not your usual shephard's pie

despite its name, traditional Shepherd's pie doesn't contain any sheep in it.  and while this particular name originates from Scotland, where sheep herding is a common preoccupation, my brief google research has shown that this dish actually has a very international distribution.  similar types of potato-covered meat pies are found, among others, in Russia, Chile, Argentina, North Africa, North America.  the specific versions differ, but the basic formula: minced/ground/diced meat of some sort, covered with some type of a potato or pastry layer, seems to be quite common across regions and cuisines.  and as with most traditional dishes, there are of course the vegetarian and vegan versions as well which usually utilize lentils or another legume, or perhaps some type of soy protein as the bottom layer. all these versions, i imagine, hit the same note or spot: they are comforting, warming, cheap and very sharable. the perfect dish for a Fall or winter evening. though, i do think that some are healthier than others and the veggie versions - because they are not as greasy - are also pretty delicious as a cold lunch the next day.

i've made all kinds of veggie versions of this dish before, but last week i tried something new and "tested it" on our friends, Glenn and Heather.  although this new version followed the same general pattern/formula,  i wanted to do something that would evoke the flavours of Central and Eastern Europe - just to keep my "food and nostalgia" series flowing.  so instead of meat or lentils, i used kasha - roasted buckwheat groats, which are very typical to the region.

though commonly used as a side dish (instead of potatoes, for instance) in Polish cuisine, Kasha is also eaten as a main, when topped with mushroom gravy, for example.  this version is more typical to south eastern Poland and/or the Ukraine, where my granny Irena (my dad's mom) was from. in the south-eastern borderlands, buckwheat groats are also wrapped up in cabbage leaves and served as yet another incarnation of the cabbage roll. interestingly, while cabbage rolls are ubiquitous to Central and Eastern Europe as a whole, my granny Stasia (my mom's mom) never made cabbage rolls like that because she came from north eastern Poland (another fluid borderland region, this time flowing in and out of East Prussia).  Granny Irena, on the other hand, did, as did my aunt Vera because they both had Polish-Ukrainian roots and came from the same geographical area.  i got particularly lucky: since I grew up in the western Poland - the area which got settled by Poles displaced from other "fluid" regions after the Second World War (whilst, unfortunately, displacing its previous Germany inhabitants) - I got to experience culinary traditions that were very varied.  a wonderful experience indeed, though one i was not fully aware of until i began to reflect on it as a young adult.

but to get back to the pie... to keep the Polish-Ukrainian borderland flavour - in honour of that part of my heritage -  i added some chantrelle and oyster mushrooms to my pie filling.   i also added some crumbled tempeh, to up the protein content and to give it more varied texture.  the mashed potato topping was made with roasted garlic, thyme, sage and rosemary, and a dollop of miso - my mashed potato secret weapon which makes it taste like potatoes and gravy, without the gravy! the results were absolutely delicious, very filling and, at least for me, completely evocative of the flavours of my Polish-Ukrainian background. 

Eastern Borderlands Pie, with Kasha, Wild Mushrooms and Tempeh

5 medium sized potatoes
2 cloves of garlic
fresh springs of rosemary, sage and thyme (or any one of them, you can also use dry herbs)
1 T miso
2-3T unsweetened almond milk
2T olive oil
coarse salt

1 1/2 cups roasted buckwheat groats
2 cups veggie broth or water
1 cup mixed mushrooms (chantrelles, oysters, but you can use brown, portabella or shitakes too)
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1T mixed, rosemary, sage and thyme (dry)
1 egg (optional)
1T Parmesan cheese (optional)
1 tempeh patty, crumbled (i use the Greene Cuisine tempeh, its local to Victoria and delicious... you can buy it in ohter parts of Canada too - i know, i've seen it.  but really, any tempeh will do).

cook the potatoes, in skins.  until tender.  set aside to cool a little.
while the potatoes are cooking, heat some olive oil in a heavy skillet.  saute the garlic, onions and herbs with a pinch of sea salt.  when onions are translucent, add the mushrooms and saute for another 5-7 minutes until cooked.  add the buckwheat groats and toast with the mushrooms and onions for a few minutes, stirring.  add the broth and the crumbled tempeh, stir, bring to boil. then turn down the heat, cover with the lid and simmer until the buckwheat is cooked.  this should take about 15-20 minutes.  check in the meantime and add more water or broth if necessary. 

while the buckwheat is cooking, mash the warm potatoes with the olive oil, minced garlic, chopped herbs, almond milk and miso.  taste and add some pepper and coarse salt if necessary.  set aside.

crack and egg into the cooked kasha, add the Parmesan and stir well.  this step is optional and just helps to bind the kasha.  but you can easily omit it for a vegan version.

place the kasha in a pie dish or a round baking dish.  top with the potato mash.  sprinkle with a little olive oil an herbs.  bake at 373F for 30mins.  then broil for another 5 minutes to get the potato to turn golden.  serve with a side salad or some roasted veggies. some nice red wine or dark beer are fantastic accompaniments too!