Zach and I have been experimenting with more vegetarian dishes here lately. We wanted to cut back on meat for a variety of reasons; one of which being that the good, humanely raised meat out there is incredibly expensive. Instead of just settling for the not so good stuff, we decided to splurge every once in a while on the good stuff. As a result, we bring you our attempt at veggie pot pies! They actually came out pretty fantastic, extremely flavorful, and insanely addicting! We paired it with Odell Brewing’s delicious 90 Shilling, and we were more than pleased with our Sunday dinner. It was hearty and filling, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we were suffering from a serious food coma here in a couple of hours. Oh and I may or may not have made enough to feed a small army, so if you are in the need of some veggie pot pies, let me know because, if not, Zach and I may be eating it for 5 days.
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What makes this recipe so delicious is the multitude of veggies we decided to incorporate. I did not skimp on this recipe and I’m pretty happy that I decided to make this choice. Despite it just being the end of Winter, the grocery store’s selection of produce looked pretty good today. With onions, leeks, fennel and more, the flavors from this pot pie literally explode in your mouth. You wouldn’t even know that you are missing the chicken (that often comes with eating a pot pie).
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One thing that I DID decide to skimp on today was the crust. I wasn’t fond of the idea of going ahead and making a homemade dough for the crust. It just didn’t seem necessary for this recipe. If you are inclined to do this, then sure be my guest! There are a lot of great recipes out there for homemade pot pie crust! There are, however, some great pre-made doughs out there for crusts for these sorts of recipes. Puff pastry and refrigerated pie dough are just two of these doughs. I may have mentioned before that I am not a huge fan of pre-made food items, but puff pastry and pie dough are just two exceptions to my rule (oh and Annie’s Mac and Cheese tends to make it into this house…but shhhhh don’t tell anyone (=). Zach didn’t seem to care in the end and neither did I.
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We may have paired recipes with Odell Brewing’s 90 Shilling Ale before, but we just couldn’t go any other way. It’s not your typical Amber Ale. It’s extremely full-bodied (even though it’s not super high in alcohol content), and pot pies tend to be “full-bodied” as well. The two just go hand in hand, and any day we can open a 90 Shilling is a good day in our lives =).
We hope everyone had a fabulous weekend. Please enjoy the rest of it!
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Ingredients
- 4 large red potatoes, skins left on, diced
- salt and pepper
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1 leek, white and light green only, cut into half moons
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 1 large large fennel bulb, white only, chopped
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, minced
- 4 ounces white button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced thin
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
- 5 medium-sized carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 1/2 cups frozen peas
- 1/4 cup heavy cream or whole milk
- 1-2 sheets puff pastry or pie dough
- flour for dusting
- 1 egg + 1 tablespoon water (for egg wash)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and situate an oven rack to the middle of the oven.
- In a large sauce pan, place the potatoes. Fill the pot with water until it just covers the potatoes then season with salt. Place on the stove and heat on high. Bring to a boil and boil for 7-8 minutes. Drain and set aside until you are ready to use.
- Meanwhile, in a large dutch oven, melt the butter and add the leek, onion, fennel and season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat until the veggies are soft., about 8 minutes. Whisk in the flour until all has combined, and cook or 3-4 minutes. Gently whisk in the vegetable broth and add the thyme, oregano, mushrooms, parsley, carrots, peas and cooked potatoes. Stir to combine then season again with salt and pepper. Slowly drizzle in the heavy cream or milk and stir again to combine. Let simmer, covered, for about 20-25 minutes.
- Meanwhile, flour a surface lightly, and lay out your puff pastry or pie crust. With a lightly dusted rolling pin, roll out your dough until it is very thin. Prepare your individual ramekins by ladling in your filling until it reaches 3/4 of the way up the dish. Now cut out your dough into circles with a pair of kitchen shears so that it covers the entire top of the ramekin. Press down the edges with the back side of a fork and poke a few holes on the top. Brush with the egg wash and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Lay your ramekins on a large baking dish and bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes and then serve!
Notes
Hardware: * Cutting Board * Sharp Knife * Measuring Cups * Measuring Spoons * Saucepan * Colander * Dutch Oven with Lid * Wooden Spoons * Ladle * Brush * Bowls * Individual Serving Dishes or Ramekins * Baking Sheet *
