Vegherd's Pie
1+1/2 cups dried kidney beans, or half-and-half beans/chickpeas
1 large red onion
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large or 2 small coloured peppers
3 tablespoons plain flour
1 teaspoon each dried basil, dried oregano and paprika
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 cups kidney bean cooking broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste
Topping:
1 kg potatoes
rice or soy milk
vegan soy butter
salt & pepper
Cook the kidney beans in plenty of water until very tender, remembering to rapid-boil them for ten minutes at some time during cooking. Drain the beans, reserving 2 cups of cooking liquid. If using chickpeas, cook them separately (no need to rapid-boil).
Meanwhile, bake the pepper(s) whole until soft and the skin begins to char. Allow to cool, then remove and discard the skin, seeds and membranes. Roughly chop. Peel and gently boil the potatoes until tender, then mash with salt, pepper, rice milk and margarine - enough to make a creamy mash.
Dice and slowly fry the onion in a splash of oil over medium-low heat until nicely browned. Add the pepper and sprinkle over the flour. Stir to coat evenly, then pour in the bean broth and seasonings. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently until thickened. Add the cooked and drained beans/chickpeas. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
Put the mixture in a large casserole dish and top with the mashed potato. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius to reheat and crisp the top; about half an hour. Allow to cool for ten minutes, then serve with steamed green vegetables.
My skeptical omni aunt helped me think up the name for this dish... she said there's no such thing as a 'vegetarian shepherd's pie', like I used to call it... so vegherd's pie it became - i.e. for those who herd vegetables! :-D
SO HOW'D IT GO?
I just made this as a dish to take to my boyfriend's parents house for easter dinner. We are both vegan and they are not. I omitted the tomato paste and soy sauce and used a bit of the boiling water from the potatoes to add to the bean, onion, pepper mix. I also used canned beans because it's what I had so I cooked the onion and pepper first then added the beans and a sweetpotato for added flavor. It looks delish!! I took a pic of it before I put all of the mashed potato on so the inside would show too.
We loved it! In the directions you didn't say what to do with the tomato paste or the soy sauce. So I didn't realize it until a minute ago that I didn't put the soy sauce in it, I did remember to put the tomato paste in there though. I also used a portion of a bag of chopped mixed bell peppers and baked them for awhile instead of using the whole peppers (because of the price of whole peppers this time of year). Came out great! We will definatly have this again soon!
:D This was really good! I added corn, peas, a can of crushed tomatos (and 1 tb tomato paste), carrots, and some Orgran gravy/sauce mix to help thicken it a little, since I only had canned beans on hand. I would add thyme next time, but this was excellent and I will make it again. :)>>>
Made for my husband tonight. Love it! He went back for seconds. I also used mixed bell peppers and then added a hand full of frozen green beans. By mistake, I added some thyme instead of basil, but it was no matter~still delicious. Thanks!