Adapted from The Joy of Cooking (2006 edition) by Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker, and Ethan Becker...
Potatoes, Turnips and Broth
2 new potatoes, diced
2 turnips, diced
8 cups water
1 onion, quartered
2 carrots, halved
2 celery stalks, halved
4 sprigs parsley
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
6 leaves fresh sage
1 clove garlic with skin, mashed a bit
1 bay leaf
4 whole cloves
8 whole black pepper corns
Add potatoes and turnips to the water, bring to the boil and simmer until somewhat cooked (these will finish cooking in the oven, later, so keep them crisp). Remove potatoes and turnips from the water and set them aside for later.
Add the remaining ingredients, bring to the boil and simmer until you think you have a tasty broth -- 1/2 to 1 hour, I'm thinking. Strain and press juice out of solids.
Retain 2 cups broth for the cream sauce, keep the rest for other dishes (freezes well in a zip-lock bag).
Cream Sauce
4 Tbs canola oil
1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour
2 cups cooking broth (from above)
1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk
juice of 1/4 lemon
grated nutmeg to taste
salt and black or white pepper to taste (haven't tried white, yet)
Heat oil in saucepan over medium-low heat. Add and whisk until smooth, 1/2 cup flour.
Cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute.
WARNING: Careful when adding the cooking broth to the flour/oil mixture (the roux). Adding hot liquid to hot roux can pretty much explode. So, in this instance, it is best to let the broth cool slightly (it can still be very warm, just not too hot). In the time it takes me to get the roux going, I find that my 2 cups of broth are cool enough to avoid dangerous conditions. Read "About thickeners for sauces" in Joy of Cooking for more discussion. I have made the mistake of adding hot liquid to hot roux and it really is scary.
Remove pan from the heat. Add 2 cups cooking broth and whisk until smooth. Whisk in 1 1/2 cups almond milk.
Increase the heat and bring the mixture to a simmer, whisking constantly and cook for 2 minutes.
Remove from the heat and season to taste with lemon juice, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
Set aside for later.
Vegetable Filling
2 Tbs canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 medium carrots, sliced
2 small celery ribs, sliced
4 oz mushrooms, sliced (shiitake are very good)
1/4 cup minced parsley
1 sprig fresh rosemary, minced (1 Tbs, give or take)
3 sprigs fresh thyme, minced (1 Tbs, give or take)
6 leaves fresh sage, minced (1 tsp, give or take)
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
Heat in a large skillet or pan over medium-high heat, the oil.
Add and cook, stirring often, about 3 minutes: onion, carrot, celery.
Add the mushrooms and continue cooking about 1 minute.
Add the parsley, rosemary, thyme and sage and continue cooking about 1 more minute.
Combine this mixture with the cream sauce along with the peas, corn, almonds and...those potatoes and turnips you set aside.
Pour the mixture into a 10x8x3 inch (or so) baking dish that has been greased with a bit of canola oil.
Crust dough
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unbleached white all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbs chives, chopped (give or take)
1/3 cup almond milk
2 1/2 Tbs canola oil
Mix together in a bowl, the flour, baking powder, salt, then mix in the chives.
Combine the milk and oil and then add this to the flour mixture.
Mix with a fork until well combined, this should be a moist ball.
Spread like pizza dough on a cutting board.
Brining it all together
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Lay the crust dough onto the top of the filling until the surface is fully and evenly covered.
Bake, bare naked and uncovered, on the middle shelf until the sauce is bubbling and the topping is browned, 30-40 minutes. Actually, it usually starts bubbling long before the end, so I cook it until the crust seems done, about 40 minutes. Place a large baking sheet on the lower shelf to catch potential sauce drippings.
