Mushroom and Potato Pie of Goodness

Today, I needed something that rocks from the kitchen.  It is Tuesday.  My husband left on Saturday for a work trip.  No big deal, right??  Except that this work trip is for 8 weeks.  So today, when I only worked for 3 hours, I made the most of my spare time, and became a flurry of activity in the kitchen.  Cooking is one way for me to make things right in the world, more controlled, more do-able.  So, in that flurry, I made these... and BOY did that flurry pay off.  Delicious!

And then I ate one!  Yum!

There were so many potential names for this dish.  Vegetable Shepherd's Pie, Mushroom and Red Wine Delight, Lentil and Potato Surprise, Vegetable Pie of the Gods.  I settled on Mushroom and Potato Pie of Goodness, because despite all the amazing vegetables mixed into this pile of delight, the mushrooms really do shine.  

The mushrooms almost taste like meat... which in my book, is always a good thing... their texture is thick and satisfying.  This pie, basically, rocks, and in that rock-ness, the mushrooms are the rockstars. Who ever knew that this mix of vegetables could be so delicious?  Lentils, mushrooms, carrots.  But with the right splash of red wine, and herbs tossed in, this dish has so much flavor, it is amazing.

On a side note, I have started biking to work, and it is the most energizing experience!  I love Portland, and its amazing bike community.  I often cross the Hawthorne Bridge, and today (when work started at 4pm and my new nanny picked up the kids for the first time), there were 3100 + people who also biked across that bridge.  That is just too cool!

Hawthorne Bridge's Bike Counter

But back to Mushroom heaven... here is the recipe.

Mushroom and Potato Pie of Goodness

from Tali's Tomatoes (a fellow Australian! whoop, whoop), recipe here

 Ingredients

• 2 carrots, chopped into 1cm cubes
• 1 large stick of celery, chopped
• 150 g mushrooms, sliced
• 1 onion (red or white), finely chopped 
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped or minced
• 950 g sweet potato (or regular potato), chopped into chunks for boiling (unpeeled if organic)

• 400 g tin of organic chopped tomatoes (or 3 fresh very ripe tomatoes)
• 125 mls (1/2 cup) red wine
• 2 tsp dried thyme or 2 tbsp fresh thyme
• 1 tbsp dried cumin
• 150 g tomato paste
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 2 stock cubes or 1 tbsp of other seasoning (such as herbamare)
• 1 tbsp soy or Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tbsp milk of choice (regular, almond, soy etc)
• 1 cup dried puy (also called green or French) lentils (soaked for as long as possible or overnight) or 2.5 cups cooked lentils (approximately 1.5 tins)

• 85 g cheddar or other cheese, grated (optional)
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes (optional... I opted out... I'm still not sold on this stuff)
• 1 tbsp butter or coconut oil for mashing the potato (butter, are you kidding, it is SO tasty??!!)
• 1/2 tbsp oil for cooking
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F, 180 degrees C.

Add lentils to 2 cups of boiling water in a pot and cook until just tender, approximately 15-20 minutes if they have been soaked. (So, here is the deal with my lentils... I forgot about this step, like maybe you will too, so soaked them while I was chopping the other veggies, and then boiled them while I was cooking the other veggies.  I added lots of water as they kept absorbing it, but they turned out great by the time I was ready to toss them into the mushroom heaven mixture.)

Meanwhile add the sweet potato to a pot of water, bring to the boil and cook until soft, approximately 15-20 minutes.

While the lentils and potatoes are cooking heat 1/2 tbsp oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and saute until translucent. Add the red wine and simmer until the liquid has reduced by half. Add the carrots, celery, thyme, cumin, tomato paste, smoked paprika, stock cubes and tomatoes and simmer until the sauce has thickened, approximately 20 minutes. Add the mushrooms to the sauce for the final 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Drain and rinse the lentils and then add them to the tomato sauce. Drain the potatoes and add 1 tbsp butter/coconut oil, nutritional yeast flakes (no thanks), milk, salt and pepper. Mash until smooth.

In either one large oven dish or four individual ramekins add the lentil mixture and top with the sweet potato mash. Sprinkle cheese over the top and pop in the oven. Cook for approximately 30 minutes or until the cheese is golden.

I think this is what is classified as "golden".