On a recent trip to the Dominican Republic, my friend Walewska Estevez Christine invited me to the home of her family, where I was introduced to her dad, Dr. Uvaldo; her mom, “Mignon”; and the rest of her lovely family. Walewska’s sister Ninoschtka is an enthusiastic cook who went all out to throw a dinner party for us. The centerpiece was this outstanding vegetable potpie. Now, I love potpie, but I tend to think of beef or chicken, even seafood, as the main ingredient. Add to that the fact that vegetarian dishes in general are not something you see a lot of in the Caribbean, so this was a real surprise. Ninoschtka’s vegetable potpie is perfect for a buffet: the filling and pastry can be made up to a day ahead, and the whole pie can be put together and popped into the oven well before your guests arrive. By the time they ring the bell, your house will smell like a million bucks and you’ll be out of your apron and into something festive.
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 extra-large egg yolks
- ½ cup milk
- 12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) very cold unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces
- ¼ cup cold vegetable shortening
For the Filling
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 medium Spanish onions (about 1 pound), finely diced (about 3 cups)
- 1 large or 2 medium cubanelle peppers, cored, seeded, and finely chopped (about 1½ cups)
- 1 stalk celery, minced (about 1/3 cup)
- 1 small green cabbage (about 2½ pounds), cored and chopped (about ½-inch pieces)
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and grated (about ½ cup)
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels
- One 10¾-ounce can condensed cheddar cheese soup
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Kosher or fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper
For the Glaze
- 1 extra-large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon sugar
How to Make It
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Make the Dough
- Sift the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt together into a large bowl. Pour into the work bowl of a food processor. Beat the egg yolks and milk together in a small bowl. Add the chilled butter to the flour mixture and pulse several times, until the mixture is the consistency of cornmeal. Add the shortening and repeat. Add the milk mixture and pulse once or twice, just until the mixture forms a rough dough. Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times, just to gather it together. Wrap the dough in waxed paper and then in aluminum foil. Chill for at least 30 minutes, or for up to a day. Make the Filling
- Heat the butter in a large Dutch oven or heavy casserole over medium heat. Add the onions, peppers, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 5 minutes. Add the cabbage and carrots and continue stirring until the cabbage is wilted and softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the corn, then add the cheese soup and cream and stir until thoroughly blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let cool to room temperature before using. The filling can be prepared up to a day in advance.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Set out a 13 × 11-inch glass baking dish. Assemble the Potpie
- Sprinkle the work surface with flour. Cut off slightly more than one-third of the dough and set that piece aside. Roll the larger piece out to a 17 × 15-inch rectangle, flouring the surface and rolling pin as necessary to keep the dough from sticking. Don’t worry if the dough tears or if the rectangle isn’t perfect; it can be patched up later. Roll the dough up around the rolling pin. Unroll the dough so it is more or less centered over the baking dish. Gently edge the dough into the dish, making sure to nudge it into the corners and leaving about ½ inch of overhanging dough all the way around the lip of the baking dish. Most likely there will be tears in the dough and it will overhang the dish more in some places than in others. Mend the tears by pressing them together; cut off sections of dough that overhang the dish by more than ½ inch and use them to fix sections of the dough that don’t quite overhang the dish.
- Scrape the cooled filling into the dough and spread it into an even layer. Roll the smaller piece of dough out to a 13 × 11-inch rectangle. Roll it up around the rolling pin, then unroll it over the filling. Fold the overhanging dough over the top piece of dough and crimp the edges to seal them (or use the tines of a fork to seal the two pieces of dough together). Glaze the Potpie
- Beat the egg yolk, sugar, and 1 tablespoon water together in a small bowl until thoroughly blended. Brush the glaze over the top of the pie, including the crimped edges. Make 2 slits in the top piece of dough, about 3 inches long and about 3 inches apart.
- Bake until the top and bottom crusts are golden brown and you can see the filling bubbling through the slits in the top crust, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. The filling is fairly firm, so the pie can be cut and served easily with a serving spatula.
