A Better Chicken Pot Pie

My daughter, Leila, found this in an
All Recipe magazine, and thought it
sounded yummy.Being so keen on the
pastry recipe for short rib pot pie, I
thought I’d try it with the chicken.
Using the sea salt on top of the
dough makes it really delicious,
also simmering the chicken and
vegetables together for 15 minutes
and then using the broth to thicken
with the flour was way tastier than
my old method of cream of mushroom soup.
Leila was right!

Ingredients for the filling

1 lb boneless skinless organic chicken breast
2 carrots
2 stalks celery
1/2 Spanish Onion
Package of frozen peas
1 tablespoon flour
1 can chicken broth
4 cups water
Kosher Salt
Pepper
Heavy cream (1 tablespoon)
Sea Salt crystals

Ingredients for the dough

2 cups flour
2/3 cup lard
1 teaspoon butter
1/3 cup cold water

Directions

Make the dough first, place 2 cups flour and 1 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Mix the flour and salt together. Next add 2/3 cup lard and cut and slice the lard with two knives until the lard is broken up like large peas. Slowly trickle in 1/3 cup cold water and bring the flour together to form a rough ball. You can wrap the dough in saran wrap and chill in the refrigerator.

Next, cut the boneless, skinless chicken breasts into 1 inch cubes, place in a saucepan and cover with 1 can chicken broth and 4 cups water. Bring to a boil and set the timer for 15 minutes. Meanwhile chop two carrots, two stalks celery and add to the chicken.
After 15 minutes, drain the broth through a colander into a bowl. Keep the broth and set the chicken, carrots and celery to one side. Put a tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in the same pot, chop half and onion and once the oil and butter have heated up, add the chopped onion. Saute until starting to brown, then add the chicken, carrots and celery. Stir for one or two minutes. Add 1 tablespoon flour and stir quickly, then with a ladle, slowly add the broth, stirring and then adding more broth. It will thicken, so you will use up most of the broth in the bowl. Add the peas and 2 teaspoons Kosher salt, and a shake of black pepper. Keep simmering for another 5 minutes.
Spray an 8 inch pie dish with Pam, add the chicken mixture.
Roll out the dough on a floured board and place over the pie dish. Crimp around the edges. With a knife, make a slit in the center and 4 more around the edge of the dough to allow steam to escape.
Next brush some heavy cream on the dough and sprinkle with sea salt crystals.
Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 35 minutes.
Serve with salad.

Saluting Dr. Seuss Green Eggs & Ham

These are the best eggs ever!
We frequently get a green egg to our amazement when we go to Lucky Moon Farms in Cazenovia.
Salutations to Dr. Seuss!

Salad with bean sprouts and gourmet mix sprouts

Ingredients

1 baby romaine lettuce
1/2 cup bean sprouts
1/4 cup mixed gourmet sprouts
1 tomato chopped
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped dill
Salt, pepper, lemon zest
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
White Balsalmic Vinegar

Directions

In a bowl of water, wash all the above ingredients, drain in  a colander and chop the lettuce, tomato, parsley and dill. Throw in bean sprouts and mixed gourmet sprouts.
Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon  pepper and a pinch of citric acid. Add 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and 3 tablespoons white balsalmic vinegar. Mix well.

Haddock with capers,lemon,dill and white wine

Ingredients

2 teaspoons capers (preferably salt packed)
2 haddock fillets
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 shallots minced
1 clove garlic minced
2/3 cup dry white wine
the juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
1 tablespoon fresh dill chopped
 grated zest of 1 lemon

Directions

Prepare the ingredients for the sauce first.
Place the capers in a small bowl of water, drain and pat dry with paper towels.
Chop parsley, dill and grate lemon zest. Add to capers and keep to one side.
Chop 1 clove garlic very fine and chop 2 shallots also very fine. Place the chopped garlic and shallots in a small bowl.  Keep to one side.
Measure  2/3 cup dry white wine in a cup and squeeze 1 lemon into the wine. Keep to one side.

Cut the haddock fillets into serving portions, season with salt and pepper. In a large nonstick fry pan over medium heat, melt the butter with the olive oil. Arrange the fish in the pan and cook, turning once, until browned on both sides and opaque throughout but still moist looking in the center when tested with a knife. 6 - 8 minutes total. Using a slotted spatula transfer the fish to a warmed platter and cover loosely with silver foil.

