this is my first attempt at a potpie. i’ve never made one, and barely eaten them. so i made one crazy delicious mistake, and made this into more of a pot-cake than a pot pie. why? it is huge. there is a TON of a filling and it’s very deep. i always like a lot of filling to crust (or veg to starch) when it comes to any food, so i was okay with this mistake, but it makes it tricky to serve.

CRUST

i used the crust recipe from Veganomicon, since i have no pie crust recipes in my arsenal (i don’t actually like pie). it made a bit more than i needed, but i figure i can make mini pot pies in muffin tins another time. WHO KNOWS. here it is!

4 c. whole wheat flour

1/2 c. cornmeal

4 tsp. sugar

pinch of salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 c. cold shortening, cubed

1 c. cold water with 4 tsp apple cider vinegar

whisk all dry ingredients together, then cut in shortening with a pastry cutter, until incorporated and you have mostly pea-sized pieces. then add water, stir and add more cold water in small bits as needed until a rough dough forms. shape into 2 balls. roll each ball out separately on a well floured surface until you have a circle bigger than your pan. lay each layer on a sheet of wax paper, and stack them (with paper between them) on a baking tray. chill in the fridge, covered with plastic until you’re ready to assemble.

FILLING

2 small carrots, diced

1 leek, rinsed well and sliced thin

10 brown mushrooms, sliced

1 large red potato, diced

1/2 c. chopped broccoli

1/4 zucchini, diced

1/3 c. peas

1/4 c. soy curls, soaked (then squeezed dry and then tossed with 1 tsp. garlic powder, big shake cayenne, a few drops liquid smoke, 2 tsp bragg’s, 2 big shakes nutritional yeast)

6 cloves garlic, minced

parsley

1/4 c. flour

4 tbsp butter

olive oil

1/2 c. white wine

2 tsp.  each mustard seeds, mustard powder

big pinch chili flakes

1 c. broth

nutritional yeast

black pepper + salt

in a large bottomed pot, melt your butter. whisk in flour to make a roux, stir frequently and let it cook for 5 minutes. add a glurg of olive oil and put in your leeks and mushrooms with a pinch of salt. saute until mushrooms have shrunk a bit. add soycurls and cook for a minute. add zucchini and carrots. let cook for a few minutes until the zucchini softens. add broccoli, peas and white wine. scrape at the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to get all the roux up and mixed into the wine. add herbs, spices, garlic and hot broth. let it cook for a few minutes, you want the sauce to be thick. if it’s too runny add a few shakes of nutritional yeast and let cook a bit longer.

ASSEMBLY

preheat your oven to 375.

if you want to be crazy like me, get  a deep cake pan and grease it. if you want to be less crazy, get a large pie pan (maybe 2) and grease those. lay your first circle of dough into your pan and let it drape to the bottom. gently press into the edges until you have a smooth crust. leave a 1/2 inch overhang and trim the rest. pour in your filling and smooth evenly. top with your other dough and press edges of the top dough and bottom dough together. cut excess from top, then go around the edges crimping the layers together between your fingers. cut 2 small vents in the top. bake for 45 minutes or until top is golden and crunchy. let rest for 15 minutes of a wire rack to firm up before serving.