"There is nothing better on a cold... day than a... pot pie." Craig Claiborne.
Hello followers, happy autumn to you all!
Sorry I didn't post my blog last week... Now that I am back at work Mon to Fri, I have found it hard to dedicate the time to blogging. But, I have gotten used to my new schedule and I am ready to continue with new found zest and zeal! So followers, would you like to hear about an interesting culinary adventure that came my way last week? My old boss, Jane Rodmell, got in touch with me and offered a great challenge... Recipe testing! My fave thing to do! A couple of years ago I tested over 200 recipes for Jane's latest cookbook 'All the Best Recipes.' I was in heaven!! This time I tested recipes for a Canadian magazine called 'Cottage Life,' in which Jane is a contributor. It's hard work, but it's work that I love to do! So, we had an over the phone brainstorming session and came up with 5 salads for next summer's publication (the editors sure do plan ahead, eh?!). We split up the work and I had three salads to test. Trust me when I say they turned out great, because unfortunately I can't tell you what they are. Sorry! You'll just have to pick up next summer's 'Cottage Life' magazine to find out! Now, not only did I have the testing to tackle, but I also had another culinary adventure... Lunch lady!! Remember I told you that I was Kevin's work's lunch lady? No? Well, I make a hearty meal for my sweetie and his work mates each Saturday. It's fun to think up ideas for the boys and I am especially excited now that the seasons have changed! Oh, autumn... I find it sad that summer is officially gone but with fall here, we all know what that means: good food! Don't you just love all of those warm and cozy dishes that one can only enjoy when there is a chill in the air? One of those treats is chicken pot pie and that's what I chose to make for the boys!
Simple and Tasty Recipe:
Chicken Pot Pie
(makes 1 large or 6 minis)
500 gr or 1 Lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts and or thighs (I use both!)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 leek, white only, chopped
1 carrot, thinly sliced
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
5 to 6 mushrooms, sliced
2 thyme sprigs
1/2 frozen green peas
handful fresh parsley, chopped
sea salt
fresh ground pepper
puff pastry (I use President's Choice butter puff pastry...)
1 egg, lightly beaten
Sauce:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
500 ml milk or light cream
sea salt
fresh ground pepper
.preheat oven to 350
.toss the chicken in a bit of olive oil, salt and pep and spread out on a tray and roast, about 15 mins for breast and 25 mins for thighs
.remove when done, pour off the juices and reserve, set aside the chicken in the fridge, meanwhile...
.in a large skillet, heat oil on medium heat, add in all the the veggies and herbs, season with salt and pep and cover with a lid
.stir occasionally until the veg are soft, about 20 mins, stir in the peas and parsley, set aside, meanwhile...
.in a medium pot, melt the butter on medium low heat, whisk in the flour and fry for about 30 seconds
.whisk in half the milk, allow to heat up and thicken, then whisk in half of remaining, again allow to heat up and thicken, then whisk in the rest of the milk, season with salt and pep and stir in the reserved roasted chicken juices, set aside
.bring the chicken out of the fridge and chop into bite size pcs
.place the chicken and cooled veggies (remove the thyme sprigs), into a pie dish or suitable casserole, stir in cream sauce, adjust seasoning
.place puff pastry on top, trim the edges if necessary, allowing the pastry slightly to hang over the edges and brush with the top with the lightly beaten egg
.bake in a 350 oven for about 25 to 30 mins until pastry is golden brown, enjoy!
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