Curried vegetable, lentil and cheddar pie
and my uncomfortable relationship with the word 'immigrant'
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I find it hard to think of myself as an immigrant. It is a word associated with so many feelings, stereotypes, preconceived notions. In the world, there is a ‘ideal’ of who an immigrant is - someone who left their country to find safety/freedom/opportunity in a new host country. That is the immigrant story of my parents. My mother, in particular, endured a lot to get to Australia. My father’s path is less known to me. Their immigrant story didn’t come with choices. But mine did. I left a country that was already safe/free/opportunity-rich (but not for all, sadly). We chose to leave a really nice place, to start anew in another really nice place. The fact that that was my parents’ immigrant story and this is mine…this is a source of discomfort…and, if I’m being honest, guilt.
I find it hard to say but yes, I am an immigrant. Most days, when I’m navigating through life in New York, I’m asked why I moved here. Lately, that’s been a burning question. Even though it was our choice to come here, there is no linear answer to that question. In truth, I’m not even sure I know the answer to this question. I’ve given plenty of convoluted reasonings over the last 10 years - I came to try out my salad business in a new city, I’ve always wanted to live in America, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity…. etcetera. Yesterday, I answered this question facetiously, you know, it’s the land of opportunity and all…
There is a little truth in all of these answers. However, the real story could just be that this was my destiny. I don’t necessarily believe in fate, but I do believe that there is a part of my personality that feels very comfortable in throwing myself off the deep end. I love nothing more than giving myself entirely to a journey with an unknown destination. I love the process more than the result. I live for the climb, not the pinnacle. Moving to the other side of the world with three young children, to a city we had only visited a couple of times before, to a city where we had no friends, is not for everyone, but for us, it was just right. For better or worse, it has made our family the tight unit that we are. And to all the people I meet in my daily life who ask me why the hell am I living here when I don’t have to, my answer is this: I did not choose this immigrant life, it chose me. Come what may.
🥧
I met Stacey Mei Yan Fong a little over a year ago when we were both invited to the Literary Arts Festival in Portland, Oregon. Amongst sea of big time authors, Stacey and I connected over our shared heritage growing up places colonized by the British empire. We became fast friends. Stacey is the author of the compelling 50 pies, 50 states, a cookbook which documents her unique way of finding belonging and community in her adopted home of the United States - one pie at a time. I asked Stacey how many pies she estimates she has made - her guess was at least 5000. That is a lot of pies and a lot of
- this is also the name of Stacey’s newsletter so check out her work there.For me, Stacey’s book and work in general represents so much - an immigrant story with a fresh approach, one that humanizes the word ‘immigrant’, that reframes the narrative of who and what that person is, an identity story that is confident and defiant, free of the common tropes that are now often plaguing this genre of cookbooks, and a story that is both deeply American at its heart, but also profoundly resonant as a global experience.
Inspired by Stacey’s story, this week I made a pie. Not an American pie, but an Australian one. It is a family-sized version of a savoury Australian pie, filled with curried vegetables and lentils. In an Australian meat pie, the bottom crust is usually a shortcrust pastry while the top is puff. I’ve injected a little bit of America here by using a classic all-butter crust for both the base and the top. It works so well, super crisp on the bottom, and flaky too.
The all-butter crust recipe I used is Stacey’s - it’s perfection and there’s no way I could better it. The recipe is in her book 50 Pies, 50 States and I encourage you all to check it out. But short of that, we are lucky that Stacey’s has allowed me to share her recipe here.
Monday: One pot miso corn pasta. Use frozen corn if out of season.
Tuesday: Cumin green beans and mushrooms, perfect with a bowl of rice. Make extra rice for Thursday’s dish.
Wednesday: Yo po mian is a 20 minutę wonder.
Thursday: Fried rice, made on a baking sheet. Use whatever vegetables you have around.
Friday: I love tacos on Friday nights. These crispy potato tacos bring all the weekend vibes.
🥦 My cookbook, Tenderheart is for cooking vegetables, all year round. Pick up your copy here. It is also mostly vegan (or vegan-izable) and gluten-free adaptable.
Curried vegetable, lentil and cheddar pie
© Hetty Lui McKinnon for To Vegetables, With Love.
