Vegetable Pot Pie with Cornbread Topping
 
 
Vegetable Pot Pie with Cornbread Topping Serves 6
by:
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 1 cup yellow cornmeal, preferably stone-ground, divided
  • 1 teaspoon each: baking powder and sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ⅓ cup boiling water
  • ¾ cup buttermilk
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
  • ¾ teaspoon dried tarragon, divided
  • 1 can (12 ounces) low-fat or regular evaporated milk
  • 1½ cups vegetable broth
  • Ground black pepper
  • ½ pound each: trimmed asparagus, cut into 1-inch lengths, carrots, peeled and sliced, and mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • ½ cup thinly sliced scallions, white and green part
Instructions
  1. Adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Measure ⅓ cup cornmeal in a medium bowl. Measure remaining ⅔ cup cornmeal, along with baking powder, sugar, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl; set aside.
  2. Pour boiling water all at once into the ⅓ cup cornmeal; whisk to make a stiff mush. Stir in buttermilk until mush is smooth, then stir in egg. Let dry and wet ingredients stand.
  3. Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons of oil over medium heat in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Whisk in flour and ¼ teaspoon tarragon; cook until golden, about 1 minute. Vigorously whisk in milk and vegetable broth; simmer until sauce comes to a boil and fully thickens. Turn off heat and season to taste with salt and pepper.
  4. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat in a large ovenproof skillet. Add asparagus, carrots, and mushrooms: saute until bright in color and tender-crisp, seasoning with remaining ½ teaspoon tarragon, and salt and pepper to taste, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in peas and scallions and turn off heat. Stir in sauce and adjust seasonings.
  5. Whisk buttermilk mixture into dry ingredient and pour cornbread batter over sauced vegetables. Bake until sauce is bubbly and crust is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let cool slightly and serve.
Notes
For a little more flavor depth, add 3 tablespoons dry sherry to the thickened sauce.
Recipe by Three Many Cooks at https://threemanycooks.com/recipes/strictly-vegetarian/vegetable-cornbread-pot-pie/