Saturday, August 13, 2011

Farmer's Bounty Pot Pies with Chard, Potatoes and Summer Squash

Pot pies are great things to make when you have loads of produce. Mixed with a creamy herb gravy and baked in a flaky crust, almost any vegetable will do.

Yukon and sweet potatoes, bright red chard, carrots, onions and garlic tossed with fresh thyme and cilantro in a thick white wine sauce baked until tender on the inside and crusty on the out.

Crust
2 2/3 cup ap flour
1 tsp salt
6 tbl earth balance, cold and cubed
6 tbl vegetable shortening, cold and cubed
6-12 tbl cold water
2 tbl unsweetened almond milk

Combine the flour and salt. Add the butter and shortening and cut in the flour until the butter is in fine crumbs. Add 6 tbl of water and mix lightly. Add more water, 1 tbl at a time until the dough just comes together. Toss out on the counter and gently knead into 2 discs. Wrap in plastic and chill for 1 hour.
When the filling is ready, roll out one disc into a 9" pie pan with 1/2" of dough hanging off the edges. Fill high with pot pie filling.
Roll out the other disc and lay on top with 1/2" dough hanging off the edges. Press the two crusts together and fold under, tucking in. Prick a few holes in the top of the crust with a fork. Brush the top with a bit of almond milk.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes until golden brown.

Vegetable Pot Pie Filling
7 tbl extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 yellow onion, small dice
1 carrot, small dice
1 celery stalk, small dice
1 small red chili, seeded, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 head red swiss chard, stems-small dice and leaves roughly chopped
1 medium sized yukon gold, unpeeled, medium dice
1 small sweet potato, peeled, medium dice
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 yellow summer squash, medium dice
1/4 cup ap flour
3 cups vegetable broth
2 tbl white wine
1 tbl fresh thyme leaves
3 tbl chopped fresh cilantro
salt and pepper

In a large saute pan, heat 3 tbl of oil and add the onions, carrots, celery and red chili. Season with 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper and red pepper flakes. Saute over medium-high heat for 7 minutes until the vegetables start to soften. Add the chard stems and both kinds of potatoes. Saute 10 minutes more until the potatoes are semi-cooked through. Add the garlic and summer squash and cook until the garlic is fragrant, 3 minutes.
Transfer the vegetables to a plate and add the remaining 4 tbl of oil to the pan. Sprinkle in the flour and whisk into a smooth paste, 2 minutes. While whisking, stream in the broth so no clumps remain. Make sure to scrape up any bottom bits on the pan. Add the wine, thyme and cilantro and simmer for a couple minutes to thicken. Add the vegetables back in along with the chard leaves. Toss to wilt the chard. Pour into prepared crust and following the crust instructions to complete.

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