Part 74 (1/2)
As American as chickpea flour and seitan, this potpie is just a little reminiscent of a certain frozen potpie that equaled big excitement at dinnertime when we were kids. Certainly more tasty and minus the freezer burn, so everybody's happy. Silky gravy envelops chewy chunks of seitan and down-home root veggies and peas. Top it all with a flaky whole wheat crust (or use all-purpose flour to keep it traditional) and you've got a complete, family-pleasing meal. If you need something green to round out it out, steamed broccoli or spinach salad will do the job.
The steps involved in this recipe may look epic but, once the crust is rolled out and chilling, the rest is just chopping and stirring. The filling, or even the entire pie, can be a.s.sembled a day or two ahead and popped in the oven a little less than an hour before dinner.
This potpie is best made in a deep-dish ca.s.serole, or even better, make individual potpies in deep, ovenproof bowls or extra-large ramekins. Instructions for individual pies follow the main instructions.
If you're feeling particularly industrious, double the crust recipe and prepare a bottom crust. It doesn't need to be chilled before fitting into the ca.s.serole dish; just roll out, fit, and trim, then cover the entire pie with plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator while preparing the top crust and filling.
Crust: 2 cups all-purpose flour, or 1 cup each whole wheat and all-purpose
cup cornmeal
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
teaspoon baking powder
cup cold nonhydrogenated vegan shortening
- cup cold water
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
Seitan filling: 5 tablespoons grapeseed or peanut oil
1 recipe Simple Seitan (page 131), chopped into
-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
1 teaspoon soy sauce
cup chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour
1 large onion, cut into fine dice (about 2 cups)
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into fine dice
pound white potato or celery root, sc.r.a.ped and cut into fine dice
1 stalk celery, cut into fine dice
1 cup small, sweet green peas or corn kernels