Pesto Tofu-Feta-Caramelized Onion-Pot Pie

Comfort food is my best friend. It is also the reason I have a size 16 ass and I'm okay with that. I love food, my body loves to be fed. Things work out, and I have some killer curves to show for it.
Along with mashed potatoes, chocolate, peanut butter and the like, I love good homestyle cooking. My dad's side of the family is from Alabama and my mother's from central Oregon (desert land - barbecues and stews!) so I grew up with a lot of yummy food. Being a vegetarian, I've adapted some of their dishes to suit me and I've made up some of my own, like this pot pie. I never had homemade pot pie growing up, and as an adult I've been terrified of making pies because of the dough. It just seems so fragile and special and easy to mess up, but, let me tell you a secret-
IT'S AS EASY AS PIE.
... Yeah, I really just made that joke. But it is truly so easy! No wonder that saying has been around so long! Now, I promise, no more horribly cheesy jokes. Probably.

To the hesitant meat-eaters: I know, it doesn't sound too appetizing, but trust me, it is amazingly yummy. My boyfriend even said it would have been ruined by the presence of meat, and he's the kind of guy who would add bacon to pretty much everything, including chocolate chip cookies. Yes, that has happened (and according to him, they were amazing). If you REALLY hate the idea of eating a savory pie with no meat, add in some marinated chicken, but I think you'll enjoy it without.

To start this pie, you'll first need to make a crust. I use this simple recipe and it works well every time.
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, chilled and diced into cubes
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup ice water

Mix the salt and flour together in a large mixing bowl. Cut in the butter slowly (I usually do this by hand, adding a few cubes at a time) then let mix until it looks like large, coarse crumbles. Add the ice water a tablespoon or so at a time and mix until you have a large ball of dough. I use a Kitchenaid for this and it works wonderfully for this purpose.
Now, take out your dough, try not to handle it too much and wrap in plastic wrap. Put in the refrigerator for use later.

For the filling, you will need the following:
*feta cheese
*pesto marinated tofu OR your choice of savory faux meat (go for something Italian inspired)
1 carrot
1 parsnip
3 stalks celery
1 potato (I used yukon gold)
1/2 red onion
a handful of shelled peas
vegetable broth (make sure it says vegetarian if you're keeping this dish meat-free)
cumin (about 1/4 - 1/2 tsp)
rosemary (1/4 tsp)
fennel seeds (1/4 tsp)
freshly ground pepper (a whole hell of a lot)
corn starch

* I used a thin layer of each. Hard to say exact amounts, but use what you think will be good. You can do this, you gorgeous and brilliant cooking machine. FEEL the right amounts out. I believe in you.
Another side note: I live in Humboldt county where the pre-marinated tofu is aplenty. I bought mine at the store. If you want a yummy faux meat suggestion, I LOVE Morning Star Italian Sausage. Just brown in a pan and crumble into the pie. It would be very yummy in this recipe.

Slice the onion into small strips and add to a small saucepan with a a bit of olive oil to caramelize. Put the heat on LOW (on our stove, I used heat level 3 out of 8) This takes pretty much as long as the rest of the filing takes to cook, just make sure you stir the onions often to keep them from burning. You want to go for a dark caramel color. The picture included is not mine, but a great example of what I'm talking about. Here's an article on how to caramelize if you're nervous.
Chop the vegetables (sans peas, obviously) into chunks. Once all are chopped, put in a large pot.
Pour in 2 cups water (this cuts down on salt from the broth). Use vegetable broth to just cover the vegetables.
Add seasonings. Bring to a boil. Wait for vegetables to be tender (use a fork to poke the potatoes. Once they're done, everything else is, too) and then start adding cornstarch*, just a little at a time until you get a thick mixture, with the broth resembling gravy. Stir constantly while adding cornstarch. Remove from heat when you get the right consistency.

* To ensure your cornstarch doesn't show up as flakes in the broth, as it will if you add it straight to boiling water, mix it in a bowl with cold water before adding.

Now, time to roll out your dough! Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Remove from refrigerator and break the dough ball into two halves.
Roll each one out until it looks big enough for your pie pan (I recommend a 9.5" pie pan, but use what you've got). Fill in, add the top pie crust, poke holes to vent heat and pop in the oven for exactly 30 minutes!

I know, phone pictures are horrid, but they are what I have to work with now. You can't see the amazing color (much more brown) or yummy filling- but this pie is delicious.
I served mine with a side of mashed sweet potatoes/cauliflower (tons of butter and sea salt, MMM). Goes well with blackberry wine. Also, feel free to change the cheese and type of tofu I used. I think this turned out amazingly, but you might not like feta or tofu, or parsnips for that matter! I added in the parsnip because I never eat them and I am trying to branch out. Why not eat more veggies? I am a vegetarian, after all! I also added the side dish of sweet potatoes and cauliflower because I've never made them and I'm a picky eater that tends to turn up her nose at new things. Surprisingly, they were delicious! The sweet and savory taste of the potatoes was amazing and complimented the caramelized onions so well. Try new things, branch out, find new things to love and eat in comfort. The worst that can happen is that you don't like something and you don't make it again.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, whether you use it as a guideline for your own pot pie creation or you follow it exactly. Trying new things is good for us, it teaches us about ourselves, surprises us and when you're cooking, makes you feel so accomplished!
Until next time, happy cooking!