A Casserole Twist

I subscribe to Vegetarian Times’ online newsletter, and a few times a week they e-mail out some pretty awesome recipes. I find myself stock-piling them, trying to get through each one as frequently as a I can. A few weeks ago I received a recipe for an Indian Samosa Casserole, and immediately saved it. Samosa’s are newer to me, as I had my first this past fall when a co-worker brought in a bunch to celebrate Diwali (the festival of lights). The first thing that comes to mind when trying to relate them would be to empanadas, pierogies, etc. They’re usually fried, and absolutely delicious. So when I found a recipe for a giant one that didn’t require a pot of hot oil flying throughout my kitchen, I was game.

Having spent the past few days watching countless hours of TV on the couch trying to recover as quickly as possible, I was excited to get back into the kitchen to make something that required some attention. Saving it for a Saturday evening was perfect, since with prep and cook time, this is easily an hour and a half ordeal. It probably would have taken even longer if I decided to make my own pie crust. But I thought it might be best to err on the side of sanity and buy a pre-made crust. I wasn’t opposed to the idea of spending some time in the kitchen, but I didn’t want it to be my entire Saturday, especially since I was finally starting to feel better.

Aside from using my own pie crust, I omitted the mustard seed (fiancé doesn’t like mustard), and used canned peas instead of frozen, and regular sugar instead of agave nectar. Other than that, I stuck to the recipe, and it was really good! We have three quarters of the pie left, so I’m looking forward to having it for lunch/dinner at least one more time.

And in other news, I think I’m finally healed up and ready to get back to running! Unfortunately with the weather lately my first run will likely be on the treadmill. That’s okay, thought, because I’m going to take it slow and make sure there isn’t any pain. Fiancé still has one more week of required couch potato-ness before his ankle is looked at again. So, the Pittsburgh Marathon is out, but I’m 99.9% sure we’ll be signing up for the Philly Marathon that’s in November, followed by going Goofy in January! Fingers crossed 🙂

Indian Samosa Casserole via Vegetarian Times
– Serves 6 –

Ingredients:
Crust:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. vegetable oil

Filling:
1 Tbs. black or yellow mustard seeds
1 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes, optional
5 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered (1 1/4 lb.)
1 1/2 tsp. vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced (1 cup)
1 medium carrot, diced (1/2 cup)
3 cloves garlic, minced (1 Tbs.)
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
2 tsp. agave nectar or sugar
2 Tbs. soymilk

Directions:
To make Crust:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Whisk together flours and salt in bowl. Stir in oil until clumps form. Add 6 to 10 Tbs. cold water, 1 Tbs. at a time, until dough holds together. Shape into ball, cover with damp towel, and set aside.

To make Filling:
2. Stir together mustard seeds, curry, ginger, cumin, and red pepper flakes, if using, in bowl; set aside.
3. Cook potatoes in boiling salted water 15 minutes, or until tender. Drain, return to pot, and mash, leaving small chunks.
4. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and garlic, and sauté 5 minutes, or until carrot is tender. Move onion mixture to side of pan, and add mustard seed mixture in center. Toast 30 seconds. Stir in peas and broth. Fold onion mixture into potato mixture; stir in agave nectar. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Spread Filling in 9-inch pie pan. Set aside.
5. Roll out Crust dough to 11-inch circle on floured work surface. Cover Filling with dough, pressing down to make sure no air pockets remain. Trim away excess dough, and crimp edges with fingers. Cut X in center to vent steam; brush with soymilk just before baking. Place pie on baking sheet, and bake 40 to 50 minutes, or until crust is golden. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
6. Frozen cooking instructions: Preheat oven to 375°F. Place casserole on baking sheet, and bake 75 to 90 minutes, or until Filling bubbles and Crust is golden. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.