The Mountain and the Tree

If you're of a similar mind to me, one of your reactions to the onset of Fimbulvetr is "time to make stew!" And if you're even more like me, you have stock left over once you've served it out. Usually I make Unconquered Stew, ie. put more vegetables and protein in the next day, but this time I decided to do Pie instead - and not entirely because I'd run out of suet to make dumplings, either.

Boil potatoes for mashing as normal, but using the leftover stock and some extra water. Mash them all up together, for a semiliquid potato sludge, and add lots of chopped leeks and mushrooms - let them sit off the heat while you make up the pie crust.

The pie crust (and yes, this is a heretical pie, because I cooked it all in the same dish that then goes in the oven) uses one part wholemeal flour, one part porridge oats, and one part butter-substitute, with salt and a hefty dose of Scarborough Fair herbs, then the whole thing gets liberally sprinkled with nutritional yeast.

Technically, this is sort of an upside-down vegan homity pie, I suppose. The best way to de-veganise it would be to use cheese (a good sharp cheddar or goat's cheese) instead of the mushrooms.