This is an extremely versatile vegetable pot pie recipe adapted from a wonderful cookbook that my sister bought for me a few years ago: Moosewood Restaurant Celebrates – Festival Meals for Holidays and Special Occasions. Don’t be fooled by the title of this cookbook – I use it for every day occasions, not just holidays and special occasions. The recipes are creative and unique. Definitely a must have in my kitchen.

Back to the recipe…I’ve made this several times with a variety of different vegetables. It’s a fabulous recipe for using those odds and ends from your CSA share. The recipe below includes what I used this time, but I’ve also used butternut squash instead of the sweet potatoes, turnips, carrots, green beans, kale and collard greens, and leeks. If you’re going to do some substituting, I recommend following the havarti cheese sauce and pastry recipes, but improvising on the other ingredients.

INGREDIENTS

Filling

• 1 tbsp EVOO
• 1 large sweet onion, chopped
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 bunch of radishes (about 5-8 medium), washed well and cut into 1/4 inch cubes
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1-2 cups vegetable stock
• 3 small to medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch cubes
• 2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch cubes
• 1/2 large head of broccoli, separated into small heads (about 1/2 inch wide)
• 2 1/2 cups mushrooms, washed and sliced (about 1 small container)
• 1/4 cup chopped FRESH flat leaf parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped FRESH dill

Havarti Cheese Sauce

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/3 cup unbleached white flour
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 1/2 cups grated dilled havarti cheese (about 6-8 oz)
• salt and pepper to taste

Pastry

• 1 3/4 cup unbleached white flour
• 1 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup ice water

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large soup pot, warm the oil. Add the onions, bay leaves and radishes and saute for about 10 minutes on medium heat, until the onions are soft. Stir in the potatoes, sweet potatoes, salt and cup of vegetable stock. Cover and bring to a boil; then lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
2. Add the broccoli and continue to simmer for 5 minutes more. Stir in the mushrooms, parsley, and dill and cook for 3-4 minutes to soften the mushrooms and until all the vegetables are just barely tender.
3. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Cover the vegetables, remove from heat, and set aside.
4. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
5. In a saucepan, melt the butter and whisk in the flour to make a roux. Cook for 2 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly. Whisk in the stock and cook on medium heat, whisking often, until the sauce thickens and simmers gently. Whisk in the cheese until melted and stir the sauce into the pot of cooked vegetables. Add salt and ground pepper to taste. Pour the filling into a 9x13x2 inch baking pan or a 10 inch round deep-dish pie plate and set aside.
6. Prepare the pastry. Mix together the flour and rosemary in a large bowl. Rapidly work the butter into the flour with a pastry cutter or your fingers until it resembles a coarse meal. Sprinkle the ice water over the mixture a tablespoon at a time, and lightly mix in. Push the dampened dough into the center of the bowl and form a ball.
7. On a floured surface, roll out the pastry to fit your baking dish. Completely cover the top or arrange cut-out designs on top of the filling. If you totally cover the pie with pastry, cut a few slits in the top. That way steam can escape during baking for a crisper crust. Gaps between cut-out designs will make good “vents” too.
8. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until the crust is golden and the filling bubbly. Cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.