Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook Part 74

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

cup white wine or vegetable broth

1 cups vegetable broth

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon mustard powder

teaspoon ground sage

Salt and freshly ground pepper

HAVE A 3-quart square or oval deep-dish (9 11 2-inch minimum) ca.s.serole ready.

Prepare the crust first: Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. Add the shortening by the tablespoon, in small chunks, and cut it into the flour with a pastry cutter or two knives held together. Cut in the shortening until the mixture is crumbly.

Pour cup of cold water into a small bowl and toss in a few ice cubes. Measure out cup of ice water and stir the vinegar into it. Add the vinegared water to the dough in three batches, gently mixing it in dough with a fork, until the dough holds together when pinched. If need be, add up to cup more water, a tablespoon at a time until all the dry ingredients are moistened and a firm dough is formed.

Gently press the dough into a ball. Sprinkle a clean work surface with flour, then roll the dough out to a shape of the ca.s.serole dish you'll be using but roughly 2 to 3 inches larger.

Place baking parchment or waxed paper on a cutting board and roll the dough from the rolling pin directly onto the paper. Cover the entire thing with plastic wrap or wrap in more waxed paper, and refrigerate while making the filling.

Preheat the oven to 375F.

Prepare the filling: Heat a soup pot over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the chopped seitan, sprinkle with soy sauce, and saute 8 to 10 minutes until the seitan is sizzling and lightly browned on the edges. Remove the seitan from the pot and set aside in a medium-size bowl.

Next, make a chickpea flour roux: Add remaining 3 tablespoons of oil to the pot and stir in the chickpea flour. Stir frequently and toast the flour for about 10 minutes, until fragrant and a deep mustard color. Stir in the chopped onion, cook for 4 minutes, and add the carrot, potato, and celery. Cook for 8 minutes, until the vegetables are softened. Stir frequently!

Pour in the white wine, stirring to dissolve the browned bits of roux from the bottom of the pot. Cook for 2 minutes to reduce a little bit, then stir in the frozen peas. Pour in about half of the vegetable broth and add the thyme, mustard powder, and sage. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Stir in the remaining broth and bring to a simmer again. Cook for another 6 to 8 minutes, until the broth has reduced slightly and a thin gravy has formed. Remove from the heat and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Remove the piecrust dough from the fridge. Ladle the filling into the ca.s.serole dish. Top with the crust, pressing the edges down lightly and leaving about 1 inches of dough hanging over the sides of the dish (trim any excess dough beyond the 1 inches with kitchen scissors or a sharp knife). Form a raised edge by turning or rolling up the dough at the edges of the ca.s.serole dish. Use a fork to crimp these edges, and poke a few holes with that fork onto the top of the crust, to allow steam to escape.

Place in the preheated oven; this pie tends to bubble and gravy could spill, so it's a good idea to place a large, rimmed baking sheet (or big swaths of aluminum foil) on the rack beneath it. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the filling is bubbling and the crust is lightly browned and flaky. If you like, brush the top with a little soy milk once or twice during baking, for a light sheen on the crust.

Allow the pie to cool at least 10 minutes before serving; the filling will be boiling hot straight out of the oven.

For Individual Pies: Use deep, ovenproof bowls or deep mini-pie tins. For the crust, cut the dough into the appropriate number of sections, one per bowl. Form the sections into b.a.l.l.s and roll out to the shape of the bowls/tins, plus an inch or two. Proceed as directed for the crust, stacking the individual crusts between sheets of waxed paper before chilling.

Prepare the filling as directed, dividing among the bowls. Top with the crust, seal, and crimp as for a large pie, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes at 375F.

CAULIFLOWER AND MUSHROOM POTPIE WITH BLACK OLIVE CRUST.