Vegetable Pot Pie

Potato potato potato potato potato!

Chock full of veggies and with a (half-)whole wheat crust, this disturbingly healthy pie base is redeemed – er, pleasantly balanced – with what can best be described as “butter gravy.” In the words of Eric Cartman: “Sweeeeeet.”
Vegetable Pot Pie

Ingredients:
For crust:
1 ½ cups white whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp kosher salt
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
5 Tbs ice-cold water
1 medium or large egg, whisked

Vegetables:
2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 medium potatoes, diced
3-4 oz white mushrooms, quartered
6 oz fresh broccoli florets
½ cup frozen green peas, defrosted

Gravy:
2 Tbs unsalted butter
3 Tbs all-purpose flour
1 cup high-quality homemade vegetable or mushroom broth
½ cup lowfat (NOT skim) milk
1 cup dry marsala wine OR ½ cup cooking sherry + ½ cup sweet vermouth
2-3 Tbs fresh parsley, minced (optional)
1 Tbs ground sage
½ tsp minced dried leaf marjoram
¼ tsp ground thyme
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp ground black pepper
¼ tsp white pepper
Salt to taste

Directions:
1. Heat the 2 Tbs of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When fragrant, sauté the onions for 3 minutes or until translucent, then stir in the garlic. Sauté the garlic for another minute, then stir in the carrot and potatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally, for another 7 minutes.

2. Add the broccoli and mushrooms and cook until slightly wilted, then stir in the peas and cook until heated through. Turn off the heat. The potatoes and carrots shouldn’t be thoroughly cooked.

3. In a separate skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. When the foam has dissipated, stir in the all-purpose flour and let it toast lightly.

4. Whisk the broth, milk, and wine (or sherry + vermouth) into the butter and flour (“roux”). Continue to whisk until smooth and thickened, then stir in all of the herbs and ground peppers. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

5. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

6. Let the gravy and vegetables cool slightly while you prepare the crust: stir the flours and kosher salt together, then drizzle in the olive in a slow, steady stream, stirring steadily until the mixture forms pea-sized crumbs.

7. Stir in the ice-cold water until the dough comes together, then knead together into a slightly crumbly ball.

8. Divide the dough ball in half. Prepare the top crust of the pot pie by fitting a sheet of parchment paper into a 9” pie pan and pressing half of the dough ball into the bottom and sides of the pan. Gently lift the crust and parchment paper together out of the pan.

9. Press the other half of the dough ball into the bottom and sides of the pie pan.

10. Pour the gravy over the vegetables, and then scoop the mixture into the crust. Holding the top crust to the parchment paper, invert the paper, and roll the crust gently over the top of the pie. Fix whatever rips have formed in the crust, and seal up the edges by pressing the two crusts together.

11. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove from the oven and stir the whisked egg over the top crust.

12. Bake for an additional 8 minutes, or until the egg has turned a beautiful golden-brown on the crust.

13. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before cutting.