Of a prayer you might like, selecting produce, & a pot pie

A PRAYER FOR ALL WHO LOVE & FEAR THE ALMIGHTY:

From time to time, I will quote a prayer that I particularly like. I’ll quote from either a Jewish prayerbook or an Episcopal one. Here’s a Jewish prayer:

My G-d, the soul You placed within me is pure. You created it, You fashioned it, You breathed it into me, You safeguard it within me, & eventually You will take it from me, & restore it to me in Time to Come. As long as the soul is within me, I gratefully thank You, O L-rd, my G-d & the G-d of my forefathers & foremothers, Master of all works, L-rd of all souls. Blessed are You, O L-rd, Who restores souls to dead bodies.

HOW TO SELECT THE BEST PRODUCE:

Purchasing a 5 lb or 10 lb sack of potatoes may SEEM like an economy. But, in my experience, many of the potatoes inside will either have ruts or many eyes that have to be cut away, or will be tinged green (which tells you that they have become toxic.) What good is it to have to toss out so much of your “find?” I strongly urge you to select your potatoes individually. In that way, you can be SURE that they are of excellent quality. Indeed, this holds true for all produce that you can find bagged, such as apples, oranges, & grapefruit, as well as onions.

TOFU & CHICKEN COUNTRY PIE:

A reader requested that I develop a “pot pie” recipe. This one combines good-for-you tofu & soymilk with much less fat than any pot pie recipe that I’ve read -- & the fats that it does have – olive & canola oils – have “good profiles.” It also has a plethora of veggies. Instead of a traditional crust, it has a streusel-like topping. What’s more, it’s delicious. There are many steps, but hang in there. Essentially, you are preparing your ingredients before you start – the French call this “mise en place,” then you are making the white sauce, then you combine & place in the casserole dish all the ingredients except those for the streusel & refrigerate the dish. Finally, you make the streusel out of a “pat-in-the-pan oil crust” recipe, sprinkle it over the top of the casserole, & bake. You get 8 portions for all this work, so it’s well worth it.

Utensils needed:

A 9” x 13” pan, preferably Pyrex ™ glass
Cooking spoon & cooking fork
Rubber spatula
Sheet of plastic wrap large enough to cover your casserole
Measuring implements

Ingredients:

For the streusel: I have many recipes but all but one of them call for more oil than I like to use. This one is adapted from the 2002 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS NEW COOK BOOK. By the way, such recipes are called “pat-in-the-pan” because the dough is too brittle to be rolled out.

1-1/4 c all-purpose flour
1 T sugar (this does NOT interfere with the desired savory taste; &, it’s necessary chemically)
¼ tsp salt
¼ c canola oil
3 T soymilk

For the pie:

1 c shredded chicken
anywhere between 10 oz & 1 lb of extra-firm tofu, cut into chunks (the Mori-Nu brand is shelf-stable & has a hecksher [kosher seal of approval].)
6 T olive oil
6 T all-purpose flour
2 c vegetable broth
1 c soymilk
1 lb mixed vegetables, preferably corn, carrots, & peas. These can be either thawed frozen veggies or fresh ones that you prepare (the carrots should be diced.).
1 medium or ½ large onion, chopped
1 baked russet potato, chopped (you can do this with a butter knife, it’s so tender!)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried sage, rubbed in your palm
freshly-ground pepper

Mise-en-place:

Put the salt, herbs, & pepper in a ramekin or very small bowl.
Measure the vegetable broth in a quart measuring cup & add the c of soymilk to it.
Put the olive oil & 6 T of flour in a Dutch oven.
Put the other pie ingredients in a large bowl – DO NOT include the streusel ingredients.
Put the flour, sugar, & salt for the streusel in a medium-sized bowl.
Measure the canola oil in a cup measuring cup, & then add the 3 T of soymilk into that measuring cup.

Prepare the white sauce:

Put on the heat on high until the Dutch oven has warmed up enough that there is a slight aroma from the olive oil & the flour as it is being browned. Reduce heat to medium-low & stir constantly for 2 minutes. Add the liquid from the quart measuring cup, 1 c at a time, stirring occasionally. Add the salt mixture from the ramekin. Bring the heat up to medium & stir occasionally until the mixture reaches the simmering point (so you can see a few bubbles.). Stir occasionally & cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Prepare the pie ingredients:

Pour the contents of the large bowl (chicken, veggies, tofu) into the casserole dish. Pour the white sauce over. Place in the refrigerator for food-safety’s sake. After 5 minutes, remove the casserole from the fridge & cover it with the plastic wrap (top, clean side down on the casserole dish). Return it to the fridge. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees if using a glass casserole, or 400 degrees if you are using metal.

Prepare the streusel:

Pour the canola oil/soymilk blend into the medium-sized bowl (with the flour, etc.). Using a cooking fork, stir quickly (as though preparing a quick bread). Use your hands to form the dough into a circular loaf shape. Wash your hands.

Take the casserole out of the fridge & remove the plastic wrap (save it, though.). Pick up about ¼ of the streusel dough & rub it between your hands to sprinkle it atop the casserole. Repeat until you have used up the dough. Use a rubber spatula to even out the streusel.

Baking the pie:

Keep it in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes; you want the streusel to be golden-brown. Place the casserole on a rack to cool for 10 minutes. If you are going to serve it now, fine. If you plan to serve it later, move the dish to the fridge WITHOUT THE PLASTIC WRAP COVER (it could melt) for 10 minutes. Remove the casserole from the fridge & cover it with the plastic wrap & with an overlay of aluminum foil (It is not safe to place aluminum foil directly atop food. The aluminum could leach into the food.).

Enjoy!