Pot Pie with Lattice

It was the lattice that sold Chez Cayenne's broccoli cheese pot pie to me.   It looked so pretty.  Yet I didn't have the broccoli or the desire to use vegan cheese.  Instead I used vegies that were on hand and made a vegan cheese sauce with cashews and nutritional yeast flakes, based on the Vegan Yum Yum Hurry Up Alfredo cheese sauce that I love.  I felt all thumbs with the lattice but I was proud and E wanted seconds. 

I made the pie on a wet night on which I remembered why you don't awkwardly balance a saucepan of water on a piece of tofu to squeeze out the water; on which I had to battle with a child who wanted to play with my strips of puff pastry; and on which a keen buyer came to test ride my worn old bike in the rain and purchase it for a pittance.

My sauce seemed much drier than Chez Cayenne's.  I think it was not as creamy as traditional pot pies, which are not something I grew up eating.  The sauce worked fine but I wonder about using more milk in future.  I also would have loved some green in it but I ran out of time.  (Green peas would be an easy addition,)  I did manage to use some tofu that had been the freezer for months.  I haven't frozen and thawed tofu before but it did make a big difference.  It was far more chewy and meaty that regular tofu.

The pie was ready late.  We ate it after Sylvia had eaten her dinner.  It was worth a bit of effort.  This was great comfort food.  Pastry, cheese sauce and potatoes.  Yet a bit lighter than a traditional cheesy pie. I even made a lattice pastry topping by weaving the pastry in and out of the strips as I laid it.  I am not sure it was the easiest way to do it.  No matter.  What matters is that it was pretty - and tasty too!

I am sending this to Jacqueline for Bookmarked Recipes.

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
One year ago: PP Cheeseless Cheese Sauce, Birthdays and Boyd
Two years ago: Patatas Bravas and Spanish memories
Three years ago: Mulled wine and chocolate cake
Four years ago: Rhubarb and apple sponge pudding
Five years ago: Breakfast Burritos – My Way!
Six years ago: Miss Marple’s Tea Room – cosy charm
Seven years ago: Full Moon Cupcakes

Pot Pie with Lattice
Adapted from Chez Cayenne and Green Gourmet Giraffe
Serves 4

Cheese sauce:
1/2 cup soy milk (or more*)
1/3 cup raw unsalted cashews - soaked a few hours
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1 tbsp vegan margarine
1 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp tamari (soy sauce)
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp seeded mustard
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 shake cayenne pepper
1 clove of garlic, crushed
black pepper, to taste

To assemble pie:
200-300g tofu, frozen and defrosted
1 potato, diced
1 carrot, diced
1/2 butternut pumpkin, diced, roasted in oil, garlic, smoked paprika and salt til soft
2 spring onions, thinly sliced
handful of parsley, finely chopped
1 sheet of puff pastry, approximately
soy milk to glaze pastry

Preheat oven to 200 C.  Grease a medium square or rectangular casserole dish.

Squeeze as much water out of the tofu as possible.  I wrapped mine in a tea towel and pressed it under a saucepan on a colander.

To make the cheese sauce, blend all ingredients.  (*I think I would use 1 cup of milk because the sauce thickens once mixed with the rest of the filling.)

Simmer the potato for 10 minutes and then add the carrot and simmer for another 2 minutes.  Check vegies are cooked but not mushy.

Meanwhile to make the filling, crumble the pressed tofu into a large bowl.  Add roasted pumpkin, spring onions, parsley and mix well together.  Once potatoes and carrots are cooked, stir into mixture and then stir in the cheese sauce.

Tip the filling into the greased casserole dish.  Cover with puff pastry.  If you want to be fancy, cut the puff pastry into 1 inch wide strips and starting at one corner, lay down a strip at a time, lifting up strips to weave them in and out.  Brush with soy milk.

Bake for 30 to 50 minutes or until puff pastry is golden brown.  (I started baking mine at 180 C and thought it too low but if your pastry is burning then you could turn down the heat to 180 C.)

On the stereo:
Live in Concert: The Whitlams and the Sydney Symphony (freebie in The Weekend Australian)