Valley farmer pot pies from Cedar and Salt cookbook

Though Vancouver Island is often associated with fresh vegetables and seafood, there are many pasture-raised meats that are great to cook with as well. In Cedar and Salt, a new cookbook by DL Acken and Emily Lycopolus, the pair show you how to use all of the fresh ingredients from Vancouver Island's forests, fields, farms and sea.

In this recipe, Acken shares the recipe for her family's chicken pot pie. You can easily change it up for beef and pork as well. For a beef pie, replace the chicken stock with 1 cup beef stock plus 1 cup dark porter beer, and replace the chicken with 1½ cups diced cooked steak or ground beef. For a pork pie, use 1 cup chicken stock plus 1 cup apple juice, add ½ cup chopped dried apricots, and replace the chicken with 1½ cups diced cooked pork loin.

Pastry

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp fine sea salt

1 cup unsalted cold butter, cubed

1/4 cup ice water, plus more if needed

1 tbsp white vinegar

milk, for brushing

Place the flour and salt in a food processor. Pulse twice just to combine. Add the butter in one addition and pulse for a few seconds at a time until the butter is the size of peas. Add ice water and vinegar, and pulse again until the dough just begins to form. Add more ice-cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if needed. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Using your hands, form the pastry into two discs. Wrap the discs tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Filling

6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened, divided

1 small cooking onion, finely chopped

1 carrot, peeled and diced

1 stalk celery, diced

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups chicken stock

1/2 lb Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced

1 bay leaf

1 ½ cups diced cooked chicken

1 cup frozen peas

1 cup pearl onions, blanched and peeled

Fine sea salt and cracked black pepper, to taste

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt 3 Tbsp of the butter and then add the chopped onions, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring, just until the vegetables begin to soften, 8–10 minutes. Remove the vegetables from the pan and set aside. In the same pan, melt the remaining 3 Tbsp of butter over medium heat and then add the flour. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for 5–6 minutes, or until the flour begins to brown and has a slightly nutty aroma. Slowly pour in the broth, whisking constantly to combine.

Bring the broth to a boil over medium heat and add the potatoes and bay leaf. Return to a low boil, cover, and simmer, uncovered, for about 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender. Stir in the chicken, peas, onions, and salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

On a well-floured work surface, roll out the two discs of dough into 12-inch circles and line a 9-inch pie plate with one of them. Pour the pie filling into the crust. Brush around the edges of the dough with milk and cover with the second sheet of pastry. Crimp the edges and brush with milk. Cut three or four 1-inch slits in the top of the pastry to allow the steam to escape.

Bake for about 50 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown. Let rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Leftovers can be stored, tightly covered, in the fridge for 3–4 days.