Pot pies can be quick and easy comfort food
Oct. 22—Pot pies have a split personality.
On the one hand, you have the old-fashioned kind that speak of Sunday dinner at Grandma's house: thick gravy, rich roasted chicken and tender vegetables all tucked into a pan under the delicious blanket of some buttery crust. It is the very definition of comfort food.
On the other, you have frozen food in its most basic form. While many people talk about the origins of that species with the Swanson TV dinner, introduced in 1953, the C.A. Swanson company had already explored that market with the freezer pot pie two years earlier.
Frozen pot pies can sometimes be both bland and salty, with boiling hot gravy and oddly undercooked vegetables. They are undeniably quick in the microwave, but even a good one is far from a warm culinary hug.
Homemade pot pies are easy to make both quickly and flavorfully. They're even affordable.
Fillings can be made from scratch with freshly cooked meats stirred into a quick cream sauce — but that's just one way to go. Leftovers make quick, convenient starts. So do canned soups, refrigerated sides or frozen seasoned vegetables.
Homemade pie crust is easier than it sounds, but if you don't have the energy, premade crusts are perfectly fine. So are canned or frozen doughs, a biscuit or cornbread mix or a layer of mashed potatoes.
We made a deceptively fancy-looking pie with French flair — a ham and corn chowder galette. The filling paired cubed ham, diced potatoes, corn and cheese with a creamy gravy, then spooned it into the middle of a pie crust on a cookie sheet before gathering the sides of the dough and pleating them for a beautiful finish.
Then we did a hearty casserole pie with buttery biscuits covering a dish of succotash with turkey and bacon in a mushroom sauce. Want it even easier? How about barbecued beef and beans baked with a cornbread topping?
You might not have the time to make Grandma's version, but you can definitely make something as comforting as your favorite sweater in less time than you think.
Ham and corn chowder galette
8 ounces cubed ham
4 russet potatoes, cooked and cubed
1 cup corn
4 ounces cheddar cheese, cubed
2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper
1 cup milk
Two pie crusts (homemade or refrigerated)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine ham, potatoes, corn and cheddar cheese. Set aside.
In a skillet, melt butter and saute onion, celery and carrot until tender. Add flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper and cook about two minutes, stirring. Add milk, stirring constantly until thickened. Pour over ham mixture in bowl.
On a cookie sheet, lay out one pie crust. Place half of the ham and potato mixture in the middle of the crust and gather the edges up and fold into a pleated edge. Repeat with second crust and remaining filling. Bake 30 minutes or until crust is browned and crispy. Rest at least 5 minutes before slicing.
Easy version: In addition to using a convenience crust, you can substitute condensed cream of potato (or another flavor) soup for the sauce.
Turkey, bacon and succotash pie
1 pound cooked turkey, cubed
6 ounces bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 cups frozen corn
2 cups frozen lima beans
3 large red skinned potatoes, cooked and cubed
1 14-ounce can stewed sliced tomatoes
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper
2 1/2 cups biscuit mix
3/4 cups milk
1/4 cup melted butter
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a 2-quart or larger baking dish (or a 9-inch by 13-inch baking pan), combine turkey, bacon, corn, lima beans and potatoes. Drain tomatoes, reserving liquid. Dice the tomato slices and add to the baking pan.
In a bowl, combine reserved liquid with mushroom soup, sour cream, onion powder, Old Bay, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Pour over ingredients in baking pan, stir and spread evenly.
In a larger bowl, combine biscuit mix and milk. Drop by spoonful over turkey mixture. Mix butter with garlic powder and brush over biscuits. Bake 30 minutes and serve.
Variation: If you don't have cooked turkey, you can substitute rotisserie chicken, deli turkey, or even sauteed ground turkey.
Barbecued beef and bean pies with cornbread topping
1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup spicy ketchup (Don't like spice? Use more barbecue sauce.)
1 16.5-ounce can baked beans
1 package corn muffin mix, prepared
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a skillet, saute ground beef with onions, salt and pepper. Add barbecue sauce, spicy ketchup and baked beans. Spoon into individual ramekins (4 to 6, depending on size) or a 9-inch pie plate or a medium baking dish. Top with prepared corn muffin batter. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until batter is cooked through.
Lori Falce is a Tribune-Review community engagement editor. You can contact Lori at lfalce@triblive.com.
