Pork, Mushroom and Lentil Pot Pie with Gouda Biscuit Topping

Sense of Home Kitchen

Last weekend while grocery shopping we were tempted by the pot pies, making me realize just how long it has been since I made us pot pies.  We have been tempted by them in the past and one brand has satisfied, but mostly we have been disappointed, there just are not enough vegetables in the pies.  So I make our own.  I have a wonderful recipe for a chicken pot pie that I will have to share sometime.  Last weekend we passed up the store-bought pies for homemade and I am so glad we did.  When I got home I began searching for a new recipe to try (I guess making the old standby was just too easy).  This time I had decided to make a pork pie knowing I had both pork stock and shredded pork in the freezer.

I often make a pork roast, shred it and put half in the freezer to be used another time.  I save the stock and if I am not using it immediately I add that to the freezer as well.  I had purchased a large container of mushrooms at the market and when I saw a recipe for mushroom and lentil pot pie, both ingredients I love, I was intrigued.  The addition of sherry to the recipe is a must, and not that salty cooking sherry, buy a bottle of real sherry and use it for cooking, you will not be sorry.  In this recipe the sherry puts the sauce over the top.

Normally I use a pie crust recipe for the topping, even making the pot pie in a pie pan with a top and bottom crust, that is good, but I wanted a different crust this time as well.  This biscuit crust is quick and easy to prepare and popped off it makes a nice biscuit to eat along side the "stew", or dig in with a spoon and eat them together.  Just remember not to over fill the little individual pots or they will run over as mine did, which means you will lose some that wonderful sauce.  However, just in case, that pan under the pots sure saves on the clean up time.

Pork, Mushroom and Lentil Pot Pie with Gouda Biscuit Topping
~Sense of Home Kitchen, adapted, almost beyond recognition, from Bon Appétit, November 2010

This recipe can be made in individual pots or in one dish with the crust over the whole thing.  Chicken chunks and stock would be equally good, as would a variety of vegetables, but I love the mushrooms and sherry and think they are a must, you be the judge.

6 - 8 servings

Filling:
1/2 cup uncooked lentils
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 medium onion, diced
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced (approximately 2 cups)
1 large carrot, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
1 stalk celery, diced
2 teaspoons dried, rubbed sage
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons all purpose flour

2 1/4 cups pork stock
1/4 cup dry sherry

2 medium Red potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch chunks (approximately 1 1/2 cups)
4 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cups cooked, shredded pork
Salt and Pepper

Topping:
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
6 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup (packed) coarsely grated Smoked Gouda cheese, divided
1 tablespoon dried parsley


For Filling:
Combine 3 cups cold water, lentils, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in medium saucepan; bring to boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until lentils are tender, approximately 25 minutes.  Drain; set lentils aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add diced onion and sauté until it starts to look translucent, add fresh sliced mushrooms and sauté 2 minutes more, add carrot, celery, sage and thyme; sauté for another 3 minutes.  Add garlic and sauté 1 minute, stirring often.  Reduce heat to medium-low.  Mix flour into vegetables; cook 1 minute.  Add pork stock, sherry, potatoes, soy sauce, and tomato paste.  Cover; simmer until potatoes are almost tender, stirring occasionally,  approximately 12 minutes.  Add cooked, shredded pork and heat through, about 3 minutes.  Add lentils; season with salt and pepper.  Divide filling among eight 1-cup ovenproof bowls (do not overfill or some of the juices will be lost during cooking).  DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead.  Cover; chill.  Bring to room temperature before continuing.

For Topping:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in processor; blend 5 seconds. Add butter, pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal.  Add buttermilk and 1/2 cup of Gouda; pulse until dough forms moist clumps.  Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface.  Divide into 8 equal pieces; shape each into a disk just larger than the top of the baking cup.  Butter the top edge of the baking cups.  Set rounds atop baking cups, letting the dough overlap and pressing down slightly.  Sprinkle each round with a small amount of dried parsley.

Bake pot pies on a baking sheet for 15 minutes.  Divide remaining Gouda cheese between the cups and top biscuit with a small mound of cheese.  Continue baking until tester inserted into biscuit topping comes out clean, about 10 minutes more.


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