Mushroom and Lentil Pot Pies with Gouda Biscuit Topping

I make a lot of chicken pot pies because it is a tasty way to use up leftover chicken. When I saw this recipe in the November 2010 issue of Bon Appetit magazine I thought it sounded like a nice change from our usual chicken pies. I also thought this would be a good meal to make for the rare vegetarian who wanders into our bastion of meat lovers.

Mushroom and Lentil Pot Pies with Gouda Biscuit Topping

Filling
1/2 cup lentils
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms (I couldn't find these in my market so I used dried stir fry mushrooms)
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
6 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 carrot, cut into 1/4 inch thick rounds
1 1/2 teaspoons dried sage
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch chunks (I was lazy and didn't peel mine)
4 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon tomato paste

Topping
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
6 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons chilled unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup buttermilk (I didn't have any buttermilk in the house so I used low-fat milk)
3/4 cup (packed) grated Gouda cheese (3 ounces)

Filling: Mix 3 cups cold water, lentils and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until lentils are tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Drain, set lentils aside.

Pour 3 cups boiling water over dried porcini mushrooms in medium bowl; soak 25 minutes. Remove mushrooms from soaking liquid, squeeze dry, and chop coarsely. Don't throw away the soaking liquid, save it to use later.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add fresh mushrooms, cook for 3 minutes. Add 1 more tablespoon of olive oil, onion, carrot, sage and thyme. Saute 4 minutes. Add garlic; saute 30 seconds. Reduce heat to medium-low.

Mix flour into vegetables; cook 1 minute. Add porcini soaking liquid. Mix in porcini, potatoes, soy sauce and tomato paste. Cover; simmer until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally 13 to 15 minutes. Add lentils; season with salt and pepper. Put the filling in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.

Topping: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt in food processor; blend 5 seconds. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk; pulse until dough forms moist clumps.

Put heaping tablespoons of the batter on top of the pot pie filling. Top the dough with cheese. Bake pot pies until a toothpick inserted into biscuit topping comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

Serves 4

Boiling lentils

 

Dried Mushrooms (before adding the boiling water)

Re-hydrated Mushrooms

Finished Pot Pie Filling

Immediately before putting in the oven.

These were really tasty pot pies but I was in the kitchen for 1 hour and 40 minutes putting them together. This is way too long for a weeknight meal. I need to make a rule that I will not make any Bon Apetit meals on a weeknight. I always think I cook faster than I actually do. Oh well, live and learn.

Till tomorrow...