Veggie Pot Pie

To me, Pot Pie just screams comfort food. Not particularly popular in Australia (to my knowledge), it seems to have quite the following overseas. I especially remember one episode of South Park in which Cartman screams to the cat: "NO kitteh! This is mah chicken pot pie!". Understandable.

While pie was always a favourite growing up, tasteless vegetables in some kind of whitish goo enclosed in pastry never really did it for me. I steered far clear of chicken pies and anything that didn't look "normal". Thankfully, after concocting my own recipe for a pot pie's innards, I am now a veggie pie devotee. As is Veggie Dad. He even turned to me early this morning and declared he was already looking forward to the leftovers for lunch. #WIN!!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, diced
1 potato, diced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup each frozen peas and corn
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup vegetable stock/broth
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (there is a vegan option)
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, defrosted.

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C.

2. Gently saute the onion and garlic over medium heat in 1 tablespoon of the butter and a splash of olive oil until soft.

3. Add carrots, potato, peas and corn and raise heat to medium-high.

4. When the peas and corn thaw out, add the mushrooms for a minute or two. Add the other tablespoon butter.

5. Sprinkle over the flour and stir to mix. Add the broth and milk and stir quite rapidly to get up all the flour from the bottom of the pan and mix until smooth.

6. Turn down the heat and simmer 5-10 minutes until veggies are tender.

7. Pour into a casserole dish and cover the top with the pastry. brush over a little milk or egg and poke some holes in the top to allow the steam to escape. You can also do these in smaller individual ramekins.

8. Bake 10-15 minutes until the top rises and puffs and is golden brown.