A Pie Per Week: Turkey Pot Pie

Turkey pot pie

Brian:  Happy New Year!  We certainly hope you all had a great 2013 and that 2014 will be even better!  Although I am setting some New Years resolutions for 2014, I have not done that for quite some time.  Starting a pie blog certainly wasn't one of them, but it has certainly been something fun to reflect on for 2013.  Connor and I were able to go to the Colts game Sunday, so Angie came up with the pie idea and did this entire pie solo.

Brian and Connor at the game

Angie:  It has been a busy Christmas season!  Brian and I had not even really discussed what pie we were going to make over the week.  I was leaving church on Sunday and knew I needed to make dinner for my in-laws that evening.  I also was wondering what pie we were going to make in the short time we had.  So the two thoughts combined in my head, and I knew I had leftover turkey from dinner the previous night.  Turkey pot pie it is!!

I was really excited to be able to pull it off without Brian having to lift a finger, other than the delivery.  I have to say it'll be hard for me to list the exact recipe because I'm a "little bit of this or that" kind of cook.  I looked at several different recipes for this one and combined them into what worked best for me.

Carrots, celery, and onion

First of all, you need to decide what all you'd like to have in your pie.  Connor does not like peas, so instead of the easy route of frozen or canned peas and carrots, I found shredded carrots and used those.  Everyone also likes potatoes, so I used canned potatoes and added them with the turkey.  My cooking started with onions, celery and carrots in butter over medium high heat.  I turned the heat down when the onions were translucent, covered with a lid, and let simmer for 10 minutes until the carrots were soft.

Turkey and diced potatoes

I added the turkey and diced potatoes to the pot and stirred until it was all warm.

Adding flour, chicken broth, cream and dry ingredients.

I added the flour to thicken the mixture.  Then added chicken broth, cream, salt, pepper and celery seed.

Almost finished!

Next, you simply pour into an unbaked pie crust.

Ready for the oven

Top with a pie crust and press edges together.  Cut several slits to allow steam to escape.

Cook until golden brown

Bake until golden brown and filling is bubbling.

Brian:  I had no idea Angie was planning to do a savory pie, so it was as much a surprise to me as it was anybody else.  I really enjoyed it!

Pie Recipient of the Week

Our pie recipient of the week is Brian's cousin Susan.  They grew up together on the west side of Indianapolis, and attended church together for much of that time.  Susan is very active in her children's lives, and Madison, Michael, and Gabi keep her busy.

She's the kind of person who has helped with vacation Bible school, and as a farmers wife, she'll also offer us some free produce when it is available.  She's a truly awesome person with a great family, so we were happy to send a pie her way.

Recipe for Turkey Pot Pie

3 T butter
1/2 c diced onions
1/2 c diced carrots
1/2 c diced celery
1 can of diced potatoes
2 c cooked, shredded turkey
1/4 c flour
2 c chicken broth
1 t celery seed
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup half and half or cream
1 whole unbaked pie crust

Place the butter in a large skillet on medium high heat.  Add the onion, celery, carrots and cook and stir until the onions are translucent.  Cover and cook 10 minutes until the vegetables are soft.  Add turkey and potatoes until warm.   Stir in the flour, add broth and cream.  Bring mixture to a boil.

Pour mixture into the unbaked pie shell. Roll out the top crust, and place on top of filling. Flute edges, and make slits in the top crust to let out steam.  Brush crust with an egg/milk wash if you’d like.

Place the pie on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.   Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and continue baking for 20 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.