Ecosalon Recipes: Leftover Turkey? Make a Pot Pie with Olive Oil Pastry Crust

turkey pot pie with vegetables

Using up all your leftovers is a green thing to do, and this recipe will take care of all that turkey. You likely have some cream and some vegetables leftover from the holiday, too.

If you don’t have the vegetables called for, use what you do have. You can add blanched greens, squeezed dry and chopped (kale, spinach, chard), diced sweet potatoes or regular potatoes (boiled until nearly tender). If you only have a little turkey, use what you have and add more vegetables. This recipe is just a guideline.

The olive oil dough is easy to mix together and simple to work with.

Turkey Pot Pie with Olive Oi Pastry Crust

Serves 6

1 stick butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup unbleached flour
5 cups chicken or turkey broth, heated
3 large carrots, peeled, halved and cut on the diagonal into half inch pieces
3 celery stalks, cut on the diagonal into half inch pieces
10 ounces pearl onions, boiled for two minutes and peeled
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 1/2  tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 teaspoons fresh thyme or sage, chopped
2 cups green beans
3-4 cups cooked, shredded roast turkey (or more if you have it)
Salt & pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven, over medium heat, warm the butter. Cook the onion and garlic until soft. Add the flour and stir for two minutes. Slowly whisk in the broth a little at a time to avoid lumps. Add the carrots, celery, pearl onions and a little salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Meanwhile, make the crust:

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour and salt. Pour in the oil and mix with a wooden spoon until the flour is moistened. Add 1/3 cup warm water and continue to stir. With your hands, knead the dough in the bowl for a few minutes until it comes together. The dough will be soft and elastic, but not sticky. Set it aside.

Add the cream and herbs to the pot with the vegetables and broth and cook for about five minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the green beans, turkey and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for a few minutes to blend flavors.

Transfer the pot pie mixture to a 3 quart casserole dish.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough in the size and shape of the baking dish. Pick it up and lay it carefully on top of the pot pie, stretching and shaping it with your hands if needed, so it covers the dish.

Puncture the top of the crust with the tines of a fork in several places. Transfer to the oven and bake until it is brown and crisp all over, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Brush the top of the pot pie with olive oil about 15 minutes before the end of the cooking time.

Serve hot with salad.

Use local and organic ingredients whenever possible!

Image: norwichnuts

Recipe Copyright 2009 Vanessa Barrington

Vanessa Barrington

Vanessa Barrington is a San Francisco based writer and communications consultant specializing in environmental, social, and political issues in the food system.