veggie pot pie

Tilapia, ,

Isn’t pot pie one of the most comforting sounding foods in the winter?  The temperatures dropped over the past week, and I’ve been craving this ever since.  Since I’m mostly off meat, I used mushrooms to take the place of any meat.  I also kept it lighter by only doing the pastry on top.  I always use store-bought puff pastry because I don’t have the time or space to do a lot of baking.  The sheets need to be thawed, but cold, when you work with them.  I put mine on the counter about 30 minutes before rolling them out. 

1a.jpgI rolled the dough out and cut it into 1 inch thin strips, and made sure the length was about the width of the dish.  Staggering and layering them is a really fast way to make it look pretty on top.   

This dish is time-consuming and labor intensive, but sometimes it’s worth it.  A flaky crust on top of veggies in an herby, buttery gravy –that’s always worth it to me. 

 

Total Time:  90 minutes

Serves:  8

Difficulty Level:  Intermediate

 

Ingredients

1 pound of baby yellow potatoes, quartered or halved

1 stick of unsalted butter

1 pound of cremini mushrooms, cleaned and quartered

3 tablespoons of chopped fresh rosemary

3 tablespoons of chopped fresh sage

2 tablespoons of chopped fresh thyme

2 teaspoons of onion powder

½ cup of all-purpose flour

2 ½ cups of vegetable stock

1 cup of half and half

12 ounces of frozen peas and carrots, thawed

6 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley

1 ½ sheets of puff pastry (thawed)

1 egg, lightly beaten

Salt and pepper

 

Method

  1. Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil. Add the quartered potatoes, and cook for 10 minutes or until fork-tender.  Drain immediately, and set aside.
  2. Meanwhile, melt the butter of medium-low heat in a large Dutch oven. Add the mushrooms, rosemary, sage, thyme, and onion powder.  Cover, and cook the mushrooms and herbs for 12-15 minutes, or until softened.
  3. Add the flour, and cook on low for 6-8 minutes, stirring frequently to brown the flour.
  4. Add the vegetable stock. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pan.  Bring to a simmer, and cook for 5 minutes.
  5. Add the half and half, thawed peas and carrots, and potatoes to the pot pie filling. Cook for another 5 minutes on medium-low, stirring frequently.
  6. Remove the pot pie filling from the heat, and stir in the chopped parsley.
  7. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Spread the filling out evenly in 1large plus 1 small casserole dish.  Allow to come down in temperature while the oven heats.
  8. Gently unfold the puff pastry onto a floured surface, and roll gently with a rolling pin to thin out slightly.
  9. Cover each pie with the pastry. The large dish should take about 1 full sheet, and the small dish should take about ½ sheet of the pastry.
  10. Brush each sheet of pastry with the beaten egg. Season with salt and pepper.
  11. Bake for 1 hour. Remove from heat, and allow to cool for 20 minutes before serving.