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Vegetarian surprise pot pie

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Cold weather came back. As a consolation, and to mark the transition off of winter cooking, I made a pot pie.

Pot pies are not something I commonly make. But I am clear on two things on the theory of pot-pie making. For one, the crust must be generous, meaning that you want both a bottom crust and a top crust. And, for two, the crust soaks up a lot of gravy, so it’s tricky keeping the gravy from coming out too thick. I always seem to err on the thick side.

What really gives a pot pie its savory flavor — at least in my near-vegetarian opinion — is not the chicken or some other poor animal. Rather, it’s the savory vegetables, particularly the celery and peas. You can’t have too much celery.

Still, a vegetable pot pie seems to be missing something. For lack of any better options, I cut a Morning Star hot dog into little rounds, browned them lightly, and added them to the filling.

A small convection oven is really handy for pies, especially a pie with a top crust. You can keep a very close watch on the pie to see how it’s browning. I started this pie with a foil covering to keep it from browning too fast. Then, when I was sure it was done inside, I removed the foil and browned the crust with just a touch of broiler.

And yes, my philosophy is that the filling should ooze ever so slightly through the vents in the top crust. You lose points if there is any leakage where the top crust is sealed to the bottom crust. I lost a point on this pie with a one-drop leak.

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2 Comments

  1. Henry wrote:

    Are those Brussel sprouts – Yum!

    Saturday, March 5, 2016 at 7:00 pm | Permalink
  2. daltoni wrote:

    Yep … Brussels sprouts tucked into foil and roasted on the gas grill.

    Saturday, March 5, 2016 at 7:05 pm | Permalink

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