Snowdays

I had to go back to work today and since there’s sleet in the forecast for tonight I brought work home with me. I prefer staying here rather than having to drive on half-plowed roads while watching a Bo Duke wannabe careen through turns at 50 miles an hour taking up both lanes and laughing as he passes two cars that he narrowly misses, mine one of them. I would have been seriously pissed if I just got an oil change and then some slack-jawed yokel slammed into me headfirst.

Anyway. Let’s just take a deep breath shall we?

The last three days have been filled with this:

We made several comfort food dishes. One was a roasted chicken. Yesterday afternoon I turned the carcass into stock and then we turned most of the rest of it into pot pie.

I’ll never win a contest for beautiful pie crusts, but this one sure tasted good.

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The chicken pot pie recipe:
First prepared 2/1/10.
• 1-roasted chicken, make broth from carcass and reserve the choicer thigh, wing and other meat chunks for pot pie. Also can use some sliced meat from original chicken carving. Chop chicken into bite-sized pieces.
• 2 thick middle slices of an onion finely chopped (OK for more)
• 2 carrots finely chopped
• 1-2 stalks celery finely chopped (OK to use celery heart and leaves instead)
• 5 button mushrooms thinly sliced (OK for more)
• 1 potato, chopped into small cubes
• Garlic
• Peas
• Ground black pepper

Saute certain vegetables (carrot, celery, garlic, onion) in bacon grease (small amount) and olive oil. Then add potato, cook for a little bit. Add chicken broth to steam and cook the vegetable mixture. Add mushrooms to simmering mixture. Wait a little bit—then add chicken pieces to warm; bring liquid back to a simmer. Add some ground black pepper to taste. If salt is needed, add it; it’s not likely it’s necessary, though.
Prepare pie crust. Curse your lack of talent.
Make a roux of butter and flour. Turn it into gravy by adding some chicken broth. You are going to need more than you think. Add gravy to the vegetable/chicken mixture, keep adding to thicken the main pie filling.
Place pie crust in sturdy pie pan and then add vegetable/chicken/ gravy into the pie crust. If it looks at all skimpy, make another roux and then turn it into gravy.
Put the top on the pie crust and remember to make steam holes. You can egg wash or not, your preference.
Cook for 20-30 minutes at 400. You may have to protect the pie crust with foil around the edges or decrease the oven temperature as you near the end of cooking.
We didn’t have frozen peas but will add those next time. I’m pretty sure we didn’t use garlic and we’ll probably want to do that next time as well.