Vegetable Pot Pie for Gluten Free-ers

It all started with the song, “Admiral Halsey”.

It’s one of my favorite songs, actually. The sing-song-y kind of beat could easily be stuck in my head for hours. However, the one part that stuck out in my head was the part about a “pot pie”.

I haven’t had a pot pie in years. Due to my allergies to wheat and gluten, as well as a personal choice not to eat meat, the entrée has become a part of my distant past. I could be seen in the aisles of ShopRite, however, gazing longingly at the frozen treats.

Most people cringe when they hear the words, “pot pie”. Not me – tasty, hot morsel of flakey goodness, loaded with veggies and mystery meat…how I loved thee.

Which is why I had a brainstorm after listening to "Admiral Halsey" the other night, and opted to make a gluten free, dairy free vegetable version of my old flame. When I told my daughter about my latest idea, she jumped at the chance to help put it together.

The pie crust had to be secured first. We had a package of Bob’s Red Mill gluten free pie crust mix in the closet; Bree was down to work on this aspect, while I worked on the vegetables. To the bowl of pie crust, she added twelve tablespoons of cold butter and eight tablespoons of cold shortening, which she cut into pieces. Instead of using a food processor, she “cut” the butter and shortening into the mix until it was “crumbly” in appearance. Adding six tablespoons of ice water helped the dough to form; once formed, the dough was cut into two equal halves and was sent to the fridge to chill for an hour.

Vegetables were ready to join the project. After dicing three white potatoes, chopping one large white onion, mincing three cloves of garlic, and rinsing a package of fresh white mushrooms, I began the arduous task of peeling and slicing the zucchini and baby eggplant thinly. I wanted peas and carrots in the pie as well, so I used a block of frozen peas and carrots, which I set in hot water to thaw.

Two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil swam in the bottom of my skillet, until it warmed nicely and pulled away from the sides of the pan. Onions and garlic were the first into the oil; once translucent, I added a tiny bit more oil and the mushrooms. Dried spices were added at this point; salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, paprika, thyme, rosemary, and crushed red pepper flakes met with the now wilting mushrooms. Potatoes joined the vegetables and were cooked until translucent. The zucchini and eggplant went into the skillet last, and the vegetables began to cook down until they were soft.

A can of vegetable broth and two tablespoons of flour were added next, and the pan was deglazed; all the wonderful tastes blended together. The aroma that hung heavily in the air was heavenly.

The roux wasn’t setting up properly, so my daughter added another two tablespoons of flour to the liquid in the skillet. This helped with thickening; I gave it a taste, and was most pleased with the result. A dash of Frank’s Red Hot was added to the pan while my back was turned; my daughter is a die-hard five alarm fire spice girl.

When we removed the pie crust from the freezer (it wasn’t setting up well in the refrigerator after the allotted time, so we moved it to the freezer for ten minutes), we realized that we had no ramekins. Looking through my kitchen cabinets, I was able to find a smaller Corning Ware casserole dish. We rolled out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper, and gently placed the bottom layer of the pie crust into the casserole dish.

My husband came into the kitchen and noted that the dough was awfully soft; his concern was that if we added the hot vegetables with the roux, it would dissolve the crust. Taking this into consideration, I took the dish and placed it into a 400 degree oven for twenty minutes. Perfection.

When I removed the dish from the oven, the crust had gotten flakey and smelled delicious. After adding the vegetables and liquid, we rolled out the second batch of pie crust dough. Some of the crust fell apart, so I pieced some of the top layer together, but for the most part, it covered the entire dish. Crimping the ends and pressing them down with a fork, my daughter then sliced a few holes into the top of the crust, and we returned it to the 400 degree oven for another half hour.

All I can say is that the end result was nothing short of fabulous. The taste was exactly how I remembered it to be; the flakiness of the crust was a sheer delight. The interior of the pot pie was savory and delicious. There was a slight zing to the filling, but that’s to be expected from the Red Hot.

If I hadn’t been so filled to the brim from one slice, I would have easily downed the entire pie alone, it was that good. If you’d like the recipe for the pot pie, here it is:

1 package Bob’s Red Mill gluten free pie crust mix (follow directions on the package)

1 zucchini squash, peeled and sliced into thin coin-like slices

3 baby eggplants, peeled and sliced into coins

3 Eastern potatoes, peeled and diced

1 large white onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 package sliced white mushrooms, rinsed and drained

1 (10 oz) package frozen peas and carrots

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (have a little extra on hand, in case the vegetables soak up the oil)

2 tablespoons of gluten free all purpose flour

1 can vegetable broth

½ teaspoon of the following dried spices: oregano, garlic powder, basil, crushed red pepper flakes, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper. (If you feel bold, go ahead and add that dash of Frank's Red Hot. Trader Joe's jalapeno pepper hot sauce is pretty dang tasty, too.)

*Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

While waiting for oven to heat up, prepare pie crust mix according to package directions. Divide dough in half, making two evenly sized balls. Place on a plate and leave in refrigerator for one hour. If the dough is still too difficult to work with, you may place it in the freezer for ten to fifteen minutes. Dough might be sticky; it’s okay to add a tablespoon of all purpose gluten free flour, if necessary.

Heat oil in a large skillet. When oil pulls away from the side of the pan, add onions and garlic. Cook until translucent and soft, add mushrooms. Cook mushrooms down until tender. Add potatoes and cook until translucent and soft. Remove vegetables from the heat and set aside in a separate bowl. Add a little more oil and allow it to warm up. Add squash and eggplant and sautee until tender. Remove from heat, mix in bowl with other vegetables. Defrost peas and carrots under hot running water, or put in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Strain. Add can of vegetable broth to the skillet, add flour to form a roux. If roux does not set up properly, add flour, one tablespoon at a time, until broth begins to thicken. Add vegetables, spices and another tiny bit of olive oil. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

Remove one of the halves of flour from the fridge and roll out. It’s best to use ramekins here, but since I used a small Corning Ware casserole dish, I’m going to suggest the same, especially if you’re feeding more than one person (this dish will serve four people easily, by the way.) Drape pie crust into dish, pushing into corners so that the entire base of the dish is covered. Place dish into oven for twenty minutes, remove and add vegetables and liquid. Remove other half of dough and roll between two pieces of parchment or waxed paper. Remove one side of the paper, drape crust over the dish, and remove second piece of paper. Pinch the crust all the way around the dish, and then use a fork to press down the edges. Cut three or four slits in the top of the crust and return dish to the oven for thirty more minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Serve piping hot!

Enjoy! :)