Cooking with Books: Curried Vegetable Potpies

How many books has Martha Stewart published by now? Two, three thousand? Suckers like me will keep buying them as quickly as she puts them out, so good for her.

I posted about the new Everyday Food book last week. But here's another. Martha Stewart's Dinner at Home. This one continues Martha's philosophy of good food prepared without fuss. Organized seasonally, it includes 52 meals. Theoretically, one could through the book over a year, preparing a meal a week.

These veggie potpies, with puff pastry crust and rich, curry-infused sauce, are delicious. However, I clearly still don't measure up in the Martha-verse. By the time I chopped and sauteed after a long day at work, I couldn't muster the time or energy to fix the "Butter Lettuce with Brie and Pears" salad or the "Spiced Lemon Cookies" included as accompaniments. Oh, well...maybe next time.

Curried Vegetable Potpies
Makes 4 servings (in 4 ten-ounce baking dishes, ramekins or individual pie plates.)

1 package (17.3 ounces) frozen puff pastry dough, thawed according to package instructions
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 leek, white and pale green parts only, cut into 1/2-inch half-moons, washed well
3 parsnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups milk, plus more for brushing
1 russet potato (about 8 ounces), peeled and cut into 2- by 1/2-inch matchsticks
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon curry powder
1 cup frozen peas (unthawed)

Preheat oven to 400°.

Cut pastry dough into four squares just larger than the ramekins. Make several slits in the dough for steam vents. Chill squares on baking sheet until firm, 15 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook leek, parsnips and carrots with 1 teaspoon salt, stirring frequently, until slightly soft, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add flour, cook, stirring, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes.

Whisking constantly, stir in milk, potato, and curry powder. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer very gently until potato is tender, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Divide cooked vegetable mixture evenly among baking dishes. Stir 1/4 peas into each dish, then top with a square of puff pastry. Brush pastry lightly with milk.

Place on a baking sheet and bake until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, 22 to 25 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.