Chicken and Fall Vegetable Pot Pie
chicken
and fall vegetable pot pie
Transform plain chicken breasts into a new feast with this succulent take on the pot pie. Make the filling the night before, then get to work on the aromatic herb crust, stuffed with thyme and butter. The pie demands a fair amount of preparation, but efforts will be rewarded with high praise. Halve the measurements for a weeknight dinner for the kids, or make the whole recipe to serve a crowd of eager guests. And feel free to throw in whatever produce you have on hand.
YIELD: MAKES 8 SERVINGS
4 pounds chicken breasts with skin and bones
4 to 6 cups canned low-sodium chicken broth
3 large carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
1 pound turnips, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
1 large bunch turnip greens (about 8 to 10 ounces), center stem cut away, leaves cut into 1-inch pieces
¼ cup (½ stick) butter
3 medium leeks (white and pale green parts only), sliced
2 large shallots, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme leaves
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup dry white wine
½ cup heavy whipping cream
Herb Crust (recipe follows)
1.
Butter a 4-quart oval baking dish. Place the chicken breasts in a heavy large pot. Add just enough broth to cover the chicken. Bring the broth to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover the pot and simmer until the chicken is just cooked through, skimming surface occasionally, about 20 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a plate and cool.
2.
Add the carrots and turnips to the broth in the pot. Simmer uncovered until the vegetables are just tender, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables to the prepared baking dish. Add the turnip greens to the broth and cook just until wilted, about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the greens to a colander; drain well. Add to the vegetables in the baking dish.
3.
Strain the broth; reserve 4 cups. Remove the skin and bones from the chicken. Cut the meat into ½- to ¾-inch pieces. Add the chicken to the vegetables in the baking dish.
4.
Melt the butter in the same pot over medium heat. Add the leeks, shallots, and thyme. Sauté until tender, about 8 minutes. Add the flour and stir 2 minutes. Stir in 4 cups broth and the wine. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add the cream and boil until the sauce thickens enough to coat a spoon, whisking frequently, about 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the mixture in the baking dish. Stir to blend. Cool 45 minutes.
5.
Position a rack in the top third of the oven and place a baking sheet on the bottom rack. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
6.
Roll out the dough for the crust on parchment to a 15 by 10½-inch rectangle. Using the parchment as an aid, turn the dough over onto the filling. Trim the overhang; tuck the dough edge inside the dish. Roll out any dough scraps to ¼-inch thickness. Cut out leaf shapes. Brush the bottom of the cutouts with water and place on the crust; cut slits in the crust to allow steam to escape.
7.
Place the pot pie on the top rack and bake until the crust is golden and the sauce is bubbling, about 50 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
“I make it with different vegetables each time: rutabaga or butternut squash for the orange; kale, chard, or spinach for greens; toss in some frozen peas and corn; carrot coins; sliced mushrooms. The herb crust makes the recipe. Love it! Well worth the effort.”
TastyinTulsa, Tulsa, Oklahoma
do ahead:
The
FILLING
can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.
The
DOUGH
can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled. Let dough soften slightly before rolling out.
herb crust
YIELD: MAKES CRUST FOR 1 POT PIE
2½ cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
½ cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
½ cup chilled vegetable shortening, cut into ½-inch pieces
6½ tablespoons ice water, as more as needed
1.
Blend the flour, parsley, thyme, salt, and sugar in a food processor until the herbs are very finely chopped. Add the butter and shortening. Blend until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
2.
Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Using a fork, mix enough ice water into the flour mixture to form moist clumps. Gather the dough into a ball; flatten into a rectangle. Cover and chill 30 minutes.
chicken
chili
A blender and a saucepan are all you’ll need to cook this peanut-thickened chili. In authentic Mexican fashion, the nuts, along with the dried chiles, garlic, cilantro, and cumin, are blended with tomatoes and chicken broth to create an earthy, spicy stew base. Pulled rotisserie chicken—a brilliant time-saver—and fiber-rich beans complete the magic. To turn this into a “meatless Monday” meal, replace the chicken with another can of beans and use a good-quality veggie broth. And always remember to wear gloves while handling chiles.
YIELD: MAKES 4 SERVINGS
1¼ cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 (14-ounce) can stewed tomatoes
4 dried New Mexican or guajillo chiles, stems and seeds discarded and chiles torn into pieces
1 (¾-inch-thick) crosswise slice of medium white onion
2 garlic cloves, peeled
½ cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
¼ cup dry-roasted peanuts
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 (2-pound) rotisserie-cooked chicken
1 (15-ounce) can pink beans in liquid
Chopped fresh cilantro and sour cream, for garnish
1.
Purée the broth, tomatoes with their juice, chiles, onion, garlic, cilantro, peanuts, cumin, and salt in a blender until smooth, about 2 minutes.
2.
Heat the oil in a wide 3- to 4-quart heavy saucepan over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then pour in the sauce and boil, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes.
3.
Meanwhile, coarsely shred the chicken, discarding skin and bones.
4.
Stir the chicken and beans with their liquid into the chili, then reduce the heat to moderately low and simmer, covered, 10 minutes. Serve with cilantro and sour cream.
