There’s a little place in Vero Beach, Florida that makes a curry pie so good I had to figure out how to make one for myself.
So, if you’re like me and don’t want to drive to Vero Beach, make your own! It’s a forgiving beast and tastes great with whatever variety of meat and vegetables you have on hand.
Don’t feel even a little bit bad about making a quick-and-dirty version (not too dirty) with a market-roasted chicken, boxed chicken stock, and frozen pastry shells, and save the full shebang for a weekend project with family or friends.
Put all the chicken ingredients in a large pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover (leave a crack), and simmer until the chicken is cooked (it will cook longer in the pie) and the vegetables are soft, about 40 minutes. Put the chicken on a plate to cool and strain the stock you just made into a large bowl or another pot, then set aside. Compost the vegetables (but eat that soft garlic first, it's amazing). You can make the pastry and filling while the chicken cooks.
Pulse all of the dry pastry ingredients in a food processor until everything is finely mixed. With the machine running, drizzle in the ice water one TBSP at a time, stopping when the dough begins to come together. The dough should be on the crumbly side, not wet. Turn the dough onto parchment, dividing it into two not-quite-equal discs (the bottom crust will need to be just a touch larger than the top), and wrap each piece separately. Chill in the fridge while you make the filling, then remove from the fridge and let them warm up slightly on the countertop before rolling.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Bring the large pot of water to the boil, then add the hard vegetables and return to the boil. Add in the soft vegetables and return to the boil, turn off the heat, and immediately drain the vegetables. Plunge into ice water, drain, and set aside.
In the now empty veg pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat and sauté the green onions, chilies, garlic, and ginger until softened but not browned. Stir in the curry powder, flour, and salt and pepper. Stir in 1 cup of the chicken stock (freeze the rest) a small bit at a time, blending into the flour. Stir in the coconut milk, and then return the vegetables to the pot. Remove the bones from the chicken and add the meat to the pot as well. Let the filling cool slightly before filling the pastry.
Roll the larger pastry dough disc out on a silicone mat with the parchment on top, line a 9" pie plate, and flute the edges. Once the filling is cooled a bit, load up the pie shell and roll out the top. Cut the top pastry ½" smaller than the diameter of the pie, cut some vents in it, and lay it on top of the pie—it doesn't need to reach the edges. Bake any scraps on a cookie sheet for a few minutes instead of re-rolling them (this way, you can eat them before the pie is done).
Bake the pie at 350°F for about 45 minutes to an hour, until it's ferociously bubbling and the pastry is beautifully browned. Let it cool a little bit before you slice or spoon it up and serve.
Ingredients
Directions
Put all the chicken ingredients in a large pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover (leave a crack), and simmer until the chicken is cooked (it will cook longer in the pie) and the vegetables are soft, about 40 minutes. Put the chicken on a plate to cool and strain the stock you just made into a large bowl or another pot, then set aside. Compost the vegetables (but eat that soft garlic first, it's amazing). You can make the pastry and filling while the chicken cooks.
Pulse all of the dry pastry ingredients in a food processor until everything is finely mixed. With the machine running, drizzle in the ice water one TBSP at a time, stopping when the dough begins to come together. The dough should be on the crumbly side, not wet. Turn the dough onto parchment, dividing it into two not-quite-equal discs (the bottom crust will need to be just a touch larger than the top), and wrap each piece separately. Chill in the fridge while you make the filling, then remove from the fridge and let them warm up slightly on the countertop before rolling.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Bring the large pot of water to the boil, then add the hard vegetables and return to the boil. Add in the soft vegetables and return to the boil, turn off the heat, and immediately drain the vegetables. Plunge into ice water, drain, and set aside.
In the now empty veg pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat and sauté the green onions, chilies, garlic, and ginger until softened but not browned. Stir in the curry powder, flour, and salt and pepper. Stir in 1 cup of the chicken stock (freeze the rest) a small bit at a time, blending into the flour. Stir in the coconut milk, and then return the vegetables to the pot. Remove the bones from the chicken and add the meat to the pot as well. Let the filling cool slightly before filling the pastry.
Roll the larger pastry dough disc out on a silicone mat with the parchment on top, line a 9" pie plate, and flute the edges. Once the filling is cooled a bit, load up the pie shell and roll out the top. Cut the top pastry ½" smaller than the diameter of the pie, cut some vents in it, and lay it on top of the pie—it doesn't need to reach the edges. Bake any scraps on a cookie sheet for a few minutes instead of re-rolling them (this way, you can eat them before the pie is done).
Bake the pie at 350°F for about 45 minutes to an hour, until it's ferociously bubbling and the pastry is beautifully browned. Let it cool a little bit before you slice or spoon it up and serve.
Notes
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Yum! Good sturdy winter fare!
Definitely, but I could eat this every day!