Veggie Pot Pie

I realized a majority of this blog was about restaurants I've been to and I haven't been cooking as much as I usually do.  So I checked out some of my favorite food sources and found a delightful little veggie pot pie recipe.  It was the perfect dinner to round out today -- it was one of those days when everything seems a bit off and then when I left work it was cold and rainy (not shocking for a March in Minnesota).  I was certainly in the mood for a hot meal and a nice glass of wine. 

I got this recipe from my fave food blog Big Girls Small Kitchen.  I made a few minor adjustments, but this seems like a good base for you to play around with.  Use some seasonal veggies (and if you get a CSA share, this might be a great place to use up some kohlrabi in the summer) or different spice combos.  But this is some serious comfort food, so get ready to indulge!  The crust is amazingly buttery.... I could have eaten it plain.  The filling is thick and delicious.  Round it all off with a glass of white wine and you're set. 

Crust
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 tbls salt
1 tbls sugar
10 tbls butter, chilled and cut into pieces
1 egg yolk

1-2 tbls water, if needed

Combine the flour, salt, and sugar in the food processor and pulse until combined.  Add the butter and pulse until the mixture looks like crumbs.  Add the egg yolk and combine until the dough forms into a ball in the food processor.  Add water gradually if it's not coming together.  Take it out, form into a disc, and chill for at least an hour before rolling out. 

Filling
1/4 cup oil
1 large onion, diced
1 celery stalk, diced

1 carrot, diced

2 parsnips, diced

1 small potato, diced (I used a large one and just cut it in half)

1/2 fennel bulb, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbls chopped fresh sage

1 large pinch of dried thyme* (or fresh, I only had dried)
curry powder to taste (1 - 1 1/2 tsp)

1 can drained chickpeas

2 1/2 tbls flour

1/2 cup white wine
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
salt, pepper

In a cast iron skillet, heat the oil and then add the onions.  Cook for a few minutes until the onions have just started to brown, then add the celery, carrot, fennel, potato, and parsnips.  Cook until the veggies have softened, about 15 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add the garlic and herbs, cook for another minute.  Add in the chickpeas, salt, pepper, and curry powder to taste (I put in a few shakes).  Push the veggies off to the side of the pan, add a drizzle of oil and the flour to the clear side.  (You're making a roux.)  Mix the oil and flour together and cook out the flour taste about a minute.  It should turn into a paste-like consistency.  Mix everything together.  Then add the wine and veggie stock, turn up the heat, and boil the mixture until it thickens.  Turn off the heat.  Put the mixture into a buttered pan, 9x9 or whatever pan you have to make the pot pie.  Cool until about room temperature. 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Take the crust dough out of the fridge and roll it out to about 1/4 inch thickness.  It might break in spots, but it's buttery enough to press back together!  Put the crust over the pan and crimp the edges.  (As an aside, my pan was pretty high, so I just laid the crust on top of the mixture and so I just kind of crimped the edges against the sides of the pan.)  Poke holes in the crust and brush with a beaten egg.  Bake for about 35 minutes.  At least, that's what the recipe says -- I ended up baking it for maybe 50 minutes in order to get the crust totally cooked and browned.

And bonus, you have almost an entire bottle of white wine to deal with.  I had tons and tons of leftovers to eat for lunches and give away to people I like.  Enjoy :) 
Makes 8 servings.

*Food Tip: If you use dried herbs, crush them between your fingers before adding them to the mixture to release the flavors.