Barefoot Bloggers: Vegetable Pot Pie

It's the fourth Thursday of the month. That means it is time for another Barefoot Bloggers recipe. Deb of Kahakai Kitchen chose Ina's vegetable pot pie. I have never been an eater of pot pie. Being foreign, my mom never made it while growing up and if I tried a friend's, I usually just ate the buttery crust and left all the rest behind. Whatever, this is a challenge and I was up for it. I got most of the vegetables at the farmers market, but since I try to eat as in season as I can, I left out the asparagus. I found fennel at the regular grocery store (some of which I used in the Mediterranean Salad), and I subbed sweet potatoes in for regular potatoes because I don't much like regular potatoes. I also changed a lot of the pastry recipe. I decided to go with a standard pate brisee, and I added a bit of fresh rosemary to the dough. I am really glad I did that because I could not get enough of this dough. The way the recipe is presented on the Food Network website is a little strange, so if you decide to try it, be sure and make the dough first so that you don't spend eight hours making this dish. Luckily, I read the entire recipe. If for some strange reason, I were to make this recipe again, I would skip the step of salting the dough before it goes in the oven. It ended up being just a little too salty for my taste. How did I like it? Well, it was fine. Ina always makes great recipes, but this sure didn't convince me that I love pot pies. To see if the other Barefoot Bloggers love pot pies, visit the blogroll. If you're interested in joining the Bloggers, follow the link.


Vegetable Pot Pie
(Adapted from Ina Garten)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
1/2 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 cup chicken stock
Splash dry white wine
Pinch saffron threads
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Splash heavy cream
1 sweet potato, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 small butternut squash, peeled and diced (about 1 pound)
1/4 cup minced flat-leaf parsley

For the pastry:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
2 tablepoons-1/4 cup, ice water
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
Kosher salt

To make the dough:
For the pastry, mix the flour, salt, and rosemary of a food processor. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. With the motor running, add the ice water; process only enough to moisten the dough and have it just come together. Dump the dough out onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow it to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to one hour.

To make the filling:
Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and fennel and saute until translucent, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the flour, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 3 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Slowly add the stock, wine, saffron, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the heavy cream and season to taste. The sauce should be highly seasoned. Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water for 5 minutes. Lift out with a slotted spoon. Add the carrots and squash to the pot and cook in the boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain well. Add the potatoes, mixed vegetables, and parsley to the sauce and mix well.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Divide the filling equally among 4 ovenproof bowls. Divide the dough into quarters and roll each piece into an 8-inch circle. Brush the outside edges of each bowl with the egg wash, then place the dough on top. Trim the circle to 1/2-inch larger than the top of the bowl. Crimp the dough to fold over the sides, pressing it to make it stick. Brush the dough with egg wash and make 3 slits in the top. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot.