Turkey Pot Pie

Here's another idea for that Turkey Stew recipe from yesterday. The pastry recipe is the same that I use for my Steak and Portobello Pie.

I sometimes make extras of these and freeze them before baking. I then thaw them in the fridge overnight to use the next day. I sometimes make these pot pies in full size pie plates as well as the individual size as shown. As a time saver, I sometimes just put the stew in a baking dish and cover it with a single top crust of pastry which is a great idea for any leftover stew.

Pot Pie Pastry 

Start by making your pastry

1 cup very cold butter cut into small cubes
2 ½ cups flour
½ tsp salt
1/3 – ½ cup ice water (Only enough to make a dough form.)

Using a food processor or a pastry blender cut cold butter into flour and salt until mixture resembles a coarse meal. Small pieces of butter should still be visible. Pour cold water over the mixture and work in by tossing with a fork until dough begins to form. Use your hands as little as possible and work the dough as little as possible.

Divide dough into 2 balls, flatten into 2 rounds, wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to rest for a minimum of 20 minutes. Or divide into 8 balls to make 4 smaller individual pies.

You can make your dough the previous day but make sure you take it out of the fridge for 10 minutes to warm slightly before rolling out.

Roll the dough into a 12 inch round and place in the bottom of a 10 inch pie plate. Don’t trim the dough at this point. It is better to trim the excess after blind baking it. You will need to blind bake this bottom crust before adding the filling. Blind baking is essential so that the bottom crust will not get soggy.

To blind bake a crust simply place a piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil over the dough and cover the bottom of the pie plate with baking weights. (Marbles, dry beans, peas, rice or barley work just as well as anything else.) Bake at 400 degrees for about 12 -15 minutes. Remove baking weights and parchment (or foil).

Turkey Stew Filling

Serves 6

2 lbs leftover cooked turkey, skinless and cut in chunks
2 litres turkey stock
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
3 parsnip, peeled and sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp olive oil
1 cup green peas
1 small celeriac (celery root), diced
2 roasted red peppers, chopped
3 tbsp summer savoury
1 tsp ground sage (optional)
Salt and pepper to season
½ cup flour mixed with 1 cup water

Toss the carrot, parsnip and celeriac in 3 tbsp olive oil. Season them with salt and pepper and roast on a cookie sheet for about 20 minutes tossing occasionally until the vegetables are fork tender.
In a large dutch oven, cook the onions and garlic in a little olive oil over medium heat until softened. Add the turkey stock, savoury and sage to the pot and bring it to a rolling boil. Thicken the stock to make gravy by whisking in the flour and water mixture. You may not need to use all the flour and water mixture but the gravy should be relatively thick. Stir in the roasted vegetables, peppers, peas and turkey. Cook in a 350 degree F oven for an additional half hour.Cool before using as filling for Turkey Pot Pie.

Fill the blind baked crust with the turkey stew, then top with rolled pastry, tucking under the bottom crust. Cut a dime sized hole in the center of the top crust and bake at 375 degrees F until golden brown and bubbling at the center, about 45 minutes.