The day after Thanksgiving, I headed over to Stevie’s to make a big pot of stock from the turkey carcass, then a braised leek soup with the stock. Stevie’s idea was to do an American riff on the traditional French onion soup: roasting the leeks in the oven, then adding the stock and some leftover brussels sprout leaves, and topping it with toasted pumpernickel bread and blue cheese. This meal was deliciously filling, and the braising—which I decided to do with butter, olive oil, and sherry—inspired this recipe for turkey pot pie.
The pie filling.
In a 475-degree oven, I roasted leeks, parsnips, and kabocha squash in a little leftover white wine, sherry, and the reserved turkey drippings for about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, I made the flaky pie crust and set it to chill in the refrigerator. The vegetables came out of the oven, and once cooled, I added the leftover turkey and peas to the pan to toss them all together. The filling was enough for two pie pans, so I rolled out the thin, buttery crust to cover both. I covered the pies with an egg wash, then baked them in a 400-degree oven for about 30 minutes.
Delicious pie, right out of the oven.
For the dough:
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and diced
- 1/8 – 1/4 cup ice water
- 1 egg beaten, for egg wash
For the filling:
- 4 leeks, quartered lengthwise
- 1/2 medium kabocha squash, diced
- 4 parsnips, peeled and diced
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1/4 cup sherry
- 4 tablespoons turkey drippings or cooking oil
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
- 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
- 1 cup turkey, cooked and shredded
- 2 teaspoons flour
- Salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 475-degrees. Place vegetables in a baking dish and cover with wine, sherry, and turkey drippings. Add fresh thyme, salt, and pepper for seasoning and place, uncovered, in over for 45 minutes. Stir occasionally. Remove from the oven and reduce heat to 400-degrees.
For the dough, combine the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add the shortening and butter, and combine with your fingers until the fat is the size of peas. Add a small amount of water at a time, just enough to work the dough into a ball. Place in refrigerator for a half hour to chill.
In a frying pan, add the vegetables in their cooking juices and slowly stir in a bit of flour to make a sort of roux. Then add the turkey and peas, toss together, and place filling in the bottom of a pie pan. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, roll it out to a 1/8-inch thickness, and place over the pie pan. Crimp around the edges if desired and pierce with a fork several times to allow the air to escape while cooking. Brush with the beaten egg and bake for a half hour.
Recipe inspired by Wai Hon Chu, Whole Foods Culinary Center Educator