Casa M Turkey Pot Pie

We are super excited to publish this recipe because it's the perfect way to use up leftover turkey from Thanksgiving. Talk about total comfort food... this hits all the right notes. The crust is a buttermilk biscuit recipe that you can use for stand-alone biscuits that will knock your socks off (just roll the dough out to about a 1" thickness and cut). Adding our Pecking Order® or Uncontrolled Pecking Order® to the filling yields a savory masterpiece of deliciousness. Of course, this could just as easily be done with leftover chicken any time of year too, so it's also quite versatile. We've made this one with just about all combinations of frozen vegetables, so pick your favorites and roll with it. The 2:1 ratio of meat to vegetables is a good starting place, but you can adjust the ratio and/or the total proportions too, just make sure it'll fit in your baking dish!

This biscuit dough crust is amazingly good. We picked coconut oil for a few reasons, not the least of which is that it tastes good, but it's also solid, but not hard, almost all year round in most parts of the US. It incorporates with the dry ingredients to form a silky smooth foundation that the added buttermilk just pulls together into a very easy to handle dough that rolls out easily. The initial filling step, making the roux, is not a precise timing. You should stir constantly and watch for the flour in the fat to start to turn blonde in color. At the first signs of the flour browning, add the onions and sautée the mixture for a few more minutes until the onions start to look like they're not raw anymore. The sauce thickness in the end is not enormously important. Who complains if there's too much juicy sauce in a pot pie, right? Our goal is usually to have a cooked pie that will, for the most part, hold together when you cut it while it's still hot, but that's not an imperitive, just what we aim for here at Casa M. We're certain this will be a star attraction when you put it on your dinner table.

As always, from our table to yours... #SpiceConfidently #EssenceOfFlavor #ChemistryInTheKitchen #CasaMSpice

— Mike Hernandez

ingredients

For the Crust:

13 ounces all purpose flour
4 ounces coconut oil, solid, near room temperature (cool slightly if it's melted)
1-1/2 teasoon salt
1-1/3 Tablespoon baking powder
1 Tablespoon turbinado sugar
1 cup whole buttermilk

For the Filling:

4 ounces butter
3 ounces all purpose flour
4 cups turkey stock
2 pounds leftover turkey, boneless, skinless, cut into bite-size chunks
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 Tablespoon Casa M Spice Co® Uncontrolled Pecking Order®
16 ounces frozen mixed vegetables
1 sweet onion, diced

FEATURED QUOTE

The hardest step by far... remove the pot pie from the oven and let it cool for 15-20 minutes. This allows the filling cool enough to hold together when the pie is cut and the crust to absorb a little moisture from the cooling filling so it cuts cleanly.

- Mike Hernandez

LET’S GET COOKING

1.
Add the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar to a mixing bowl and mix thoroughly.
2.
Add the coconut oil and using your hands cut it into the flour leaving some roughly pea-sized chunks of coconut oil in the mixture. Add the buttermilk to the bowl and again, with your hands, mix and form a dough. It should be just a little tacky, but not wet or hard to handle. Add a little more flour if it's too wet or buttermilk if it's too stiff.
3.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and work it into an oval with the goal of getting it large enoguh to cover a 13" x 9" baking dish. Once it's rolled out to the proper size, dust the top and bottom lightly with flour and cover with food film while you work on the filling.
4.
Preheat the oven to 350°F convection bake if you have a convection oven or 375°F bake.
5.
Grease a 13" x 9" baking dish with coconut oil or cooking spray of your choice. Add the turkey and frozen vegetables and mix well, then spread them evenly across the pan.
6.
Melt the butter in a sautée pan over medium-high heat. Add the flour and stir constantly while the flour browns very slightly to a blonde roux (about 15 minutes depending on the pan). Add the onions and sautée lightly until they start to turn translucent (about another 10 minutes depending on the pan).
7.
Slowly add the broth while whisking constantly. Once the broth is fully incorporated add the salt and Casa M Spice Co® Pecking Order® and continue to stir until it comes to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer and let it simmer for 5 minutes or until the thickness of the sauce reaches a point where it coats the back of a spoon.
8.
Evenly pour the sauce over the top of the turkey and vegetables in the 13" x 9" baking dish. Place the dough/crust over the top of the filled baking dish and trim the crust to fit. Fill in any holes with trimmed dough. Using a fork, poke some holes in the top of the crust.
9.
Bake for about 60 minutes, but check progress at the 30 and 45 minute mark as oven temperatures are often varied. You're looking for a golden brown crust with sauce bubbling out at the sides.
10.
The hardest step by far... remove the pot pie from the oven and let it cool for 15-20 minutes. This allows the filling cool enough to hold together when the pie is cut and the crust to absorb a little moisture from the cooling filling so it cuts cleanly.