Faux chicken pot pie is one of the all-time most popular posts at The Chubby Vegetarian blog. This tasty version is what we often make for a vegetarian main dish at Thanksgiving. Feel free to substitute diced-up some mushrooms or your favorite meat substitute in the place of the seitan if you please.
1 pound “Chicken-Style” seitan, diced
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup diced carrots (about 2 medium)
1 cup diced green bell pepper (about 1 large)
1 ½ cup peeled, diced Idaho potato
1 ½ cups green peas (frozen)
¼ cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
½ cup diced shallots
½ cup diced celery (about two ribs)
½ teaspoon sea salt flakes
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 ½ teaspoons champagne vinegar
1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup 2% milk
1 cup vegetable stock
Basic Piecrust (page 227)
Sea salt flakes and cracked black pepper (to taste)
1 egg
2 tablespoons of water
Toss diced seitan and ¼ cup flour together in a medium-size bowl. In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the canola oil. Once the oil starts to shimmer, add the seitan mixture. Allow it to cook undisturbed for 4 minutes until golden brown. Stir the pot and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove the crispy seitan from the pot and set it aside on a paper towel to drain. Add the carrots, pepper, potato, peas, parsley, shallots, celery, salt, thyme, garlic powder, and vinegar to the pot and stir.
After the vegetables have been cooking for 4 minutes, push them up against the wall of the pot to form a well in the center. Add 1 tablespoon flour and the butter to the well and whisk until they form a paste. Cook the paste, also known as a roux, another 2 minutes until fragrant and lightly browned. Add the milk, stock, and reserved seitan to the pot. Stir, bring to a quick boil by raising the temperature to medium-high, and then remove from the heat.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Cut the rested dough ball in half. Roll one half out to about 11 or 12 inches, and place it in the bottom of a 10-inch pie pan. Cook the crust in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. The crust may puff, but it will still be supple enough to pour the filling on top. Pour in the prepared filling. Roll the second half of the dough out to about 11 inches for the lid. Place the lid on the pie. Using kitchen shears cut off the excess and crimp the edges with your finger to seal the top and bottom crusts together. With the shears cut eight vents in the top of the pie. Place the pie on a baking sheet in case it overflows in the oven. Cook 20 minutes.
To make an egg wash, beat the egg and water together in a small bowl. Brush the top crust with the egg wash, sprinkle on some sea salt, and bake another 10 minutes until the crust is golden brown.
Makes 4 servings.