Vegetable Pot Pie

Sometimes the simplest dishes make an outstanding centerpiece on your dinner table.  Every Thanksgiving I make this Pot Pie, it is becoming a tradition in our house. So, what are Pot pies? Usually Pot pies are flaky pastry crusts enclosing a savory filling.  This recipe is such a no fuss dish, easy, and pretty quick to make.  I adapted this recipe from Vegetarian Times Magazine and changed some ingredients and proportions to suited to my family's taste. To make my job easy, I used frozen puff pastry sheets to make that crust.
Try it out, I am sure you will like it.

This recipe serves 4 people.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp butter (or olive oil)
• 1/2 cup each, of white beans and kidney beans, cooked  
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 spring onions, whites and greens chopped
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 red & green peppers, chopped
• 1 cup mushrooms chopped
• 1 large carrot (or 2 medium), diced
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup green beans cut into 1 inch pieces
• About 8 Oz. small shell pasta
• 1/2 tbsp of each dried basil, dried parsley, cayanne pepper
• 1 tbsp of curry powder
• 1 bay leaf
• Pinch of saffron
• Palm full of fennel seeds
• Few sprigs of cilantro, chopped (optional)
• 4 cups of vegetable broth
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp whole wheat flour
• Shredded parmesan cheese
• 1 sheet puff pastry sheet, thawed at room temperature
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. 
2. Heat butter/oil in a large saucepan. Saute the onion, spring onion until browned. Add garlic.
3. Add celery, peppers, mushrooms and carrot and saute for another 5 minutes.
4. Stir in the broth, corn, green beans white beans, kidney beans, dried herbs, bay leaf along with all the other spices. Let it come to a slight boil, then add the pasta.
5. Cook until pasta is a little tender. Remove the bay leaf.
6. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornstarch & flour along with 1/2 cup cold water.
7. Stir this into the vegetables along with the cheese. Add more salt/pepper if required.
8. Remove from heat and add the peas along with chopped cilantro. Give it a mix until well combined.
9. Roll the puff pastry sheet using a rolling pin to cut 4 or 6 squares.
10. Take small ramekin dishes and fill them 3/4 full with the vegetable mixture.
11. Place the cut puff pastry square and drape it over the filling, tucking in the sides. Pierce the tops in several places with a knife to allow steam to escape.
12. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the crust is flaky and brown.