Impossible^TM Beef Pot Pie

Make the Pie Dough

Mix 1 1/2 cups flour with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon sugar. Cut 6 Tablespoons of cold butter and the vegetable shortening into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Slowly add the ice water, tablespoons by tablespoon, to bring the dough together. Be careful not to add too much water during this step! The dough should just hold together but should never be sticky. Form into a disk, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour before rolling out. This dough can also be made and refrigerated the day before use. Alternatively, you can skip making pie dough from scratch and purchase frozen pie dough or puff pastry!

Cook the Impossible Beef

Crumble Impossible Beef into a large pot over medium-high heat, and cook until well seared and golden brown. Then flip and stir the crumbles to continue searing and cooking evenly on all sides until cooked through. Remove from pan, and set aside.

Make the Filling

Add onion, carrot, celery, and garlic to the pot, and cook until tender. Deglaze the pan with red wine, scraping crispy bits from the bottom of the pan. Add tomato paste, thyme, oregano, and bay leaf, and continue to cook for approximately 1 minute. Add 3 Tablespoons butter and cook until melted. Whisk in 3 Tablespoons of flour, and cook until thoroughly incorporated. Stream in vegetable stock slowly, stirring constantly, and cook until thickened. Add cooked Impossible Beef back to the pot, and heat through. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning, and add any salt or pepper if needed.

Strain the Filling

Using a fine mesh strainer, strain the extra liquid from the beef mix. Reserve this liquid for serving as a gravy with the pot pie when finished. Add the frozen peas to the strained filling, and stir to combine.

Assemble and Bake the Pie

Preheat oven to 375°F. Add pot pie filling to a 9 inch pie plate or similarly sized baking dish. Roll the dough out into a large circle about 1/4 inch thick. Brush some of the egg wash, additional melted butter, or non-dairy milk along the rim of the plate, and cover with the pie dough or puff pastry, pressing the edge of the dough to the plate to adhere to the egg wash. Trim any overhanging pasty if needed. Make a few slits in the pastry for steam to escape as the pie bakes, and then brush the top with egg wash, and sprinkle with some additional salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and bake for 1 hour, or until the pastry top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling and hot.

Make the Sauce

While the pot pie is baking, place the reserved liquid in a small pot. Bring to simmer and slowly add 4 Tablespoons of diced butter, and whisk in piece by piece. This will become your gravy to serve with finished pot pie.

Serve and Enjoy

Allow the pot pie to cool slightly before serving, approximately 10 minutes. With a large serving spoon, scoop out portions of Impossible Beef Pot Pie onto plates or into large bowls, and ladle some of the sauce over the portions. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley, and enjoy!