I don't know about you but I'm way over it with candidiaries, so in honor of the end of candidiaries for this election cycle let's talk pie. After all, surely pie can't be that divisive... or can it? Well now's the time to discover if we can discuss savory pie without separating into different camps.
Chicken pot pie, chili pie, shepherd's pie or you name it. Throw out your favorite recipe. And before you ask, we did sweet (or dessert, if you prefer) pies before Thanksgiving.
Chicken Pot Pie
Difficulty: Medium
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Yield: 4 individual pot pies
3 whole (6 split) chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on
3 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
5 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
2 chicken bouillon cubes
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups yellow onions, chopped (2 onions)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 cups medium-diced carrots, blanched for 2 minutes
1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas (2 cups)
1 1/2 cups frozen small whole onions
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
For the pastry:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 to 2/3 cup ice water
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
Flaked sea salt and cracked black pepper
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet and rub them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then remove the meat from the bones and discard the skin. Cut the chicken into large dice. You will have 4 to 6 cups of cubed chicken.
In a small saucepan, heat the chicken stock and dissolve the bouillon cubes in the stock. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the hot chicken stock to the sauce. Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring, until thick. Add 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and heavy cream. Add the cubed chicken, carrots, peas, onions and parsley. Mix well.
For the pastry, mix the flour, salt, and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the shortening and butter and mix quickly with your fingers until each piece is coated with flour. Pulse 10 times, or until the fat is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water; process only enough to moisten the dough and have it just come together. Dump the dough out onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow it to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Divide the filling equally among 4 ovenproof bowls. Divide the dough into quarters and roll each piece into an 8-inch circle. Brush the outside edges of each bowl with the egg wash, then place the dough on top. Trim the circle to 1/2-inch larger than the top of the bowl. Crimp the dough to fold over the side, pressing it to make it stick. Brush the dough with egg wash and make 3 slits in the top. Sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot.
Kickin' Chili Tamale Pie
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
4 cups leftover Kickin' Chili, or your favorite chili
2 cups warmed chicken broth
2 cups milk
Salt
1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
4 tablespoons butter, divided
1 cup cooked corn kernels, drained
1 cup grated Cheddar
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan
Heat the leftover chili in a saucepan until warm. Cover, remove from the heat, and keep warm.
In a large saucepan whisk together the chicken broth, milk, salt, and cornmeal and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking frequently. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, whisking occasionally, until thick and smooth, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in 3 tablespoons of the butter.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a shallow 2 quart casserole with the remaining tablespoon of butter. Spoon 1/3 of the cornmeal mixture evenly over the bottom of the casserole, then top with the warm chili. Sprinkle the corn over the top of the chili, then spoon the remaining cornmeal mixture evenly over the top of the casserole. Sprinkle with the Cheddar, then top with the Parmesan. Bake until filling bubbles around edges and top is golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve hot.
Steakhouse Shepherd's Pie
2 pounds Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
Salt
1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 slices good quality bacon or peppered bacon, chopped
2 pounds ground sirloin
1 onion, chopped
1/2 pound button mushrooms, quartered
Black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups beef stock, divided
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 egg yolk
3 tablespoons sour cream
1/2 pound blue cheese, crumbled (recommended: Maytag)
3 to 4 tablespoons chives
1 teaspoon paprika
Place potatoes in a pot, cover with cold water and bring up to a boil. Season water with salt and boil potatoes until tender, 12 to15 minutes. Heads up: save a ladle of starchy cooking water just before draining.
Heat a skillet with high sides over medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, half a turn of the pan and the bacon. Crisp bacon and remove to paper towel lined plate. Add sirloin to the pan and caramelize the meat, 4 to 5 minutes. Add in the mushrooms and onions and cook until tender, 6 to 7 minutes more then season with salt and pepper.
While meat cooks heat a small sauce pot over medium heat and melt butter, whisk the flour into butter, cook 2 minutes then whisk beef stock into flour, add Worcestershire and season sauce with salt and pepper, to taste. Thicken 6 to 7 minutes.
Pour gravy over meat and turn on broiler.
Temper egg yolk by beating it with the starchy potato cooking water. Place drained potatoes back into the pot you cooked them in to dry them out a little. Mash potatoes with egg yolk and sour cream then fold in crumbled blue cheese and chives. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper and spread across the top of the meat in an even layer. Garnish the potatoes with paprika and place under broiler to crisp and brown the potatoes, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve immediately right from the hot skillet.
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Now Don't Forget; Support the Troops, Buy Mojo Friday Apparel, proceeds got to support Ninepatch and her endeavors. Some of you have yet to purchase your Tees or mugs etc., what are you waiting for?
NINEPATCH UPDATE
Good morning -
I'm getting ready to send off 4 care packages this weekend with healthy snacks - beef jerky, protein bars, trail mix. I'm also including sand scarves, eye drops, saline nasal spray, chapsticks, fragrance-free lotion, and beanie caps.
It's time to start thinking about the weather changing over there. As the days heat up there are some other items troops can use, such as sun screen, chapstick with sunscreen, body powder, and, most especially, powdered drink mixes. Powdered Gatorade is a favorite but not always easy to find. I'm hoping to put up a diary Saturday morning with an updated list of items to send.
I'm just about done with the second batch of sand scarves - I still need to dye them. I have to write a blurb to go on the paper band I put around the scarves to let the soldiers know they were hand made just for them, and where they come from. I can get four to a page and I'm going to use orange paper - what else would I use? LOL I'd love to find a small stamp I could use with fabric ink in the shape of a seal, that would be just too cool to add on the corner of each scarf! I'd love to do the same for the cool ties, so it would have to be less than 3/4" to fit.
I have to launder the bolt of fabric I have for cool ties. A full bolt, 20 yards, is enough to make 150 cool ties. I need to finish this quilt top I've been working on so I can clear the worktable to set up a work line for the cool ties. Hope to be able to get started Monday - they go quickly once the fabric is laundered and ironed.
My thanks to the Mojo Friday gang for all their generosity and enthusiasm. I can't tell you how much I appreciate all of you.
Be well. Peace.
Beth