Baked Vegetable Pie

This was during last November when we  were in London.My mother’s sister was in the US at the same time with her daughter Nivedita. We skyped often ,laughed, cracked jokes ,pulled each other’s legs  and exchanged recipes  just like we did way back at home ,In Kerala. Thanks to The Internet. To Skype too . …Like I said people in two different parts of the world brought together, talking with each other as if they were sitting  across a table … How science has changed our lives and has brought with it innumerable oppurtunities…to the extend that my cousin would be grinding something in her mixer  and she would ask me to mute my microphones lest A happily sleeping Aniket(my sonny) would wake up in his home in London…We even got to give each other running commentary while cooking …The”No no don’t fry that too much or hey that looks yummy “happened over Skype.My Aunt makes amazing palada. Watching her making palada on skype did 2 things to me-

It made my mouth water.

I learned how to make it

But that’s another post.Will try to recreate that amazing palada some other time…..

So it was during one such skype session I watched the making of The baked Vegetable Pie .Hmmm it looked yummy in her baking dish she showed us through skype that day.I promptly asked my cousin to mail me the recipe. That was it . Over. As always I bookmarked the recipe but didn’t get to making it. The recipe had travelled all the way from her paternal Aunt in  Chennai all the way to The US, then to  Us in UK  through skype only to  stay put in my  1 Mile long cooking wishlist…..Grrrr….

Then suddenly yesterday while I was putting Aniket to sleep The Veg pie popped up in my mind. A nice baked dish full of stringy cheese and vegitables coated with the white sauce and I couldn’t resist the temptation to make it….here goes the recipe-:

Ingredients

Carrot-1 cup chopped into cubes

Cauliflower-1/2 cup shredded

Corn kernels -1/2 cup

Potatoes-1 medium sized or 1 cup

Butter-1/4 cup (to dot the  vegetables)

Bread crumbs-1/4^th cup or more(enough to sprinkle over vegetables)

Macaroni-3 cups                                                                  

Pepper powder-1 tsp

Cheese-Mozzarella, processed cheese or cheddar

Sauce

All purpose flour-4-5 tbsp. or more

Butter-3-4 tbsp or more

Milk-1/2 cup or more (enough to make the sauce creamy)

Garlic crushed-1-2 cloves(small)

Pepper powder-1-1 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Method

Pressure cook potatoes, cauliflower and carrot (2-3 whistles).You can pressure cook carrots and cauliflower together but potatoes separately. Mash the potatoes and add little salt to it.

Add corn to boiling water. You may add little salt to it if you require (a pinch) and let it bubble. Once water bubbles simmer and heat corn with closed lid for 3 minutes

Boil water .Add macaroni and boil with little salt and 1/2 tsp. of oil till cooked.

Mix macaroni, carrot and cauliflower.

Sauce

In a non-stick pan add butter, and fry Maida.

Add salt, pepper and crushed garlic. Mix.

Switch the gas off. Add milk till the mixture becomes creamy.

Coat vegetables and macaroni with sauce.

Assemble

In a baking dish spread butter.

Layer mashed potato at bottom.

Then spread the coated vegetables and macaroni.

Dot the layer with dollops of butter.

Sprinkle bread crumbs.

Spred one more layer of coated vegetable and macaroni and sprinkle bread crumbs again on top of it.

Sprinkle grated cheese.

Preheat oven to 180 C .Reduce to 150 C and bake for 15 minutes or till cheese is melted.

Turn the knob to grill and grill for 2-3 minutes.

Serve it with tomato sauce.

 Notes

You may also add peas, mushrooms and capsicum to the dish.

You can also omit the grill option if you prefer so.

You can mix butter to mashed potatoes for richer taste.