Xmas Recipe Special: Vegetable Hot Pot

Vegetable Hot Pot Pie

This is more comforting than roasting root vegetables as the soft lentils give a nice contrast to the sturdy potatoes and the melted cheese. For the best flavours it is recommended to grind the pepper, coriander seeds and cumin seeds fresh.

serves 6 - 8 people

for the filling:

1 cup of red lentil

3 stalks celery, finely chopped

2 medium carrots, finely chopped

3 parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks

1/3 cup tomato paste

2 tab finely chopped fresh ginger

3 cups of filtered water

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp coriander seeds

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper.

for the topping:

1 large sweet potato, peeled

3 medium potatoes, peeled

2 Tbsp ghee/butter, melted

1/3 cup bread crumbs

1/2 cup of grated Parmesan or your choice of cheese

freshly ground pepper

garnish with fresh coriander

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C/350 F.

To prepare the filling:

Cover the lentils with water in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Swish the lentils around with your hand, drain, repeat and rinse. Do this four or five times until the water runs clear.

Pour the filtered water into the pot with the lentils, add the chopped vegetables, tomato paste and finely chopped ginger. Bring to boil over a medium-high heat, then lower the heat to maintain a simmer. Simmer for approximately 20 -30 minutes until the lentil are soft.

In a small saucepan, dry roast the cumin and coriander seeds until slightly golden. Be careful not to over toast them otherwise they will taste bitter. Place into a mortar & pestle, grind until a fine powder. Add this to the soup mixture along with the pepper. Add salt to taste. Pour into a baking dish or casserole dish and set aside.

To prepare the topping:  

Wash and peel the sweet potato and potato. Using a mandolin or a large, sharp knife, slices the root vegetables into rounds about 3mm thick.

Layer the root vegetables into the baking dish, working from the outside in starting with the potatoes, as these take longer to cook. Drizzle with a teaspoon of ghee/butter between each layer. When all the vegetables are used up, sprinkle over the bread crumbs, then the grated cheese and a few rounds of pepper.

Cover the dish with aluminum foil or with a lid and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the covering and bake the Hot Pot for another 15 minutes, or until the top has become golden brown. Garnish with fresh coriander and allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with a bowl & steamed broccoli or a crisp green salad.

Time to toast to a delicious dinner? Try our ginger beer recipe!