Simple Salmon Pot Pie

This salmon pot pie recipe goes from labour-intensive to "where's my glass of wine?" with the use of good quality frozen veggies and a pre-made crust.

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp butter
  
• 2 Tbsp all purpose flour
  
• 2 cups milk
  
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  
• 1 1/2 Tbsp fresh dill
  
• 1 cup + 1/4 cup of shredded old cheddar
  
• pepper to taste
  
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
  
• Aprox 1lb of fresh salmon fillets, deboned
  
• 1/2 pkg of Europe's Best "Nature's Balance" veggie blend
  
• 2 frozen deep dish pie shells
  
• 1 egg, beaten (only 1/2 will be used)
  

Directions

1. Rinse and pat dry the salmon, and lay it skin-side-down in an oven-proof dish. Brush it with the lemon juice and sprinkle with freshly ground pepper to taste. Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 20 minutes or until the centre of the salmon is opaque when cut.
   
2. Defrost frozen veggies, and squeeze any remaining water from the spinach portion of the veggie mix and cutting anything up that looks bigger than bite sized (like the pea pods). Set aside.
   
3. Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan over medium-low heat. Gradually whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 4 - 5 minutes. At approximately 2 minutes into the stirring time, add the minced garlic.
   
4. Add the milk no more than 1/4 cup at a time, being sure to whisk well between additions until no lumps remain. Once all the milk is incorporated, continue stirring for 5 minutes until sauce begins to thicken.
   
5. Add 1 cup of the shredded cheddar a small handful at a time and whisk between additions until melted. Munch on the extra 1/4 cup of cheese while you're cooking, and be sure to share it with any kids or cats in your house.
   
6. Remove the sauce pan from heat, and stir in the pepper, dill and veggies. Remove the skin and cut salmon into 1/2 " chunks before stirring them into the sauce as well.
   
7. Fill one of the pie shells with the veggie & salmon mixture, and invert the second pie shell on top to make an upper crust. Wet the edges of each crust where they meet and pinch them together, and cut vents in the upper crust to allow steam to escape. A nice creative opportunity: use a cookie cutter to make your vents... who wouldn't be impressed by a salmon pie decorated with little cut out fish on top???
   
8. Brush the crust with the beaten egg and slide into a 375 degree oven for about 40 minutes or until the crust is golden and you're too hungry to wait any longer. Enjoy!