Vegan Sara Beth

Vegan “Chicken” Pot Pie

Crust

2.5 cup flour

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup margarine

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons sugar

6-8 tablespoons ice water

Cut margarine and shortening into small cubes and put in the freezer for at least 30 minutes before starting. Using either a food processor or a pastry blender combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add cubed fats and cut them into the flour. In a processor simply pulse 5-7 times, or using a pastry blender work the fat into the flour until a course mixture is achieved leaving pea sized pieces of the fats. Then add ice water starting with 8 tablespoons and combine until a dough is formed, once dough will hold together when pressed you are done, add water as needed to reach this texture. Try not to overwork your dough. Split dough into two chunks and form discs out of them. Wrap the discs in cling wrap or another airtight container and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour before rolling out.

Filling

1 T Olive Oil

2 stalks Celery (1/2 c)

1 T minced Garlic

1/2 med Onion (1 c)

1/2 t Black Pepper

1 lg Carrot (1 c)

1 lb Potato

1 c Mock Chicken, Tofu, or Seitan cubed

1 c cooked Peas

Gravy

4 T Olive Oil

3 T Flour

1.5 c Vegetable Broth (regular or Chicken flavored)

add dried herbs:

1 t Sage

1 t Thyme

1/2 t taragon

1/2 t savory

In a large saute pan cook celery, onions and garlic in olive oil and season with black pepper on medium heat. It will take around 5 minutes for the onions to become translucent, at this point add potato, chicken, and carrot, cook for around 10 minutes until the carrots begin to soften. Add peas and cook 1-2 more minutes before removing from heat and setting aside. Prepare gravy by making a rue with the olive oil and flour. Over medium heat in a sauce pan heat olive oil slightly and add flour. Whisk together and allow the flour to cook around 3 minutes or until the flour no longer looks super pasty. Add herbs to the broth and pour into your rue whisking rapidly to incorporate the flour into the liquid. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cooking around 3 minutes until gravy has thickened. Add your sauteed veggie mixture, stirring gently to make sure everything is well coated and set aside until you are ready to make your pie.

Remove pie dough from the refrigerator and allow it to come up in temperature until just cool to the touch. Roll out one disc to around 14 inches in diameter. Place rolled out dough into your deep dish pie plate, trim edges to so they hang very slightly over the rim of the pie dish. Fill with vegetables and gravy. Roll out second piece of dough to the same thickness and lay it over the top of your pie plate. Trim dough to just past the bottom layer of crust. Brush the edges of the bottom crust layer with a little water and fold the top crust over the edges of the bottom crust and finish the edges with your desired technique. Cut several holes in the top crust for venting and place in a 400 degree oven for around 35 minutes. Allow to set for 10-15 minutes before serving.