Break out of your kitchen slump Pie

Maybe blogging about my lack of enthusiasm was cathartic or something. Last night, despite a long day at uni and the worst day of my cold yet, I really, really wanted to make a pie for dinner. On the bike ride home from uni I was thinking of how I would make the filling quite thick. Here's what I did.

First, take 2 small potatos, chop and boil, then mash in a big bowl.

1 onion, minced quite finely
1 small eggplant, minced quite finely
2 small zucchinis, grated
1 medium carrot, grated
1 red capsicum, minced quite finely

Saute the onion with a bit of salt till it's cooked to your liking, then add the eggplant and let it cook down for a bit. If it's sticking, add some water. Mix in the zucchini and carrot, and let those cook for 2 or 3 minutes, then stir in the capsicum. Add the veggie mixture to the big bowl with the mashed potato. Stir till it's all mixed up.

Take two sheets of vegan shortcrust pastry out of the freezer. Or, if you're feeling ambitious, make your own. I used Pampas brand, which uses only vegetable fats. Heat the oven to 200/375.

Make some gravy. First, melt some nuttlex (or other vegan margarine) and then add about 1/4 c. of flour. In a pyrex measuring cup, mix 2 c. boiling water with a big scoop of vegemite (or your favourite stock mix), some paprika, black pepper, and dried parsley. Add that to the butter/flour and stir stir stir. Let it bubble for 5 to 10 minutes, then add that to the veggies and mix through. Have a taste. If it's a bit too bland, like mine, let your partner add some mustard and minced garlic to the mix while you're doing the pastry. Put one sheet of dough in a pie pan. My pastry was square, but the pie pan was round, so I had to cut off the corners and rearrange until there was enough pastry to go all the way up the sides. Then pour the pie filling into the crust.Put the other sheet on top, cut off the excess, cut some vents, and brush with soy milk. Put it in the oven for about 30 minutes. Got some extra pastry? Roll it out, sprinkle with brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and roll it up for a little sweet treat. Bake it for 10 or 15 minutes, and see if you can resist eating it before dinner is ready.
While you're waiting, make a salad. Andy made this one. He combined the leftover couscous with some basil and mint leaves, beetroot, cucumber, tomato and green peas. Topped with a squeeze of lemon juice. The beetroot turned the whole thing pink!
When the pie is nice and golden, take it out of the oven.
Serve with a salad, topped with lots of tomato sauce.
Enjoy!