Potato & Curried Pea Pasties

Pasties, British in origin, are a complete win-win meal for everyone. A meal in a pocket! Everyone at the dinner table will be satisfied when they find a crusty, brown pastry filled with tender vegetables steaming in front of them. You can even bake them ahead and take them to-go. Who doesn't like portable food?

Curried potato, pea and zucchini pasties wrapped in flaky crust and baked until golden brown. Serve with a green salad and baked beans!

One Year(ish) Ago Today Bbq Rice Bowls

Potato & Pea Pasties
serves 4, 6-8 pasties depending on size
2 russet potatoes, peeled
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
1 small red onion, small dice
1 carrot, small dice
1 zucchini, small dice
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 tbl yellow curry paste
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
salt and pepper
2 tbl minced cilantro
1 crust recipe or 2 rolls puff pastry, thawed

Preheat the oven to 375.
Bake or boil the potatoes until completely tender and cooked through. Transfer to a bowl, coarsely mash and set aside.
Saute the onion and carrot in olive oil until they start to become tender, 5 minutes. Add the zucchini, peas, curry, cumin, coriander and season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook for 5-7 more minutes.
Add the vegetables to the potatoes and add the cilantro. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Roll out the pie crust on a floured counter and cut out large circles.
(Or unroll each puff sheet and roll out so the dough is thinner. Cut large circles, 8 total. Do not overlap the puff pastry as it will be too thick and won't cook through correctly)
Fill the middle with potato mixture and fold the dough over. Press to seal the edges and crimp with a fork.
Bake on a greased baking sheet for 30 minutes until golden brown.

Pie Crust Recipe
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 1/2 cups vegan butter, cold and cubed
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2-3/4 cup ice cold water

Combine the flour, butter and salt in a food processor (or in a bowl by hand) and pulse until the butter is in small pebble sized pieces.
Slowly stream in the ice water a little at a time until the dough just comes together.
Dump out on a counter and knead into a smooth ball of dough. Divide into 2 discs and flatten. Wrap in plastic and chill for 1 hour or until ready to use.

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.

Savory Cauliflower Pie

The filling of this came from an idea I got when I wanted to combine traditional Lebanese ingredients from dishes I like to eat like tabouli and arnabeet. The crust I originally made was definitly not enough for a bottom and top, so I had to roll it out incredibly thin. I made sure to increase the recipe so it would be a little easier. Still, the crust is supposed to be somewhat thin. This translates into a very flaky crust. Because the crust is made with oil and not a cold fat, it is meant to be made and put together right away. There is no need to chill this dough.

Creamy cauliflower, tomato and fresh parsley seasoned with cumin and sesame tahini baked in a flaky olive oil crust.

Cauliflower Pie
4 tbl extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 large sweet onion, medium dice
1 head cauliflower, small rough chop
1 1/2 cup water
1 1/2 tbl cumin
1 1/2 tbl ground coriander
1 tbl sea salt
2 tsp black pepper
5 tbl tahini
1 large hothouse tomato, seeded, small dice
1/4 cup rough chopped parsley

Heat 2 tbl of oil in a large pot and saute the onions until soft and translucent, 5 minutes. Add the cauliflower and remaining 2 tbl oil and saute 5 minutes. Add the water and raise the heat to high. Cook until all the water has evaporated, 10 minutes. Add the cumin, coriander, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Remove from the heat and add the tahini, tomato and parsley. Set aside and make the pie crust.

Pie Crust
3 cups ap flour, plus more for rolling
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tbl chopped fresh thyme
6 tbl extra virgin olive oil
2 tbl hemp milk, divided
wax or parchment paper

Preheat the oven to 400.
Combine the flour, salt and thyme in a food processor. Pulse to combine. Drizzle in the oil and pulse to combine just until the starts to form a ball. Add 1 tbl of hemp milk and pulse once more. Turn out onto the counter and lightly knead into a ball. Divide the ball in two.
Roll out one ball of dough between two sheets of parchment and place in the bottom of a 9" pie pan.
Fill with cauliflower filling and flatten the top.
Roll out the other ball of dough and top the pie. Brush the top with the remaining hemp milk and bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Rotate the pie in the oven and reduce the heat to 375. Bake 30 minutes more until golden brown. Let cool at least 10 minutes before serving.

Chicken Pot Pie

I couldn't think of anything black and orange to make for dinner on Halloween, or anything Halloween themed that wasn't obnoxiously cheesy like spaghetti "brains" and meatball "eyes."
Chicken pot pie sounded delightful and the last time I made it, I forgot to take a pic for the blog, so I have the opportunity to make it again.

Chicken, zucchini, cremini mushrooms, carrots, celery and garlic sauteed in a creamy thyme gravy with flaky pastry crust baked on top.

Pot Pie Crust

2 cups AP Flour
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup vegetable shortening, cold and cubed
1/2 +/- cold water

In a large mixing bowl add the flour and salt. Crumble in the cold shortening and mix until the shortening are the size of peas. Add in the water, a little at a time just until the dough comes together. Knead the dough together with your hands into a smooth disc. Try to only knead as much as possible, you don't want to over mix the dough, resulting in a tough texture. Form into a flat disc, wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
Roll out the dough and cut into long strips for a lattice crust. Fill your large mugs or casserole dish with the pot pie filling and use water to baste the sides of the dish to act as glue for the crust to stick to. Once you have laid the lattice, brush the top crust with water and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes until the crust is crisp.

Chicken Pot Pie Filling
serves 4

2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
1 white onion, small dice
2 large red potatoes, small dice
1 carrot, small dice
1 celery stalk, small dice
1 tbl fresh thyme, minced
salt and pepper
1 zucchini, small dice
1 cup of sliced cremini mushrooms
4 garlic cloves, minced
5 tbl earth balance vegan butter
5 tbl AP Flour
1 cup vegetable broth
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 package Gardien chicken tenders, thawed and cut into medium sized pieces
1 cup shelled frozen edamame

Preheat the oven to 350 and have your pie crust ready.
In a large saute pan, heat the oil and sweat the onions over medium heat until soft and translucent. Add the potatoes, carrots and celery and saute for 10 minutes until the vegetables start to soften. Season with 1 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of pepper and the dried thyme. Add the zucchini, cremini and garlic and raise the heat slightly to medium high. Saute 10 minutes more until the potatoes are cooked through completely. Transfer this mixture to a plate and set aside.
In the same saute pan over medium high heat, add the butter and melt. Add the flour and whisk vigorously until no clumps remain. Continue whisking while the flour cooks and looses its raw flavor, 3 minutes. Add the vegetable broth and almond milk and whisk to combine and thicken. Season with 1 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp of pepper.
Add all of the vegetables back into the pan, with the chicken and edamame and toss to heat through, 3 minutes. Taste and reseason.
Transfer the mixture into large mugs, or a casserole dish. Top with the pie crust in a lattice form and bake for 25 minutes.