Oh, the comfort and joy of a leftover-inspired pot pie
By now you are likely ready to nestle in for a bit after celebrating for over a month with leftovers crammed into your refrigerator. One of the tricks to keeping your family interested in those foods is to transform them into something totally different. I have been using my excess to make savory pot pies and it’s just the comfort food necessary right now.
Although these pies go back eons, it was the ancient Greeks who wrapped cooked meat and vegetables in a form of pastry. This not only extended the shelf life but made it more portable even though it had an open crust. At that time, it was known by the name of “Artocreas” and would be known as that for quite a while.
As it traveled to other areas, it began to change. The Romans get credit for adding the top crust. The British get credit for renaming it a pot pie. Then in the 19th century, the Campbell’s Soup Co. quickly made the dish a menu musthave. So there’s a group effort that went into gifting us with the common dinner food we have today.
You can find versions of pot pies throughout the world with all sorts of interesting fillings. Chicken remains the number one protein ingredient in the U.S. although in some areas seafood trumps it, especially lobster. I have been using turkey instead and it is a worthy substitute.
The crust is a matter of serious debate. Some insist on two crusts, but I actually prefer just one on top. I make mine with traditional pie crust but you will find literally tons of recipes that utilize puff pastry as the topping. In full honesty, am not a fan of biscuit toppings for pot pies nor soft pretzels that I have seen lately. Call me old-fashioned!