One of the many wisdoms that my grandmothers used to nurture me with was how to make great tasting dishes with a few basic items. Both grandmothers relied on the root vegetables, potatoes, carrots, beets, turnip and even parsnips, for example as dietary mainstays.

The roots vegetables were inexpensive could be grown in the backyard and kept for sometime in a cool dark place.

The dishes they made varied from boiled dinners, to stews and one of my favourites is the one I just made the other night, vegetable pie.

You can use any root vegetable or any combination of root vegetables to make a pie. You can also add onions which also store well, and celery to influence the flavour.

You can also used leftovers and in fact a vegetable pie is a great way to use up leftover mashed potatoes. My favourite version of this dish is a turnip, carrot and potato combination, but the one I made the other night differed somewhat.

I had no potatoes and did not feel like going to the store so instead of potatoes I used an apple. Yes an apple. Apples are a natural companion to turnips which was the other main ingredient, along with a small carrot.

Now this pie does deviate from grandma’s as does the baked tofu, she did not cook with tofu. But it has evolved as my understanding and ability developed.

Vegetable Pie:

Ingredients;

1 small carrot, thinly sliced

1 tbsp olive oil

2 medium turnips diced

1 medium onion sliced thin

1 russet apple, could use a mac sliced thin

2 gloves garlic sliced

1 frozen pie shell

3 cups water

Sea salt to taste

Preparation;

1- in large sauce pot put in water

2- add olive oil

3- add sea salt

4- bring to boil

5- add turnips (turnips take longer to cook than potatoes so if you use potatoes add turnips 15 minutes before potatoes

6- add carrots

7- cook ten minutes

8- add apple and garlic

9- cook 30 minutes

10- while vegetables are cooking, place pie shell in pre heated oven 350C for 7 minutes

11- remove pie shell from oven add sliced onions to shell

12- Drain water off vegetables

13- Mash, can add a tsp butte or olive oil.

14- Place mashed ingredients in pie shell

15- Put in oven at 350 ca

16- Bake for 35 minutes.

Remove and serve.

Baked Tofu:

Ingredients:

1 block tofu

Soy sauce and hot sauce

Olive oil

Preparation;

1- slice tofu

2- place in marinade put in fridge for 30 minutes

3- drizzle olive oil after removing from fridge

4- palce on cookie sheet

5- put in oven with pie five (5) minutes before pie is finished

Makes a great side dish when served with pie, this dish can be made ahead of time and served the following day provided it is kept in fridge and covered.

You can crumble some cheese over the top of the pie during the last five minutes if you wish, this is a very versatile way to use leftovers.