(Inside-Out) Puff Pastry Pot Pie

20 February 2013

(Inside-Out) Puff Pastry Pot Pie.

On Wednesday, I went for a very long run. Honestly, I hadn't planned it that way, especially as I stood in our apartment putting on layer after layer (double gloves! double jackets! double pants!). It was snowing, and as a glasses-wearer, I was not looking forward to the way my lenses were definitely going to fog up, nor do I particularly enjoy temporarily rendering myself blind while turning my fingertips into mini-windshield wipers. I was pretty sure that after thirty minutes, I'd be warming my hands over the bathroom radiator.
But as it happened, somehow fully invigorated by the heavy snowflakes falling in spite of the clear blue sky overhead, I didn't make it back to my warm apartment for another two hours.
Although I enjoyed every mile, I must admit that about midway through, I started thinking about dinner. (This is a pretty regular phenomenon for me.) I wanted something with bread. And I wanted soup. But I didn't want to dip bread in soup -- no, that would be far too ordinary. By mile thirteen, I'd completely planned our dinner from start to finish: I was going to make a puff pastry pot pie.

I'd started fantasizing about the chicken pot pies of my childhood days -- the flaky crust, crunchy carrots, little cubed potatoes and the peas that, frankly, didn't actually taste like anything but added some lovely color to the dense, creamy soupy suspension that held it all together. And then there were the chewy chunks of chicken. (Hey, my teeth remember chicken, too.)

I like to keep puff pastry dough around in my freezer because there are few things that are faster -- or more versatile -- than taking out a couple of sheets -- essentially fool-proof, everything looks better wrapped in puff pastry. But at mile nine or so, I started to be concerned about portion size (you would, too). The "problem" with puff pastry, if you will, is that sets a certain limiting factor on the size of your overall end product. If you've ever gotten out a sheet of puff pastry thinking you're going to make stuffed croissants and ended up with a startling amount of filling leftover (not to mention the amount that somehow found that one little microscopic hole in the corner of your croissant and proceeded to leek out and burn onto your baking sheet), you're probably getting nervous, too -- I mean, how much filling could I possibly fit into one little pastry pocket?

Fear not.
I was going to make this pot pie "inside out."

Back within the four warm walls of my kitchen, I started making a filling. I'd decided that I wanted to mimic the tastes and textures of chicken pot pie, but using the fresh ingredients that I still had leftover from the Farmer's Market.
I began by cooking up two potatoes, cut into bite-sized cubes (with their skins intact), until they were fork-tender. While I waited, I diced one medium onion; I peeled and chopped two carrots into thin rounds, and cut about 100g of extra-firm tofu into bite-sized pieces. In place of the peas, I decided to add something with real flavor -- I very finely chopped a half cup of carrot greens. If you don't have carrot greens at your disposal, I would recommend fresh parsley, or a nice peppery arugula.

You'll want to allow the puff pastry a little bit of time to thaw out -- about ten minutes -- such that, albeit still freezing cold to the touch, it can be easily folded and otherwise manipulated. I went wild and got out four sheets.
Fix your eyes on the center of one sheet of puff pastry. This is your sweet spot. You want for most of your filling to end up right there. I began by putting down some carrot greens, then topping them with diced onions, a few bites of tofu, potatoes, and carrots. I aimed for the center of the pastry sheet and worked my way slowly out, leaving a 1.5" perimeter uncovered. I sprinkled in about a teaspoon of fresh parsley, a tiny pinch of salt and black pepper. I took a second piece of puff pastry and laid it over the first , covering the filling, and used the back of a fork to press the two pieces together around the edges to form a tightly-sealed pocket. -- I then repeated the process to make a second filled pastry pocket. I spread a thin layer of margarine over the tops of both pastries -- most puff pastry doughs are traditionally made with a healthy dose of butter, which doesn't mean that your vegan equivalent contains margarine -- adding a little bit will encourage the tops to brown, and add a little bit of flavor.

I sprinkled the tops of the pastries with fresh chives and put both pot pie pockets on a lined baking sheet in my oven, preheated to 375 degrees (check the instructions on your package of puff pastry) and baked for about 15 minutes -- until the tops were golden brown and flaky.

Notice that you have some filling leftover -- you'll want to add a clove of minced garlic and put it all into a small cooking pot along with about three cups of vegetable broth. Simmer for 15 minutes, while the pastries bake.

I served my pot pies by first dishing up a ladle-full of the soup, and placing the puff pastry pie in the middle. As you cut into the pastry, it will absorb the soup and soften into the oh-so-wonderful, soft, chewy -- yet flaky -- familiar texture of a really good pie crust.

As for my fears about portion size? By cooking up the soup and extra filling on the side, you can make much or as little as you want. These little inside-out pot pies were so awesome that they'll definitely be making a repeat appearance in the near future.
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The Nitty-Gritty.

Ingredients:

four sheets of puff pastry

two small white potatoes

one medium white onion

two small carrots

100g extra-firm tofu

½ cup carrot greens (substitute: fresh parsley or arugula)

salt & black pepper

2 tsp chives

vegan margarine

1 clove of garlic

3 cups vegetable broth


Procedure:

1. Wash and chop two small white potatoes into bite-sized pieces; boil with one teaspoon of salt until fork-tender (about 10 minutes).

2. Remove 4 sheets of vegan puff pastry from the freezer and allow to thaw until soft and pliable (about 10 minutes).

3. Finely dice the onion. Peel and chop carrots into thin rounds. Chop tofu into bite-sized pieces. Finely chop the carrot greens.

4. Aiming for the center of one sheet of pastry dough, arrange a few chunks of potato and tofu, carrots, onions, and greens, leaving a 1.5” perimeter uncovered. Cover this piece of pastry dough with a second, pinching the edges together with the back of a fork to form a filled, closed pocket. Smear with ¼ tsp of vegan margarine; top with fresh black pepper, a pinch of salt, and a teaspoon of fresh chives. Repeat step 4 to create a second filled pastry.

5. Place pastries on a lined baking sheet; bake in a 375 degree oven for 15 minutes (or according to the instructions on your box of puff pastry), until golden brown and flaky.

6. Combine the remaining tofu, potatoes, carrots, greens, and onions, along with one clove of minced garlic in three cups of vegetable broth -- simmer until carrots are soft.

7. To serve, ladle soup into bowls (about two ladles per serving); place puff pastry in the center of the bowl.