Using Up Winter Vegetables

January 15, 2010

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Last weekend was the end of our CSA.  We joined in June and have gotten lovely produce almost every week since.  I chose this one because it went all the way through the fall and into winter.  Fall produce is my favorite (at least in terms of vegetables), so I didn’t want one that ended in September.

Now that it is over, I wonder if I will join again next year.  Or if I will choose another farm.  Or if I will just shop the farmer’s market, selecting what I want rather than resigning myself to what they give me.  I loved the quality – vegetables so fresh! – and the challenge of using what was completely seasonal.  I didn’t love week after week (after week) of carrots and greens.  So I don’t know.  Something to ponder in the dark days ahead before the days of kale end and the days of asparagus begin.

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I do love that of the many vegetables in this pot pie, half were from my CSA.  The parsnips, carrots, brussels sprouts, and beets were all in that last box.

If you take a look at the side bar to your right, you will notice a new category.  My friend Kelly suggested I create one for “quick and easy” recipes.  I went back through my archives and tagged the ones I would describe that way.  Everyone has a different idea of what is quick and easy so you may not always agree with me.  For instance, something that bakes in the oven for a while but only took you a few minutes of hands-on time would count in my book.  Or something that simmers on the stove with just a stir from you every ten minutes or so.  I know that getting dinner on the table can sometimes be a Herculean effort, so I hope you find this category helpful.

I would not qualify this pot pie as quick – easy yes, but not quick.  Look at this as a chance to practice your knife skills.  You will be richly rewarded by something extremely tasty and hearty without being heavy.  Feel free to play around with the vegetables and their amounts.  Everything gets roasted for the same amount of time with the exception of the zucchini, so if you have two beets and one parsnip – go for it.  Or if the idea of using half a butternut squash seems fussy to you, use the whole one and don’t use the beets.  You can see where I am going with this.  My final note is to not pile up the biscuit dough as high as I did because they didn’t cook all the way through by the time they were starting to brown.  Next time, I will dollop more delicately.

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Chunky Vegetable Pot Pie
Adapted from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook – The Original Classics
Serves 6

1/2 medium (about 8 ounces) butternut squash, peeled and cut into ¾-inch cubes
1 small head celeriac, cut into ½-inch cubes
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into thick 1-inch long matchsticks
1 cup cauliflower florets (from ½ of a cauliflower)
8 ounces brussels sprouts, cleaned and trimmed and sliced lengthwise
1 medium beet, trimmed and scrubbed, cut into ½-inch cubes
2 parsnips, peeled and cut into thick 1-inch long matchsticks
Olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium shallots, minced
½ cup dry white wine
1½ cups vegetable stock
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. chopped fresh tarragon
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 medium zucchini, cut into 1-inch long matchsticks

1.  Preheat the oven to 425°F.  Place squash, celeriac, carrots, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, beet and parsnips in a roasting pan.  Toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil; season with salt and pepper.  Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, stirring twice during the cooking.  Remove; reduce oven to 375°F.

2.  Heat a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add just enough olive oil to coat the bottom, then add the garlic and shallots; cook until soft, about 5 minutes.  Raise the heat to high, and add the wine.  Let the wine reduce by half, about 2 minutes.  Add the vegetable stock and simmer over medium-high heat for 5 minutes.  Set aside.

3.  Combine 1 cup flour, the baking powder, 2 tsp. tarragon, and a sprinkling of salt in the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse in the butter until mixture resembles coarse meal.  Add the milk and Parmesan, process until combined, and set aside.

4.  Transfer vegetables to a large bowl.  Add zucchini and the remaining two tablespoons flour and two tablespoons tarragon; toss to combine.  Stir in the stock mixture; season with salt and pepper.  Transfer to a shallow ovenproof glass pie dish; bake for 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven and drop heaping tablespoons of the biscuit dough over the vegetables, leaving some of the vegetables exposed.  Place the pie dish in the oven and bake until the biscuits are golden, about 25 minutes.  Serve hot.



14 Comments »

  1. I wish my CSA went this long, but you are right, it would be a lot of greens! I was great ending in Oct with a lot of squash. This looks like a perfect way to use up the vegetables. I like the biscuit topping instead of a whole pie crust too!

