Got veggies? Make a pie

Detroit’s Eastern Market, a local landmark in the heart of the city that’s been a farmer’s market and gathering place since 1891, has been enjoying a boom in loft apartments and one-of-a-kind shops, galleries and restaurants popping up in historic buildings throughout the neighborhood.

If the timing is right and the weather is good, it’s one place I like to visit on our trips from the U.P. to The D.

When Paige is also in town, she’s always game to go with me, and last spring we made a day of it with Julia, and those people she lives with (Nina and Graham) and TJ.

The 16-month-old Julia was fascinated by the sights, sounds and a flower from her Godmother. Start ’em young!

Shops in the market district are open throughout the week for wholesale produce, meat, poultry and seafood sales. Year-round, Saturday is the public day that in season attracts 40,000 shoppers who load up on fresh and packaged goods from farmers and food makers. There are also public market hours on Tuesdays and Sundays from June through September. The variety of restaurants and shops in historic buildings throughout the market area are part of the attraction.

Murals abound throughout the market

When we lived in the Detroit area, Eastern Market was fairly convenient to our home and it’s one of the things I really miss since we moved to the U.P. I’d zip down on a Saturday morning for the abundance of foods, good prices, and the people watching. Or, I’d go late in the day, after 2 p.m., when many vendors discount their prices so they don’t have to load the perishable foods back onto their trucks and eat nothing but unsold broccoli for a week.

Years ago, my friend Donna shared her recipe for a vegetable pot pie that I’ve made many times, adapting it to what veggies we have on hand.

Here’s Donna’s recipe and a couple of changes I made. My go-to pie crust recipe follows; it’s from French Cooking, a cookbook TJ and I were gifted when we got married.

Donna’s Vegetable Pot Pie

Ingredients

½ cup of diced or minced onions
½ cup of diced or minced celery
½ cup of sweet peas (I use frozen peas)
1 cup of sliced or chopped carrots
1-1/2 cups of potatoes, diced (peeled or not….your choice)
1 can of cream of chicken soup (reduced fat) (I use cream of mushroom soup)
½ can of skim milk (we use whole milk)

Pie crust (see a favorite recipe below)

–  If desired, chicken or turkey (pre-cooked and diced) can be included
–  Other vegetables can be added/substituted (i.e. broccoli, bell pepper, cauliflower)

Method

Partially cook the diced potatoes and carrots, then drain.  Do not fully cook, since they will continue cooking in the pie.

• In a large pan, mix the can of soup with the milk and using a fork, blend completely.
• Add to the soup pan:  carrots, celery, onion, potatoes, peas (plus any other vegetables).  Stir well, but do not cook.
• Place ½ pie crust in pie pan.  Do not bake.
• Pour ingredients from soup pan into uncooked crust.
• Top with remaining pie crust.
• Pinch crust edges and make vents with fork prongs.
• If desired, brush with egg whites
• Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until crust is lightly browned.

Basic Pastry Dough
from French Cooking
Makes 2 crusts for 8″ or 9″ pie pan

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
5 tablespoon cold water

Sift together the flour and salt
Pour oil and cold water into measuring cup (do not stir)
Add liquid to flour mixture; stir gently with a fork
Divide, form two balls
Roll each flattened ball between two sheets of waxed paper until correct size for pie pan
Peel off top sheet of waxed paper; invert dough into pie plate. Remove paper. Fit into pan, trim crust to 1/2 inch beyond edge, fold under and flute edge