Chicken Pot Pie

As a kid I remember certain meals we had for dinner, like creamed peas over toast and liver and onions.  Other meals I remember were Banquet brand chicken pot pies and meatloaf.  The pot pies were always served with an extra helping of steamed carrots and peas.  This particular recipe I'm going to share is in honor of the chicken pot pie dinners I remember as a child but of course they're homemade.  Pie crust is one of the recipes I know almost by heart because it is so easy to remember the ingredients, but the real trick is how to handle the dough so the perfectly formed crust is tender and flaky.  Alton Brown has an awesome video with boxing hand puppets and everything explaining the delicate relationship of ingredients to create both a tender and flaky crust.  By far my favorite part of every pie is the crust, but in this case of my chicken pot pie both the filling and crust are perfect together, deliciously intertwined.

 Sometimes the best meal isn't pretty but very delicious.  I'm not a big fan of peas, in fact peas are rarely ever served at my table but this was a perfect reason to include peas.

Ingredients For Pie Crust:

2 cups All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 teaspoons Sea Salt
4 tablespoons cold Lard
5-7 tablespoons ice Water

Preheat oven to 425 Fahrenheit.

If you have a food processor, make your pie crust in it.  Put flour, salt, and lard in the processor with the dough blade and pulse until fine crumble consistency.  You may also use your finger tips to gently crumble the lard and flour together.

Slowly add the ice water to the flour, still pulsing or mix with your fingertips.  Not to much, mixing to much create gluten that doesn't make a flaky tender crust.  Knead until a somewhat loose disk is formed.  Place dough disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes. 

Ingredients for Pie Filling:

2 cups Chicken Broth
3 tablespoons All Purpose Flour
3 tablespoons Butter
1 cup Carrots
1 cup frozen Peas
4 Green Onions
1 1/2 cups shredded Rotisserie Chicken
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Black Pepper

 Cut the carrots into small 1/2 inch dice, cut green onions including white part into 1/4 inch pieces.  Cut chicken into 1/2 inch chunks.

 Sauté carrots in olive oil over medium heat until tender. 

 Remove dough from the refrigerator, cut in half and roll them on flour to 1/8 inch thick rounds.  place the larger round in an 8 inch tart pan or pie pan.  Place the other round on a plate.  Place both pie crusts in the freezer.

Melt butter in a 12 inch saute pan over medium heat until the foam has subsided.  Add the flour and mix until combined and cook for a few minutes until flour taste is gone and replaced by a nutty flavor.

 Add the chicken broth and cook until thickened and bubbly.

 Mix in the frozen peas, sautéed carrots, green onions, and chicken.

 Add salt and pepper to taste.

Remove pie crust from freezer, pour the chicken filling in the crust.  Place second pie crust on top, press and seal.

 Cut slits into top crust to allow ventilation.  Place pie on a cookie sheet and bake in oven for 30 minutes. 

I took a piece before I took the after picture, its isn't as pretty but it was yummy.

Enjoy!

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients For Pie Crust:

2 cups All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 teaspoons Sea Salt
4 tablespoons cold Lard
5-7 tablespoons ice Water

Process:

Cut the carrots into small 1/2 inch dice, cut green onions including white part into 1/4 inch pieces.  Cut chicken into 1/2 inch chunks.

If you have a food processor, make your pie crust in it.  Put flour, salt, and lard in the processor with the dough blade and pulse until fine crumble consistency.  You may also use your finger tips to gently crumble the lard and flour together.

Slowly add the ice water to the flour, still pulsing or mix with your fingertips.  Not to much, mixing to much create gluten that doesn't make a flaky tender crust.  Knead until a somewhat loose disk is formed.  Place dough disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes. 

Ingredients for Pie Filling:

2 cups Chicken Broth
3 tablespoons All Purpose Flour
3 tablespoons Butter
1 cup Carrots
1 cup frozen Peas
4 Green Onions
1 1/2 cups shredded Rotisserie Chicken
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Black Pepper

Process:

Cut the carrots into small 1/2 inch dice, cut green onions including white part into 1/4 inch pieces.  Cut chicken into 1/2 inch chunks.

