Turkey Pot Pies with Creamy Mushroom Gravy

A delicious savory filling in a flaky pastry is a wonderful warming meal and a great way to use up leftover morsels of cooked chicken, turkey or beef. You can of course use pre-made pastry, and vary the vegetables to taste.

I used a short crust pastry for the base of the pie and topped the pies with a round of store-bought puff pastry. A little decadent but really delicious. Of course there are always options, you could skip the bottom layer of pastry all together and just add the pastry on top or instead of pastry you could top the pies with mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes.

The pies bake at 375 degrees in the Convection mode and if you want to get a head start on another meal, consider roasting some butternut squash or vegetable of your choice for an easy delicious soup.

This recipe yields 6 - 5” individual pies.

Ingredients

Pastry

3 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 ½ sticks very cold unsalted butter cut into small chunks

3 - 4 oz ice water

OR 2 circles frozen pie dough

1 pkg frozen puff pastry sheets (for the top layer)

Filling

1 tbsp unsalted butter

1tbsp olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, cut into ½” “ dice

2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into ½” dice

3 stalks celery, strings removed, cut into ½” dice

2 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped

½ tsp dried oregano or mixed Italian seasoning

6oz cremini mushrooms, wiped clean and cut into ½” dice

3 cups cooked chicken, turkey, or beef, chopped into small chunks

Gravy

2 tbsp unsalted butter

2 tbsp all purpose flour

1 cup hot stock (chicken, turkey or even beef stock)

Preparation

Combine the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times. Add the butter and pulse 5 - 6 times until the mixture resembles coarse meal. With the motor running, add the ice water slowly. Only add enough water for the dough to come together in a ball. 

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead the dough into a ball then with the heel of your palm flatten it into a disk. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to a day in advance.

When ready to assemble, roll out the dough and cut out 6 - 6” circles of dough. Line the pie tins then fill with the cooled filling. The pies can now be refrigerated until ready to bake. Wrap any leftover pastry and freeze for another use.

Before baking, thaw 2 sheets of frozen puff pastry and cut 3-5” rounds out of each sheet (see the note at the end of the recipe of using the extra puff pastry). Brush the edges with some beaten egg mixed with a bit of water and place the top on the pie with the egg washed side down so it sticks to the bottom pastry layer. 

Press all around the edges with the tines of a fork, make a few slits in the top of the pie for the steam to escape and brush the tops with the reminder of the egg wash.

Place the pies on a rimmed baking sheet and bake in the Convection Bake Mode 375 degrees on 

the second or third rack from the bottom of the oven. Cooking time will be approximately 30 minutes.

Filling

Heat a 10” sauté pan over moderate heat and when hot add the butter and oil to the pan.

Stir in the onions and cook over moderate heat for a few minutes until they are translucent.

Stir in the carrots and celery and cook over moderate heat for about 5 minutes until the vegetables soften. Now stir in the mushrooms and garlic and cook and cook stirring so the garlic doesn’t burn.

Lower the heat, add a few tablespoons of stock to the pan, cover and cook for about 10 minutes while you make the gravy. Taste the mixture after you have added the gravy and adjust the seasoning.

Gravy

Melt the butter in a small heavy pan over medium low heat, stir in the flour and cook for 4 minutes, taking care not to burn. Stir in the hot stock, increase the heat and whisk until the mixture thickens. When thickened, combine the gravy with the filling and taste for seasoning. You are now ready to fill the pies.

Note: When using store-bought bouillon or stock, always wait to season the food as sometimes they are a little too salty.

Note: You will have left over puff pastry which can’t be re- frozen. You can cut the pastry into small strips and sprinkle with some Parmesan cheese or even add in some finely chopped salami, roll the strips into mini baguette shapes or twists and bake those for a little savory snack.  No point wasting good pastry!