I am no pie maker. It’s been years since I made a proper flaky pie crust with the actual care it requires. And I will be honest - I’m still getting a feel for it again. After trying Stacey Mei Yan Fong’s recipe from her book 50 Pies, 50 States, I doubt I’ll ever need another recipe. Thank you Stacey for giving me permission to share it here!I hope you give it a try.
If you are adamantly against making your own crust, here’s are some other ways you can use the filling to make a pie-esque type of dish:
Use a store-bough ready-to-bake pie crust (shortcrust pastry in Australia) and top with puff pastry (this will be close to the composition of an Australian pie). Make sure the store-bought crust does not contain too much sugar.
Pour the filling into an ovenproof dish and topping with puff pastry to make a ‘pot pie’. Brush with egg wash and bake until puffed and golden
Make a shepherd’s style pie. There’s already potato in the filling so use another mashed vegetable for the topping - mashed cheesy cauliflower or parsnip would work. Or try mashed sweet potato for something different
Use puff pastry to make hand pies
Eat the filling as a curry, with basmati rice ;)
Other helpful notes:
There are many types of curry powder on the market and any brand should be fine. I personally only have S&B brand in my pantry (I try and overlook the cringeworthy product name).
There are a number of jobs required to make a pie from scratch. It’s a recipe that requires some planning ahead, particularly because the dough is best made the day before. If making a pie from scratch, feels intimidating, I completely understand as I feel the same way. However, I overcome this by breaking up the jobs to make the recipe feel more manageable. The dough can be made up to three days ahead and stored in the fridge; it can also be frozen for up to three months, just take it out of the freezer and thaw overnight in the fridge before using. The filling can be made up to three days ahead and stored in the fridge in an airtight container. You could even blind bake the pastry shell the day before and store it in the fridge in an airtight container. I promise you, the results are worth the effort.
If you can't find Jerusalem artichokes / sunchokes, substitute with carrot, parsnips, turnip, sweet potato, cauliflower, or simply use a bit more potato.
I always eat my savoury pies with tomato sauce (ketchup) and you should too..
The recipe
Serves 4
double all-butter crust, recipe here (see recipe below)
extra virgin olive oil
1 onion (any color), cut into 1-inch (2-3cm) chunks
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
2 tablespoons curry powder
2 large potatoes (450g / 1 pound), washed and cut into 1-inch (2-3cm) chunks
225g (1/2 pound) Jerusalem artichokes / sunchokes, washed and 1-inch (2-3cm) chunks (see notes for substitutes)
1/2 cup (100g) black or green lentils
2 cups vegetable stock
10 -15 curry leaves
sea salt and black pepper
1 cup (150g / 5 ounces) frozen peas
2 tablespoons plain / all-purpose flour or rice flour
1 cup (110g) grated cheddar cheese.
1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon milk
The day, night, or at least 3 hours before, prepare the all butter crust – see recipe below.
Spray a 9-inch / 23cm pie plate (Stacey recommends aluminum steel ones for a better bake, ceramic plates are very thick) with non-stick cooking spray.
Take one piece of dough out of the fridge (leave the other in the fridge), and let it come to room temperature for about 5 minutes. Dust your work surface, rolling pin, and dough with flour, and roll out the dough so it’s about 2 inches (5cm) wider than your pie pan. Transfer the pastry to the pie plate. Press the dough into the pan, pushing it down into the bottom, sides and seams. Fold the overhanging dough under itself to form a neat, tight edge. (Also don’t worry if it isn’t neat, might was pretty jagged, so it will still be fine). Press the edge down so it’s sitting flat against the rim of the pie pan. Chill the pie crust in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 220˚C / 425˚F.
Take the crust out of the fridge and prick it all over with a fork. Line the crust with 2 layers of foil and then fill with pie weights or dried beans, making sure the weights reach all the way up the sides of the pan. Place the pie pan onto a baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the pie weights and reduce heat to 190˚C / 375˚F and bake until a pale golden shade and the base looks partially cooked, about another 5 minutes. Allow to cool while you prepare the filling.