Sauté carrots in olive oil over medium heat until tender. 

Remove dough from the refrigerator, cut in half and roll them on flour to 1/8 inch thick rounds.  place the larger round in an 8 inch tart pan or pie pan.  Place the other round on a plate.  Place both pie crusts in the freezer.

Melt butter in a 12 inch saute pan over medium heat until the foam has subsided.  Add the flour and mix until combined and cook for a few minutes until flour taste is gone and replaced by a nutty flavor.

Add the chicken broth and cook until thickened and bubbly.

Mix in the frozen peas, sautéed carrots, green onions, and chicken.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Remove pie crust from freezer, pour the chicken filling in the crust.  Place second pie crust on top, press and seal.

Cut slits into top crust to allow ventilation.  Place pie on a cookie sheet and bake in oven for 30 minutes. 

Enjoy!

Swiss Steak With Root Vegetables

The Swiss Steak recipe I shared with Julia and the NY Daily News I shared earlier was my second incarnation of Swiss Steak.  This recipe is similar to my mom's version of Swiss Steak and it is very good as well.  Do you like an all in the pot recipe?  You might like this incarnation of Swiss Steak.  

This mess of meat and vegetables reminds me of my mom more than my own reincarnation.

Ingredients

2 lbs Chuck Roast
1 Yellow Onion
4 cloves Garlic
4 large Carrots
2 lbs Potatoes
2 pints Brown Mushrooms
3 cups Stewed Tomatoes (San Martzano if you can find them)
1 1/2 cups Heavy Whipping Cream
1 cup Flour
Olive Oil

 Cut chuck into large chunks, dredge in the flour.

Pour oil into a preheated 12 inch skillet, enough to just cover the bottom.  Cook chuck over medium heat until browned on both sides.

 Peel carrots, potatoes, and garlic. Rinse mushrooms.  Cut potatoes and carrots into large chunks.

Place carrots, potatoes, garlic, and mushrooms in a pressure cooker pot or slow cooker.  Place chuck on the vegetables. Pour tomatoes and cream on met and vegetables. 

Cook everything in a pressure cooker on high for 55 minutes or low for 6 hours in a slow cooker.

Enjoy!

Swiss Steak With Root Vegetables

Ingredients

2 lbs Chuck Roast
1 Yellow Onion
4 cloves Garlic
4 large Carrots
2 lbs Potatoes
2 pints Brown Mushrooms
3 cups Stewed Tomatoes (San Martzano if you can find them)
1 1/2 cups Heavy Whipping Cream
1 cup Flour
Olive Oil

Process

Cut chuck into large chunks, dredge in the flour.

Pour oil into a preheated 12 inch skillet, enough to just cover the bottom.  Cook chuck over medium heat until browned on both sides.

Peel carrots, potatoes, and garlic. Rinse mushrooms.  Cut potatoes and carrots into large chunks.

Place carrots, potatoes, garlic, and mushrooms in a pressure cooker pot or slow cooker.  Place chuck on the vegetables. Pour tomatoes and cream on met and vegetables. 

Cook everything in a pressure cooker on high for 55 minutes or low for 6 hours in a slow cooker.

Enjoy!

Sodium Free Shrimp Chow Mein

My youngest sister, Adrienne, is dealing with a health concern that requires her to eat a low sodium diet.  She requested I try my hand at creating a low sodium chow mein recipe.  My goal ended up creating a chow mein recipe without any added sodium.  While researching the elusive umami flavor, that flavor that is pivotal to Chinese and Japanese cuisine such as chow mien, I learned some cool stuff about what flavors really give the umami flavor in recipes.  Monosodium glutamate is the flavor compound that we have come to call the fifth flavor of umami.  Oyster mushrooms are high in glutamates, the highest content of all mushrooms.  My recipe uses the umami of oyster mushrooms to replace soy sauce and oyster sauce, the two ingredients used in traditional chow mein sauce.  

Chow Mein is one of the yummiest Chinese take out items on the menu.  This is all homemade.

