Lentil and Farm Market Veggie Pot Pie

There is no better time for comfort food than the holiday season...and the weather outside hasn’t been too frightful, so the farm market is filled with an abundance of fresh, delicious produce for you to bring to your holiday table. As I was considering what kind of recipe to write up for the week before Christmas, it dawned on me that I should discuss the matter with some of the vendors. They’ve all got great ideas for how to use farm market goodies and I love to pick their brains.This particular recipe came to me from Christine Ilich, the owner of Heirloom Kitchen. Christine makes unbelievable soups using veggies from her garden at home and from other farmers at the market. In the summer, she makes an incredible Watermelon Gazpacho and an English Pea soup. Her specialties this time of year include Spanish Chickpea and Bermuda Red Bean soups. I’m even eating some of her Winter Veggie soup as I write this post!Christine is a trained pastry chef and recently experimented with combining her love for soup-making with her old love for pastries and hence, this recipe was born. It’s a perfect amalgamation of fresh, seasonal produce and a buttery, flaky pastry crust. You can use a store-bought crust to make things easy, but I’m also happy to share Christine’s recipe for pie dough - shoot me an email and I’ll send it your way!This recipe can also be used as a side dish or served on top of rice or pasta. I promise you, though, once you’ve tasted it, it will quickly become an all-time favorite during the cold, holiday season.As always, I’ve included where I got my ingredients from at the market.

Lentil & Farm Market Veggie Pot Pie

Makes Two 9-inch pies*Ingredients

• 2 recipes pie crust
• Two 9-inch pie pans
• 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, diced (Two Acre Farm)
• 7 Tbsp. olive oil, divided (All Things Olive)
• 2 medium carrots, diced (Twin Springs Fruit Farm)
• 3 stalks celery, diced (Twin Springs Fruit Farm)
• 1 medium onion, diced (Spiral Path Farm)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (Spiral Path Farm)
• 8 oz. Cremini mushrooms, sliced (The Mushroom Stand)
• 2 small sprigs fresh rosemary and/or thyme, leaves stripped, chopped
• 1 cup French green lentils, rinsed
• 1 quart water or mushroom or veg stock
• 1 bunch kale (Italian or curly), chopped small (Spiral Path Farm)
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 egg

*I would recommend freezing one pie uncooked and cooking the other, unless you’ve got a large crowd!PreparationAssemble pie crust first then set aside in refrigerator to chill.Preheat oven to 400. Toss diced butternut squash with a few tablespoons of olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Place on nonstick (or parchment-lined) cookie sheet or shallow roasting pan in single layer. Bake in 400-degree oven until lightly browned and tender. This takes about 40 minutes. Take out and set aside.While squash is roasting, start the filling:In a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan over medium heat, sauté carrots, celery, onion and garlic in olive oil until tender (add a little water to the mix to soften veggies and prevent them from browning too fast - water will evaporate out). Add mushrooms and herbs and cook a few more minutes until everything is tender.Add lentils and liquid (water or stock) and cook until lentils are tender, about 30 minutes. Add more water and cook longer if necessary to cook lentils through and make a thick-soup consistency. Add kale and cook until just wilted. Season generously with salt and pepper.Add cooked butternut squash to the mixture and place in refrigerator until mix is chilled through. Divide filling between two pie pans, dot with butter and top with crust. Chill again until dough is firm and very cold.Preheat oven to 350. Beat the egg and use to brush the top of the crust. Bake pies until filling is bubbly and crust is browned, between 50 and 60 minutes. Allow pie to cool at least 20 minutes before cutting and enjoying!So there you have it. Easy as pie and quite a good use of the season’s treats!Please feel free to send me any recipes or pictures of dishes that you’ve made using farm market ingredients!