chicken pot pie

A new food blog has emerged, cute name too: Small Kitchen, Big Ideas. The couple who write this blog, have the right idea...they love food, and they like to create together. In reading their first food post, I smiled at the entry: Chicken Pot Pie.

Chicken pot pie is a quintessential comfort food in my world. I have lots of memories of my mom and I making them together in our kitchen and freezing them for a quick meal from the freezer. We also had the ones out of the box, don't get me wrong, everything wasn't always home made (sorry mom!) but nothing was like homemade.

Given that it has been a stunningly beautiful autumn weekend I knew Sunday night dinner had to be flavours of fall. I gave Pete the choice, lentil soup or chicken pot pie, and considering the title of the post, it's not too hard to figure out what he chose already. Truthfully he chose the most sensible option in terms of what we had the kitchen. We still had half a rotisserie chicken left in the fridge that should be used, so while he was out at field hockey. Into the kitchen to chop and bake I went.

I used mainly things we had around, that is one of the great things about pot pies. I also like double crusted pot pies, so I made the top and the bottom. And while I usually prefer personal sized pies, I thought I would make a full size one for the two of us and use the leftovers for lunch.

This recipe has enough filling for two pies, so I made one. And took a few ramekins filled them and just topped with some of the left over dough, making 3 small personal pot pies. Next time I would just drop the left over into a Tupperware container and through into the freezer; easy filling for next time.

Ingredients for pastry dough
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

Ingredients for Filling
1 sweet yellow onion, diced
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 cup diced mushrooms
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 tbsp unsalted butter
2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
4 cups chicken broth
1 cube bullion
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup cream
2 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/3 cup frozen peas
half a leftover rotisserie chicken chopped up (about 3 cups)

Directions for dough

1. For the pastry, mix the flour, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl.
   
2. Add the shortening and butter and mix quickly with your fingers until each piece is coated with flour. Using a pastry knife or two butter knives, cut the butter and shortening into the flour until the fat is the size of peas.
   
3. Add the ice water; with a wooden spoon, mix only enough to moisten the dough and have it just come together.
   
4. Dump the dough out onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball.
   
5. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow it to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Directions for the filling:

1. In a large dutch oven heat up olive oil and butter over medium high heat.
2. Saute onions, and celery for 5-10 minutes. Stir every few minutes to ensure it doesn't stick to the bottom of your pot.
3. Heat up the chicken stock in a medium sized pot, add one cube of bullion.
4. Blanch the carrots and sweet potatoes in the stock for 3 minutes, remove and set aside.
   
5. Add the garlic. And mushrooms and cook for another 5-7 minutes.
6. Add the flour and cook out the starch for about 2 minutes. Stirring constantly, do not burn.
   
7. Add the hot chicken stock. Allow to come to a low simmer for a few minutes as you stir to thicken it.
   
8. After 2-3 minutes add the salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and cream, cook for 1 minute.
9. Add carrots, sweet potato, corn and peas. Stir until the filling comes to a low simmer. Remove from heat.

Directions for Assembly:

1. Assemble the pie by rolling out half the dough, filling pie and topping with dough.
   
2. Whisk egg, and brush lightly over pie top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
   
3. Using aluminum foil protect edges of pie.
   
4. Bake for 45 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
   
5. Remove aluminum foil, return to oven for another 15 minutes. Once crust is golden remove from oven.
   
6. Allow to set for 15 minutes. Enjoy!

Adapted from Ina Garten's Chicken Pot Pie

rhubarb berry pie

I really don't understand how anyone could say they don't like rhubarb. They must have tried to eat it raw or something, because there is nothing like it stewed or baked! (Can you tell I am passionate about this?) For a vegetable/fruit that takes over with it's gigantic leaves and somewhat boring staulks, it is one of my favourite things about late spring and early summer...

When family or friends try to give it away because of it's abundance in their gardens, I welcome it with a big smile. We had some friends over for a bbq, and for dessert, started with fresh rhubarb from Pete's mom's garden, and frozen strawberries and raspberries from our berry picking extravaganza last summer...I thought, a combo made for a perfect summer pie! (Cheezy I know!)

The crust is the crust off of the Tenderflake box (well 1/3 the recipe) and about 2 tbsp of white sugar, this created a slightly cookie like tasty crust.

Pie Crust Ingredients:
5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp white sugar
1/4 teaspoons salt
1 lb tenderflake lard
1 egg, stirred slightly
1 tablespoon vinegar
7/8 cup cold water

Egg Wash
1 egg whisked
2 tbsp water
2 tsp white sugar

Filling Ingredients:
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons orange juice
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups fresh berries
(we used raspberries and strawberries)
4 cups rhubarb (cut into 1/2 inch pieces)
2 tablespoons butter in small pieces
3 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions:
Dough (enough for 3 x 2 crust pies)

1. Stir the flour, sugar and salt together.
2. Cut in the lard with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the shortening is in pea size pieces.
3. In a measuring cup, combine the egg and vinegar.
4. Add enough cold water to make one cup.
5. Stir the liquid into the flour mixture, adding just enough to make the dough cling together.6
6. Stir the water in with a wooden spoon until mixed thoroughly, then gather the dough into a ball, and separate into 6 portions.
7. Cover and refrigerate for one hour, you can chill over night, covered, providing you leave it at room temp for 15 mins before rolling.
8. Lightly flour surface and roll into circles, then pat the dough into pie pans, following pie recipes. Be careful not to stretch the dough.

* Preheat oven to 425 F.

Filling:

1. In a small bowl, using a fork, stir together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, toss the berries and rhubarb together. Ass the sugar mixture and toss to combine and coat the fruit evenly, mix in orange juice.
   
3. Pile the mixture into the prepared pie pan, mounding in the centre.
4. Scatter the butter over the filling.
5. Create a lattice for the top crust - I like this for berry pies because they often have excess juice and this helps reduce it much more than a traditional second crust.
6. Make egg wash by whisking egg and water together. Brush on top of pie and sprinkle with remaining sugar.
   
7. Bake for 20 minutes and then reduce heat to 350 F and bake for another 35-40 minutes longer.
8. If you find it is browning too quickly, gently cover the top of the pie with tinfoil, do not crimp down too near the pie, otherwise steam will not be able to escape.
9. Once pie is browned nicely and the filling is cooked, remove and allow to cool. Cooling will help thicken the filling.
   
10. If you have a cake platter, do not place lid on top while pie is cooling, this will make the crust soggy.
11. Serve warm or at room temperature - delicious with vanilla icecream.

Serves 6.