Add the shallots and garlic to the pan and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the wine  and lemon juice, increase the heat to medium high and boil until the sauce thickens slightly ( 3 minutes). Stir in the parsley, dill, capers and lemon zest and season with salt and pepper.

Pour the warm sauce over the fish, garnish with dill fronds and lemon wedges and serve with asparagus and salad.

      

Turkey (Thanksgiving continued)

The Turkey

A whole turkey requires 15 minutes to prepare for roasting.
Prepare stuffing separately a day ahead, keep stuffing in a covered casserole in the refrigerator. You can stuff the turkey, but you can also bake the stuffing with the turkey during the last hour of roasting time.
Refrigerate turkey below 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
A frozen turkey can be kept in a freezer for up to a year, so long as it is in its original wrapper and has never been defrosted.

To thaw a turkey, there is no hurry, place the turkey in its original wrapping in the refrigerator. Allow 24 hours per 7 pounds to completely thaw.
Or for a faster thaw, place turkey in its original wrapping in sink and cover with cold water. Allow about half an hour per pound of turkey to completely thaw. Change water every 30 minutes. Refrigerate or cook once turkey is thawed. Never re-freeze a defrosted turkey.

The best size is about 13 lbs for a turkey, this is good for about 10 people and leftovers the next few days. I buy two 13 pound turkeys for 20 people.
If you are having 30 to 35 people, and only one oven, then you need a large turkey weighing 28 lbs.
I’ll give you the directions for both sizes.
I generally order the fresh turkey(s) from Nichols a month ahead and arrange to pick up on Tuesday before Thanksgiving.

Make sure you have all the ingredients needed ahead of time.
You will need heavy duty wide length silver foil, turkey pins, a large roasting pan, kitchen string for trussing, Pam spray, 1/2 cup butter, 1 package of bacon.


Ingredients for the stuffing

1 package croutons
1 pound Gianelli sweet sausage
1 stalk celery chopped
1 can cream of mushroom soup (Campbell’s)
1 package slivered almonds

Directions for stuffing

Remove the casing from the sausage, break up the sausage meat and saute in two batches in a pan.
Mix all the ingredients together and place in the refrigerator covered.
This can be made the day before.
Never stuff the turkey until the stuffing is completely cooled.

To Prepare the Turkey:
Remove the neck from the breast cavity and the giblets from the neck cavity. Rinse the outside and inside of turkey with water and pat dry with a paper towel.
Rub cavities with salt and pepper, stuff both cavities with the cooled stuffing.
Secure the ends with pins, using string, tie up the turkey (known as trussing the turkey) so that the legs and wings are secure to the sides of the turkey.
Rub the outside of the turkey with salt and pepper. Place 1/2 cup butter sliced into chunks on top of the turkey, then cover the whole turkey with strips of bacon.
Place the turkey in a roasting pan and cover with silver foil, so that the foil is slightly tented, but tightly sealed so that no air escapes.

Turkey done this way is moist and tasty every time,

For a 13 pound turkey....
To eat at 6 p.m.......
9:30 a.m. preheat the oven at 275 degrees Fahrenheit.
10 a.m place turkey in oven.
3:00 p.m. turn oven up to 325 degrees Fahrenheit, keep turkey covered.
4:30 p.m. remove foil, brush turkey with butter, turn oven up to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
5:00 p.m. remove turkey from oven  and let stand for one hour before carving.

For a 26 - 28 pound turkey
To eat at 2 p.m.
1:00 a.m. place turkey in oven covered
7:00 a.m. turn oven up to 325 degrees Fahrenheit, keep turkey covered
12:30 p.m. remove foil, brush turkey with butter, turn oven up to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
1:00 p.m. remove turkey from oven and let stand for one hour before carving.

For 26-28 pound turkey
To eat at 6 p.m.
7:00 a.m. place turkey in oven covered at 275 degrees Fahrenheit
1:00 p.m. turn oven up to 325 degrees Fahrenheit, keep turkey covered.
4:30 p.m. remove foil, brush turkey with butter, turn oven up to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
5:00 p.m. remove turkey from oven and let stand for one hour before carving.