    Comment by fresh365 — January 15, 2010 @ 2:40 pm

  2. Great winter dish! I must admit that the title of the post makes me a little bit sad. Many long winter months remain until fresh local veggies will appear again. I’m feeling particularly impatient because I just joined my first CSA and I can’t wait to start receiving veggies at my doorstep. I’m looking forward to the challenge. In the meantime, I will just have to go pick up some winter veggies so I can try this beauty.

    Comment by The Ordinary Vegetarian — January 15, 2010 @ 3:16 pm

  3. If my fridge were larger than a shoebox, I would love to join our CSA again, but I know what you mean about things getting redundant. This looks so hearty… even if not quick, totally worth it.

    Comment by Sara — January 15, 2010 @ 6:10 pm

  4. Wow, a biscuit topping. That’s a great idea. I often do this sort of thing, but with a mashed potato topping, because, well, mashed potatoes make the world go round. But my Mr. Tofu doesn’t like mashers (!), so maybe a little biscuit topping would make him happy. Thanks for the idea!

    Comment by Ivy Manning — January 15, 2010 @ 7:01 pm

  5. Amazing… I thought the first photo was roasted cauliflower! :-)

    Quite an interesting recipe, I also love winter vegetables, and happen to have some begging to be used. Gotta save this recipe!

    Comment by SallyBR — January 15, 2010 @ 7:44 pm

  6. Looks wonderful!
    I have often lamented the lack of savory pies that exist in the world. They’re so perfect for using up tidbits… and they’re great fodder for cold winter nights. This most certainly fits the bill!

    On the topic of CSA’s, I really do think that the value of the CSA lies not only in the ultra-fresh high quality produce for the consumer — but also in the way CSA money supports farmers, giving them a way to grow their business and do their work more effectively. Investing your food dollars in a specific farmer is a wonderful philanthropic act!

    Comment by lo — January 15, 2010 @ 9:29 pm

  7. You just described to a T why I don’t do a CSA (well that and the fact that I live in BFE, haha, but I’ve never even looked into it). As appealing as the idea is, I know I would waste a lot. I am way too moody to have someone else decide what I’ll be cooking any given week!

    Comment by Laura — January 16, 2010 @ 12:57 am

  8. We’re currently having the CSA debate too. We’re deciding whether to sign up for a long season or to just shop at the farmers’ market each week. The challenge of cooking what you’re given is kind of fun. And, this pot pie is a great example of that!

    Comment by lisaiscooking — January 16, 2010 @ 8:21 pm

  9. I love what you have created. We don’t have CSA here. That would be great.

    Comment by Hélène — January 17, 2010 @ 6:07 am

  10. Ooo I’ve been wanting to make a vegetable pot pie and I love how this one just drops the dough on top rather than uses a pie crust.

    Comment by Ashley — January 28, 2010 @ 6:12 am

  11. Hi Dana!
    Popping over to see if you have a Veggie Pie recipe I might use and share on Blooming on Bainbridge for a PIE Party I am joining on Monday!
    May use this recipe!
    If I do…I will link my readers to Dana’s Treats!
    I don’t have a food processor…{sigh} but maybe I could pulse the biscuit dough in the blender.
    I NEED a food processor!
    xo

    Comment by teresa — November 14, 2010 @ 3:06 am

  12. Um, I’m almost finished making this and don’t know what to do with the extra 2 TBS of flour and the baking powder is not given a quantity. I looked up biscuits and hopefully have done OK by putting in 1 1/2 tsp but I don’t know what that flour is for; hopefully not to be added to the stock… a little worried that I am going to be eating vegetable soup with biscuits on the top.
    Need to check your recipes before publishing, please. This was posted on WebMD.

    Comment by Kay — March 25, 2011 @ 10:36 pm

  13. Sorry about the errors. They have been fixed.

    Comment by dana — March 25, 2011 @ 11:20 pm

  14. […] pot pie Adapted from Dana Treat. Serves […]

    Pingback by You’re not the boss of me | Thus Bakes Zarathustra — January 29, 2012 @ 10:36 pm



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