I’m always on the lookout for good, hearty, vegetarian dishes when the weather is freezing & the produce selection pretty bleak. This recipe makes use of what’s still available, like onions, carrots & mushrooms & bolsters them with some additions from the freezer section.
I think the filling is open to interpretation…I could see potatoes & even corn as welcome additions, but the star of the show here is the biscuit topping. Oh, the biscuits! They’re tender, flaky & just salty enough, thanks to the feta, that I could see myself easily inhaling way more of them than socially acceptable. With or without the pot pie filling.
VEGETABLE POT PIE WITH FETA SCALLION BISCUITS
serves 4
for the filling:
4 tablespoons butter
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 red bell peppers, seeded & chopped
3 carrots, peeled & chopped
16 oz. baby bella mushrooms, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup all purpose flour
3 cups vegetable broth
1 cup frozen peas
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
for the biscuits:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste (we used quite a bit)
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/3 cup chopped scallions
1/2 cup, plus 1-2 tablespoons buttermilk
Preheat the oven to 400°. Lightly grease an 8 x 8 baking dish, pie plate, or 4-5 individual oven safe dishes & set aside.
In a Dutch oven, or other large, heavy bottomed pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell peppers & carrots & cook, stirringly occasionally, until softened. Add the mushrooms & continue cooking until the mushrooms have softened & released most of their liquid. Throw in the garlic & red pepper flakes, stir & cook until fragrant, just a minute. Sprinkle the flour over the top of the vegetables & stir until evenly coated, cooking for just a minute or two. Slowly stream in the vegetable broth, a little at a time, fully incorporating the liquid into the vegetables. Let the mixture cook, stirring occasionally, until it’s thick & bubbling. Remove from the heat & stir in peas. Season with salt & pepper. Add to prepared dish.
For the biscuits, combine the flour, baking powder, salt & pepper in a medium bowl & whisk to combine. Add the cold pieces of butter & toss until coated with flour. With a pastry blender, or two forks, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is crumbly & the butter no larger than the size of peas. Add the feta & scallions & toss lightly until incorporated. Pour in 1/2 cup of buttermilk & stir with a fork to until a dough has formed. It will still be crumbly. Add some of the remaining buttermilk if they dough will not hold together.
Turn the dough out on a lightly floured working surface & gently pat into a 3/4-1 inch thickness. Using a 2 1/2 inch (or similar) biscuit cutter, cut rounds of dough & place on top of vegetable mixture, repeating the process until most all of the dough is used. Brush the tops of the dough with additional buttermilk & pop everything in the oven for 20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Once the filling is bubbling & biscuit tops golden brown, remove from the oven & let cool briefly before serving.
adapted from Annie’s Eats
Your meatless Monday meals are my fave!!!!!!