This was definitely a labor of love. I usually make pot pit into a Shepherd's pie because it is easier and you just slap some mashed potatoes on top. It looks pretty and tastes amazing. And I usually use a ready-made spelt pie crust, but when I decided to make this tonight (to use up the tons of leftover gravy I somehow had), I didn't have any crust. So I decided to make the crust. Now don't get me wrong, I have made pie crust tons of times and it really is not difficult to make at all, it's just a little time consuming and can be a little frustrating if you do not flour your work surface enough, causing the dough to stick and tear. I usually just cop out and buy the ready-made spelt crust (which comes in its own pie pan) or the stuff that comes in a tube in the refrigerated section. Just because it's easier.
But, I actually had an abundance of earth balance today, which never happens - I am always running out! And I also had a little bit of extra time, so I made the crust from scratch. And it came out amazingly! Seriously delicious - I think the best I have ever made. Could have been the gravy helping out on that one though! When I served it to the Hubby, he was very excited, saying that it looked so beautiful! Then he took a bite and actually moaned. Moaned! I have never heard him do that before. And when I asked him how it was, he said "amazing!" He usually doesn't get that excited about things, so it made me really happy. He had three giant pieces. I was only able to eat one, because it is pretty filling, plus we had the artichoke salad and the sauteed kale. But he definitely had 3! And he had several more the following day - the thing was literally gone in 2 days! The entire pie! It was that good!
Pot Pie with Artichoke & Roasted Pepper Salad, Sauteed Kale:
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| Buttery Crusted Pot Pie, Artichoke Pepper Pasta, Sauteed Kale |
Yields: 8 Slices
Crust:
3 cups unbleached flour
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1 cup chilled Earth Balance
6 tablespoons ice water
Filling:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium green pepper, small diced, about 1 cup
1/2 medium orange pepper, small diced, about 1/3 cup
1 medium onion, small diced, about 1 cup
2/3 cup frozen mixed vegetables
1 large potato, peeled and small diced, about 1 cup
1 cup frozen chopped spinach
1 homemade sausage, fried on all sides, chopped, or other meat replacer
3 cups prepared gravy (I used a leftover nutritional yeast gravy)
Sea salt, black pepper, cayenne to taste
1. Make the crust first. Place the flour and sea salt in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk together. Place the earth balance in the middle of the flour. Using your hands or a pastry cutter, cut the flour in until it is evenly distributed throughout the flour. Add just enough cold water until a dough forms - you do not want it to be wet at all. Roll into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
2. Begin making the filling: place a wok over medium heat, add the oil and allow it to become hot. Once the oil it hot, add the green and orange peppers and the onion. Cook until vegetables are just tender.
3. In the meantime, bring a medium sized pot of water to a boil. Add the chopped potato and the frozen mixed vegetables. Cook until potato is just tender and veggies are cooked. Drain.
5. You can take the dough from the refrigerator now. Allow it to warm up just a bit.
4. To the sauteing vegetables, add the frozen spinach and cook just until it becomes hot. Add in the drained cooked potato and mixed vegetables, the cooked and chopped sausage and the gravy. Stir to coat. Allow mixture to simmer and season with sea salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper, if desired.
5. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Divide the dough in two pieces. Roll out the first ball of dough and place into an oiled pie plate. Prick all over with a fork. Place on a sheet tray in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until cooked through.
6. Roll out the second piece of dough. Now you can pour the filling ingredients into the cooked bottom pie crust. Top with the second pie crust, crimping the edges to seal everything in there. If there are any tears, just add an additional section of dough. (See below.)
7. Place the filled pie back onto the baking tray and place in the oven. Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until the top layer is baked through and the filling is bubbling.
8. Allow it to cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
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| The Whole Pot Pie. It was gone in 2 days. Seriously! |
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| Close-Up of the Delicious Pie! |
-Koko
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