I can’t remember the last time I had a pot pie! (In fact, the blog’s handy-dandy search feature shows it’s been more than a year since I last blogged about pot pie, and honestly, I’m not sure we’ve had it between then and now!) That’s a shame, I should add, because we both adore this meal so much. It’s such a comforting, comfortable meal that doesn’t take but a minute to whip up, and it always leaves a bevy of leftovers in its wake. What more could we ask for?
Now, in the past, I know I’ve mentioned some of my … unorthodox, shall we say, pie crust attempts. Back in college, I simply took two pie-plate pie crusts, removed one of them from the plate, and put it atop the pot pie. (This was before I knew there was a difference between pie-plate crusts and roll-out crusts.) Tonight, I pulled two roll-out doughs from the fridge and immediately gasped. I’d forgotten to defrost them before going to work!
Hmm.
After pondering my options (1. Wait two hours for the dough to defrost, or 2. Take action to help it along) I elected to choose Door No. 2 and placed both doughs into a plastic bag and ran the bag under the hot water for about 5 minutes. Then I pulled them both out of the dough and, well, let ’er rip. And the dough did in fact rip as advertised. Because it was not thawed properly. Because it had been 10 minutes since I took them from the freezer.
Hmm.
Undeterred, I simply arranged the strips in the bottom of the pie plate, added my fillings – tonight, those fillings consisted of a package of seitan, two cans of mixed vegetables, mushroom gravy, dried minced onion, garlic powder, basil, salt, and pepper – and arranged the strips of the second pie dough atop the fillings. No need to vent the pie tonight – it was plenty vented!
I put it in the oven at 350 for about 40 minutes, turning the pie plate 180 degrees halfway through. While it cooked, I whipped up a batch of Earth Balance vegan mac and cheese for an extra dose of comfort food! And by the time the pot pie was ready, so was the mac and cheese, and so were LeeLee and I.
So the pie looked a little rustic. It tasted wonderful! The vegetables and seitan were perfectly at home with the gravy and spices, and the pie crust was flaky and gloriously buttery. And the mac and cheese were a great addition to the meal.
Finally, as advertised, we have plenty left over for lunch tomorrow! I’ve already transitioned the pie to two separate containers in anticipation.
:)