“I used chipotle peppers instead of guajillo chiles, cut back on the garlic by one clove, and added corn and a bit of butternut squash—loved it with a slice of corn bread, a dollop of sour cream, and avocado cubes.”
Fab40, Calgary, Canada
beef stew
with potatoes and carrots
This recipe is flexible enough that you can add whatever vegetables you have on hand; root vegetables and winter squash are ideal candidates. And as with many one-pot dishes, the stew will taste better the next day, so plan accordingly.
YIELD: MAKES 12 SERVINGS
FOR BRAISED BEEF
5 pounds boneless beef chuck (not lean), cut into 2-inch pieces
2½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 medium carrots, quartered
3 celery ribs, quartered
2 medium onions, quartered
1 head garlic, halved crosswise
3 tablespoons tomato paste
⅓ cup balsamic vinegar
1 (750-ml) bottle dry red wine (about 3¾ cups)
2 Turkish bay leaves or 1 California
2 sprigs fresh thyme
3 cups low-sodium beef broth
3 cups water
FOR POTATOES AND CARROTS
2½ pounds small white boiling potatoes
1½ pounds carrots
Crusty bread, for serving
Special equipment: Wide 6- to 8-quart heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid
BRAISE BEEF
1.
Preheat the oven to 350°F, with the rack in the middle.
2.
Pat the beef dry and season with salt and pepper.
3.
Heat the oil in a heavy 8-quart pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then brown the meat, without crowding, in 3 batches, turning, about 8 minutes per batch. Transfer to a platter.
4.
Reduce the heat to medium, then add the carrots, celery, onions, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned, about 12 minutes.
5.
Push the vegetables to one side of the pot. Add the tomato paste to the cleared area and cook the paste, stirring, 2 minutes, then stir it into the vegetables. Add the vinegar and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Stir in the wine, bay leaves, and thyme and boil until the wine is reduced by about two-thirds, 10 to 12 minutes.
6.
Add the broth to the pot along with the water, beef, and any juices from the platter and bring to a simmer. Cover and braise in the oven until the meat is very tender, about 2½ hours.
7.
Set a large colander in a large bowl. Pour the stew into the colander. Return the meat to the pot, then discard the remaining solids. Let cooking liquid stand 10 minutes.
MAKE POTATOES AND CARROTS
1.
While beef braises, peel the potatoes and cut into ½-inch-wide wedges. Slice the carrots diagonally (1-inch).
2.
Add the potatoes and carrots to the stew (make sure they are submerged) and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes and carrots are tender, about 40 minutes.
do ahead:
The
STEW
improves in flavor if made at least 1 day ahead. Chill up to 5 days. Reheat, covered, over medium heat or in a 350°F oven.
beef
empanadas
Long the star of South American street snacks, the empanada gets a dinner close-up with this hearty version that puts an entire meal in the palm of your hand. This recipe adapts easily to the stuffing of your choice. Substitute lean ground turkey and bake for a lighter alternative.
YIELD: MAKES 10 EMPANADAS
2 hard-boiled large eggs
½ medium onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon dried oregano
¾ pound ground beef chuck
2 tablespoons raisins
1½ tablespoons chopped pimiento-stuffed olives
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 (14-ounce) can whole tomatoes in juice, drained, reserving 2 tablespoons juice, and chopped
1 package (10) frozen empanada pastry disks, thawed
About 4 cups vegetable oil, for frying
Special equipment: Deep-fry thermometer
1.
Cut each egg crosswise into 10 thin slices.
2.
Cook the onion in the olive oil in a heavy medium skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until softened. Add the garlic, cumin, and oregano and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in the beef and cook, breaking up lumps with a fork, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes.
3.
Add the raisins, olives, salt, pepper, and tomatoes with reserved juice, then cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is reduced but the mixture is still moist, about 5 minutes. Spread on a plate to cool.
4.
Preheat the oven to 200°F, with the rack in the middle.
5.
Lay a large sheet of plastic wrap on a dampened work surface (to help keep plastic in place), then roll out an empanada disk on the wrap to measure about 6 inches. Place 3 tablespoons of meat mixture on the disk and top with 2 slices of egg. Moisten the edges of the disk with water and fold over to form a semicircle, then crimp with a fork. Make 9 more empanadas in the same manner.
6.
Heat ¾ inch of vegetable oil in a deep 12-inch skillet over medium heat until it registers 360°F on a deep-fry thermometer. Fry the empanadas, 2 or 3 at a time, turning once, until crisp and golden, 4 to 6 minutes per batch.
7.
Transfer the empanadas to a shallow baking pan and keep warm in the oven. Return oil to 360°F between frying batches.
cook’s note:
The
EMPANADAS
can be brushed with oil and baked on an oiled baking sheet in a 425°F oven until golden, about 10 minutes. (They will not be as crisp as fried empanadas.)
blackened steak salad
A signature item on the lunch menu of Chicago’s famed Chop House, this salad is perfect for a hearty meal, day or night. The classic pairing of blue cheese and steak gets extra oomph from a zesty spice mixture. If you are expecting guests, throw the butter-drenched beef tenderloins on a hot grill for a minute or two before serving for a hint of smoky flavor, and pair the dish with a full-bodied red wine.