Indian Samosa Casserole

Ever since I stopped eating meat I've had a love for Vegetarian Times. The first vegan recipe I ever tried was from this wonderful magazine. When I worked at the library in Okinawa, I was able to take 2 years of back copies, plus the doubles of new ones, and then my best friend, Beth (yes, I have a best friend with the same name as me...and she's equally as awesome), would send me copies with packages of goodies and whatnot. Cody was able to find a free subscription on Cheap, Stingy Bargains and I received my first one in the mail this year.

Needless to say, my love is even stronger for VT. They list all their recipes as either vegetarian, vegan and/or gluten free. I have friends who are gluten free people so I really like to read all of those recipes, too. Then I read the vegetarian recipes and try to see how I can make it vegan. So fun! The month of January has some of the greatest recipes I've seen in a long time and I tested the waters last night with Indian Samosa Casserole. I love Indian food and there was nothing too out-of-the-ordinary in this recipe, so it was perfect.



Indian Samosa Casserole
Vegetarian Times
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes

Crust:
1/2 cup (unbleached) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Filling:
1 tbsp black or yellow mustard seed (I used yellow)
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes, optional (NOT optional in this house!)
5 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered (1 1/2 lbs)
1 1/2 tsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced (1 cup)
1 medium carrot, diced (1/2 cup)
3 cloves garlic, minced (1 tbsp)
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth (I'm obsessed with Better Than Bouillon)
2 tsp agave nectar or sugar
2 tbsp soymilk

1. To make crust: Preheat oven to 375°F. (I wish I had read #3 before I started this...getting the potatoes on the oven is important, so take a look before you go any further!) Whisk together flours and salt in a bowl. Stir in oil until clumps form. Add 6 to 10 tbsp cold water, 1 tbsp at a time, until dough holds together. Shape into ball, cover with damp towel, and set aside.

2. To make filling: Stir together mustard seeds, curry, ginger, cumin, and red pepper flakes in a 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 mdium heat. Add onion, carrot, and garlic and saute 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 (it might bubble over! Listen to them!), and bake for 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.



Ah-mazing! Seriously, I was so impressed with how this dish came out. So was the husband; he had 2 pieces! I have a sneaky suspision it's only going to get better, too, as do most leftovers with tons of flavor. The vegetables were tender and it totally woke my mouth up. The crust was slightly flaky, but didn't fall apart. The only downfall, for me, is that my house smells like a curry house. It was the first thing I noticed last night as I came home, and again this morning when I woke up. It doesn't smell bad, it just smells like an Indian restaurant. Oh well. I guess that's the price that must be paid!