Shrimp Chow Mein Ingredients:

Chinese Noodles (homemade noodles recipe below)
2 packages Oyster Mushrooms
1 Red Bell Pepper
2 Carrots
6 cloves of Garlic
1 Yellow Onion
1 bunch of Green Onions
1 head of Napa Cabbage
3 inch piece of Ginger
4 cups Water
2 lbs. Raw Deveined Shrimp
Toasted Sesame Seed Oil

Chinese Noodle Ingredients:

1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Soda
3 Eggs
3 cups All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 teaspoons Sea Salt
3/4 cup Tapioca Flour
6 tablespoons Water

Combine all dry ingredients for noodles together in a mixer bowl and mix completely
with a paddle attachment.

Beat eggs and water together, then add to the flour mixture.   Knead with a
dough hook for 5 minutes.

Using a pasta machine, roll dough to the number 2 thickness and cut with the spaghetti cutter.
Use tapioca flour to keep the noodles separated.

Boil a large pot of water.  Boil noodles for 30 seconds.

Drain noodles well.

Peel ginger and onion.  Cut onion in half.  Add half the mushrooms without the stems, garlic,
and 3 cups of water to a pressure cooker pot.  Cook ingredients on high for 10 minutes.
 This will be the sauce for the chow mein.

Puree sauce from the pressure cooker in a blender.

Pour sauce into a small pan and cook over low to medium heat until reduced by half.

Cut carrots, bell peppers, and green onions into 1/4 inch matchsticks.  

Cut cabbage and remaining oyster mushrooms into chunks.

Preheat wok over high heat.  Be prepared for smoke and have windows and fans on to
circulate the air.  Add 2 tablespoons oil to the wok and begin stir frying carrots.

Next add the bell pepper and stir.

Have ingredients ready and waiting next to the wok.

Add shrimp and more oil.  Stir fry until the shrimp is pink and opaque.

Add more oil to flavor.

Now for the cabbage, green onions, and mushrooms.  Stir fry.

Add noodles and stir.

Stir fry with some more oil if needed.  We want the noodles to be slightly crispy on the outside.

Push sauce through a sieve over chow mein.

Stir and cook for minute or two more and serve.

Enjoy!

Sodium Free Shrimp Chow Mein

Printable Recipe Found Here

Shrimp Chow Mein Ingredients:

Chinese Noodles (homemade noodles recipe below)
2 packages Oyster Mushrooms
1 Red Bell Pepper
2 Carrots
6 cloves of Garlic
1 Yellow Onion
1 bunch of Green Onions
1 head of Napa Cabbage
3 inch piece of Ginger
4 cups Water
2 lbs Raw Deveined Shrimp
Toasted Sesame Seed Oil

Chinese Noodle Ingredients:

1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Soda
3 Eggs
3 cups All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 teaspoons Sea Salt
3/4 cup Tapioca Flour
6 tablespoons Water

Chinese Noodle Process:

Combine all dry ingredients for noodles together in a mixer bowl and mix completely with a paddle attachment.

Beat eggs and water together then add to the flour mixture.   Knead with a dough hook for 5 minutes.

Using a pasta machine, roll dough to number 2 thickness and cut with the spaghetti cutter.  Use tapioca flour to keep the noodles separated.

Boil a large pot of water.  Boil noodles for 30 seconds.

Drain noodles well.

Shrimp Chow Mein Process:

Peel ginger and onion, cut onion in half.  Add half the mushrooms without the stems, garlic, and 3 cups water to a pressure cooker pot.  Cook ingredients on high for 10 minutes.  This will be the sauce for the chow mein.

Preheat wok over high heat.  Be prepared for smoke and have windows and fans on to circulate the air.

Add 2 tablespoons oil to wok and begin stir frying carrots.

Next add the bell pepper and stir.

Have ingredients ready and waiting next to the wok.

Add shrimp and more oil.  Stir fry until the shrimp is pink and opaque.

Add more oil to flavor.

Now for the cabbage, green onions, and mushrooms.  Stir fry.

Add noodles and stir.

Stir fry with some more oil if needed.  We want the noodles to be slightly crispy on the outside.

Push sauce through a sieve over chow mein.

Stir and cook for minute or two more and serve.

Enjoy!