Filling
Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add the onions, stirring until slightly softened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic, tomato paste, mustard seeds and curry powder (if using) and stir until fragrant, 2 minutes. Add the potatoes and Jerusalem artichokes / sun chokes and stir to coat in the spices and then add the lentils, stock, and curry leaves, and season with about 1 teaspoon of salt and lots of black pepper. Bring to the boil and then cover, reduce heat to medium low, and cook until the lentils and vegetables are almost tender, about 20 to 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk together 2 tablespoons of the flour with 1/4 cup water. Add the peas along with the flour slurry to the vegetables and stir constantly until the sauce is thickened. Taste and make sure you are happy with seasonings, adjusting salt and pepper if needed.
Fill the crust
Take the second piece of dough out of the fridge and allow to come to room temperature for 5 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200˚C / 400˚F. Scatter half the cheese onto the base of the cooled pie crust. Add the filling, as much as will fit, allowing it to dome in the centre. Take half of your remaining cheese and scatter on top of the curry filling.
Roll out the second piece of dough so that it’s about 1 to 2 inches wider than your pan. Place the dough on top of your pie and scrunch the edges in so that it is flush with the edge of the pastry case and then press it down to seal the edge. Using a tip of your knife or kitchen scissors, snip the pastry 3 or 4 times to allow steam to escape during cooking. Brush the top of the pastry with the egg wash and then top with the remaining cheese.
Place into the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 180˚C / 350˚F and bake for another 15 minutes or until the top is golden and crispy.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes before cutting into wedges and serving. Eat with tomato sauce (ketchup), if you like, and a green salad.
All butter crust - Double
© Stacey Mei Yan Fong, excerpted with permission from 50 Pies, 50 States: Baking Through The Eyes Of An Immigrant (2023, Voracious Books)
From Stacey: Crust is the foundation of all your pies. Bakers have their preferences of which fat to use, like lard or vegetable shortening, but I’m all about the butter, baby. Fat is flavor and using a butter with a high fat percentage when making your dough means a pie crust that you’re gonna wanna eat crimp first! The All-Butter Crust recipe is the one I riff on for all the other flavored crusts and whole wheat crust recipes. So start here. The crust’s the limit!
Note from Hetty: This recipe makes enough for this pie recipe – base and top. Halve for single crust recipes. Take special note of my notes next to kosher salt (which I know is not readily available in some countries) and the sugar quantity I used for my savoury pie.
300g (2 ½ cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt (sea salt ok)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar (reduce to 1 teaspoon for Hetty’s Curried vegetable pie recipe)
226g (1 cup / 2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½ -inch (1.25cm) pieces
240ml (1 cup) cold water
60ml (¼ cup) cider vinegar
½ cup ice
Stir the flour, salt, and sugar together in a large bowl with a flat bottom. Add the butter pieces on top of the dry ingredients. Using your fingers, toss the butter in the dry mixture so each cube is coated. Use a pastry blender or your fingers to cut or rub the butter into the mixture until it is in pieces a bit larger than peas (a few larger pieces are okay; be careful not to over-blend). You want to be able to have big butter chunks in your crust: It helps create a flakey effect, as well as adding delicious buttery hits of flavor!
In a separate large measuring cup or small bowl, combine the water, cider vinegar, and ice.
Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the ice water mixture over the flour mixture; do not add the ice, which is just there to keep your water cold. Using your hands in a circular motion, bring the mixture together until all the liquid is incorporated. Continue adding the ice water mixture, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time.
Carefully mix until the dough comes together in a ball, with some dry bits remaining. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently until it comes into one mass; you don’t want to overwork it.
Separate the dough into two equal portions Shape each portion of dough into a flat disc, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight before using.
Note: Wrapped tightly, the dough can be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen dough overnight in the fridge.
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Hi Hetty! I struggle the with immigrant thing too... I am an American living in Argentina with my husband ... we met in the States and he was considered an "immigrant". But now, 15 years later, I have been living in Argentina for quite a while and people generally think of me as an "expat". I often wonder why the difference? Why was he an immigrant but I am not? If you google it you will see that expat is supposed to be a temporary move, while immigrant is supposed to be permanent move. But I don't really buy that as I know a lot of permanent "expats". I think that how we interpret it culturally is very much related to projected socio-economic profiling... which is why you understandably have an uncomfortable relationship to the word. I do too.
This pie looks so scrumptious! Will also be investing in a new cookbook too — 50 Pies 50 States sounds wonderful. I appreciate cookbooks that offer more depth in terms of an authors connection + how they relate to the world around them. Thanks for sharing your own immigrant story + insights too.