Curried Parsnip Pie

I've been neglecting the savory side of the pie world for far too long. I had some parsnips in the fridge and found a recipe to use them; as it turned out, this pie is far more about onions/shallots than parsnips- I wish it'd been more parsnippy. The curry flavor was mild and mellow, and blended nicely with the parsnip. All in all, pretty tasty. 

As usual I made more than my share of mistakes... and this came out pretty sub-par in some ways. (Though it did make several meals' worth of great leftovers).

The recipe can be found here: http://homecooking.about.com/od/pierecipes/r/blpie39.htm; but I'll reproduce it here for posterity.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

Pastry:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut into cubes

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Cold water

Filling:

8 baby onions or shallots, peeled

2 large parsnips, thinly sliced

2 carrots, thinly sliced

2 Tablespoons butter

2 Tablespoons whole wheat flour

1 Tablespoon mild curry powder

1-1/4 cups milk

4 ounces grated sharp Cheddar cheese

3 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (or substitute parsley)

Salt and ground black pepper

1 egg yolk, beaten with 2 teaspoons water

Preparation:

Place flour and butter in a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulse to a mealy consistency. Do not overmix. Remove to a bowl and stir in oregano, plus salt and pepper to taste. Stir in cold water until a dough forms. Form into a ball, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate while you make the filling. 

Place onions or shallots, parsnips, and carrots in a saucepan and add just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain, reserving 1-1/4 cups of the liquid. 

Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Stir in flour and curry powder. Stirring constantly, cook for 2 minutes. While continuing to stir, slowly add reserved vegetable stock and milk. Simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in Cheddar cheese until melted. Gently stir in vegetables and cilantro. Taste and add salt and pepper, if needed. Let cool to room temperature, then spoon into a deep-dish pie plate. 

Roll out pie crust dough between two sheets of plastic wrap. Place crust over the top of the pie, trim the edges, and seal to the rim of the pie plate. Cut 4 slits in the top to vent and brush with the egg yolk wash. Re-roll any crust scraps and cut out decorations, if desired, using the egg wash to adhere them to the crust. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 400 F. Place pie on a rimmed baking pan to catch any potential drips. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until crust is golden. 

Yield: 4 servings as a main course, or 8 servings as a side dish. 

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And, now, the photographic portion!

Mixing up the dough:

Pressing it into a ball:

Peeling and chopping parsnips.

(If you're not super-parsnip-experienced, remember to cut out the stringy middle!)

Cooking up the parsnips, carrots and shallots. 

Heating the curry liquid: 

Cooking the combined filling: 

Rolling out the dough. (This dough was very pliable, and as a result I rolled it somewhat too thin. I also, more crucially, forgot to chill it after rolling, with results that will become apparent a couple photos down). 

Pouring the filling in: 

And, here's where forgetting to chill the top crust really causes problems... imagine the cursing that was heard in our apartment when I opened the oven to check on the pie.

Trimmed off the stalactites, mended the holes in the top as best as I could... and sprinkled sea salt on top.

Not pretty... but presentable.

Stay tuned next week for two sweet pies!