Veggie or Chicken Pot Pie

This pie tastes great with or without meat. Makes 2 pies. - vegan (without chicken)

To make these pies, here is what you need:

Start by making this Rich Veggie Broth

If you plan to use chicken you will need about one cup per pie of COOKED diced chicken. I recommend smoking or grilling the chicken but cook and season it to your taste.

While the broth is cooking, make this Oil Crust. Roll out the dough and form 2 crusts in pie plates or oven proof containers of similar size. Cut out tops from the rolled out dough. Cover the shells and tops with plastic wrap so they do not dry out.

While the broth is cooking, make this Oil Crust

You should also have time to make the roux before the broth is done. Combine:

Olive oil is a low temperate oil so we must make this roux over a low to medium heat. So, in a skillet (cast iron preferred) combine these ingredients and place over low to medium heat. Stir constantly, scraping all surfaces. As the cooking continues the roux will cook faster so you will need to gradually reduce the heat. When the roux is golden brown it is done. Turn off the heat but keep stiring for a minute or two as it cools. If any black spots appear the roux is burned -- throw it out and start over.

Finally, if the kitchen is not not too steamy you should have time to make this spice mix:

Grind the spices together a bit or not as your prefer.

Once the broth is done make a gravy. In a skillet over low heat combine:

Cook over medium heat stiring carefully and constantly. Once it starts to bubble, keep stiring for another 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir for another minute or two as the gravy cools.

Next is the veggie mix. I use flash frozen veggies because they are easy and, for this sort of dish, taste as good as fresh. If you use fresh veggies just chop and parboil or steam them before following the rest of these directions. As for canned veggies...well, if you don't care how it tastes why not just buy a frozen pie at the store rather than going through all this work to make one?

Mix 2 cups each of the following veggies:

Season with:

Mix well and heat until warm. Mix in 1 cup of gravy. Spoon the filling into the pie shell. Top with a crust. Bake at 300 for 50 minutes.

If you wish to add chicken, add it when you mix the veggies. Put in about one cup of diced chicken per pie and reduce the veggies by a like amount. Use only cooked chicken, NEVER raw.