers of spices, herbs and other food flavorings. Inside you’ll find more recipes plus buying, cooking and health tips on a variety of food-related subjects.

Vegetarian Pot Pie with Biscuit Top

My kids love pot pie so much that they will devour the entire dish. Fortunately, pot pies aren't hard to throw together and are even easier with a biscuit top. Besides being scrumptious, this version is lower in fat than a traditional pot pie ‹ Julie Hasson

Ingredients

5 small red-skinned potatoes (about 1 pound)

1 bag (10 ounces) frozen broccoli florets, thawed, chopped if large (about 3 cups)

2 cups refrigerated or frozen vegetarian chicken-style strips, thawed (and cooked if necessary) (see Tips, below) or an additional 2 cups vegetables

3/4 cup frozen peas, thawed

About 2 cups vegetarian gravy (a good recipe can be found at: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Vegetarian-Gravy/Detail.aspx)

1 teaspoon dry sherry, optional

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1/2 teaspoon dried sage, crumbled

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Biscuit topping (mix up one batch of your favorite drop biscuit recipe)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 12-inch cast-iron skillet or 10-inch deep-dish glass or ceramic plate.

In a large pot of boiling water, cook potatoes for 20 to 25 minutes or until tender. Drain and let cool to the touch. Peel potatoes and cut into pieces.

In a large bowl, combine potatoes, broccoli, vegetarian chicken, peas, and hot gravy. Add sherry, garlic, thyme, sage, and salt and pepper to taste. You want the mixture to be hot. If it's not, heat in microwave oven for 2 minutes or until hot to the touch.

Scoop vegetable mixture into skillet or dish, smoothing top. Drop scoops of biscuit dough over filling, covering pie (it's okay if not every spot of filling is covered). Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 45 minutes or until biscuit topping is golden brown and cooked through.

Tips: It's important to make sure that the filling is hot when assembling the pot pie, because otherwise the biscuit topping tends to be a little raw underneath. Vegetarian chicken-style strips are often found in the freezer section or in the produce section with the veggie burgers.

Variation

Substitute a pastry or puff pastry crust for the biscuit dough.

From: THE COMPLETE BOOK OF PIES by Julie Hasson (Robert Rose, Inc.; October 2008; $24.95/trade paperback).

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Monday, Jan. 26, 2009

Vegetarian Pot Pie with Biscuit Top

By Loretto J. Hulse, Herald staff writer