I enter cooking contests now and again- sometimes because there is an amazing prize like a Kitchen-Aid mixer, or a trip to California, but more often because it challenges me to make something that I’ve never made before, forces me to flex my cooking muscles a little bit, and challenges me to make something that has stumbled me in the past. One of those major stumbling blocks in my culinary world has always been pie crust! Chewy, heavy, dense pie crust has always been all I’ve managed to turn out, but it’s never really bothered me because honestly, I don’t really care for pie, with one exception. Potpie! Potpie is one of those amazing dreamy rich comfort foods that I love, but always top with mashed potatoes due to my crust fears. When the Today Show asked for our best potpie recipes I decided it was time to face my potpie dilemma head on and find a way around not only not being able to make a decent crust, but also not enjoying crust. The solution I came up with is this: Greek Pot pie! With puff pastry atop a savory Greek inspired filling I couldn’t be happier with my dish. Plus my daughter ate something chocked full of strange vegetables just because it had the word pie in it. Even though the Today Show didn't choose to feature my recipe, facing my potpie fears, and getting my daughter to eat more vegetables makes me a winner with this recipe anyway! And I will be adding this to our dinner rotation.
Greek Potpie:
2 TBSP olive oil
1 white onion
2 cloves garlic
1 eggplant diced small
1 yellow squash diced small
1 portabella mushroom diced small (or 1 cup baby portabella mushrooms)
1 cup frozen spinach
1 Tbsp. dried oregano
1 Tsp. fresh dill
1 Tbsp. fresh parsley chopped fine
1 can garbanzo beans drained
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1 1/2 - 2 cups vegetable stock
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt and pepper
Buerre manie of 1 Tbsp butter, 1 Tbsp wheat flour kneaded together
4 oz reduced fat feta cheese crumbled (or as much as you like!)
1 sheet puff pastry
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
In a large Dutch oven heat 2 tablespoon of olive oil. Add onion and cook until softened, add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add all other vegetables and herbs, season with salt and pepper and cook for about 10 minutes until the vegetables release their juices. Add canned beans and tomatoes. Add just enough stock to resemble a very chunky soup, and the juice of 1/2 lemon.
In a zip lock bag knead together 1 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp wheat flour. When well incorporated scoop out of bag into soup. Stir into soup and let simmer until stew is just thickened. Add crumbled feta cheese.
Place thawed puff pastry on lightly floured surface and roll out until it’s just a little larger than your pan
Scoop stew into a pie dish or tart pan and cover with puff pastry dough cutting away extra.
Bake in oven for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
