Wild Mushroom and Lentil Cottage Pie

On first glance this might just look like a bowl of chips, but in fact this is $8 worth of organic mushrooms purchased this morning from the Briarcliff Farmer's Market. Yes, I'm going to realize my dream of acting like a talented chef who can whip up a meal based on the freshest, seasonal ingredients that present themselves to her.

The following recipe comes from the December 2009 issue of Cooking Light.

Ingredients:

Filling:

1 cup dried lentils

4 cups water

1/2 tsp salt

1 bay leaf

2 1/2 cups organic vegetable broth, divided

3 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 cups onions, finely chopped

1 cup carrots, finely chopped

1/2 cup celery, thinly sliced

4 oz. exotic mushroom blend, sliced

2 tbsp dry sherry

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp thyme leaves

1 tbsp white truffle oil (optional)

Topping:

1 1/2 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 1/2 tsp. salt, divided

2/3 cup buttermilk

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

Dash of ground red pepper

Method:

1. For the topping, put potatoes and 1 teaspoon of salt in a saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Cook for 20 minutes, drain. Return potatoes to saucepan and add buttermilk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, nutmeg and red pepper. Mash until smooth and set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

3. For the filling: combine lentils, 4 cups water, 1/2 teaspoon salt and bay leaf in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer for 25 minutes or until lentils are tender. Drain and set aside.

4. Combine 1/2 cup vegetable broth and flour in a small bowl, whisking until well blended. Set aside.

5. Heat olive oil in a 2-qt casserole (one you can use on the stove top!) Add mushrooms, onion, carrot & celery; cook for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add sherry, soy sauce, tomato paste, thyme, vegetable broth & lentils to mushroom mixture. Bring to a simmer then add flour mixture. Cook until mixture thickens, stirring constantly.

6. Top with potato mixture and bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes, or until potato topping is golden. Serve, drizzling truffle oil over the potatoes if desired.

Yield -- 8 servings

Calories: 235

Fat: 4.3 g

Protein: 9.8 g

Fiber: 5.8 g

Sodium: 734 mg