Creamy Veggie Pot Pie

To a large mixing bowl, add all dry ingredients. While the butter is still as cold as possible, cut it into small pieces and spread them throughout the flour, if you’re using hands, work quickly to break the butter up, and press the flour into the butter. If you have a food processor, pulse the butter into the flour in 10 short 1 second pulses and then 1 long 10 second pulse. Add the cold water slowly and use a rubber spatula to spread it evenly throughout. As it comes together, form it into a ball and try not to make it completely smooth. Split into two uneven balls, one 15% bigger than the other. Put it in an airtight container and put it in the refrigerator. Chill for 30 minutes. *Tip: Making the pie crust ahead of time and storing it in the fridge will make putting the pie together much quicker. You can also make a double batch of the pie dough and keep it in the freezer, handy for when you want to make another pie!

Dice your heaviest vegetables, (potatoes, carrots) into 1-1.5cm cubes and cook in a pot with 2 tsp oil over medium heat, stir to coat and then add a few splashes of water to steam whenever necessary, if the pot is too dry. Finely dice the onion and large dice the mushrooms and cook them together in a skillet. When they are browned and soft, remove them from the pan and set aside for later. Add any optional vegetables to the potatoes at their proper cooking time compared to the potatoes, and remember that everything will cook more while it bakes, so broccoli or corn or peas need only be mixed in at the end. Season the vegetables as they cook with salt and black pepper, paprika and other herbs, but remember more will go in the sauce.

Combine all of the ingredients of the cream sauce together in the onion and mushroom skillet, except the vegetable stock and flour and whisk them together over medium heat. Slowly sift or lightly shake the flour into the coconut milk. Continue to whisk until the coconut milk thickens and any lumps of flour are blended away. Add the stock slowly as you whisk and stop when you reach a good consistency and add the mushrooms and onions back in. Simmer lightly for 5 more minutes.

When the dough is chilled, and the sauce and vegetables are cooked, transfer the larger portion of dough to a clean, floured work surface and flour the top of the ball. Roll out to the size of the bottom of your casserole dish plus 6cm on each side. Roll the dough onto the pin and unroll it into the dish, massaging the dough into the edges and corners and leaving at least a centimeter over the rim. Refrigerate again while you roll out the top. When the top crust is rolled out, fill the lower crust with the vegetables and pour the sauce evenly over the top of the vegetables. Lay the top crust onto the sauce and tuck the edges down around the sides. Trim if necessary. Fold the remaining edge of the bottom crust down over the top and shape it how you prefer. Make some cuts in the top crust or leave some holes in the lattice to vent steam during baking. Optionally brush the exposed pie dough with a vegan egg wash or olive oil for a darker, shinier crust. Bake at 190ºC for 40-50 minutes until the crust is light to medium brown, and the sauce is bubbling.