Shepherds' Pie

On a cold, rainy night, of the sort we've had here in the Pacific Northwest recently, it's very nice to have a simple meal cooked in the oven. I first made a vegetarian shepherds' pie just over three years ago, but we liked it so much that I made it several times more before we left for Thailand. Though my original recipe -- a modification from The Joy of Cooking -- is currently buried in storage, I put together an attempt this evening. It turned out quite nicely.

Ingredients:

4 medium potatoes
1 T canola oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 large carrots, diced
3 celery stalks, diced, with leaves
3/4 cup fresh or frozen thawed green peas
equivalent of 1 lb. meat, in meat substitute form (I prefer White Wave traditional flavor seitan, but have also used Gimme Lean beef style), chopped or crumbled
1/2 to 1 cup vegetable broth
1 T fresh or dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
butter or margarine

1. Boil or bake the potatoes until soft. Remove skins and mash, with a little milk and butter if you like, or just plain is fine too.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Saute the onions and carrots until the onions are softened.
3. Stir in the meat substitute. If necessary, brown it. (I usually brown Gimme Lean products, but not seitan.)
4. Stir in the celery, rosemary, thyme, and vegetable broth. Continue cooking until broth is absorbed.
5. Stir in the peas. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.
6. Spread the mixture in a 9x9 pan. Cover with the mashed potatoes. Dot with butter or margarine.
7. Cook at 350 for 30 minutes, uncovered.