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Hello again from the kitchen!
February is moving right along and we're one day closer to spring. Before you know it, it'll be time to plant those spring onions. When our kids were little, we grew a big garden. The spouse planted and I made meals and preserved what we harvested. Apparently I do not have a green thumb, as I tend to kill plants. I try, but I've come to the conclusion that someone else needs to grow them for me. Thank goodness for local roadside stands and markets. This past week was a busy one in the kitchen. Making food for the Super Bowl, Donut Day and Valentine's Day, too. Of course, I share it with friends and neighbors.
After all that, it's time to slow down and enjoy a bowl of homemade smoked chicken pot pie. I put the chicken in the crockpot on low overnight and in the morning, I made a big pot of pot pie. It's an old recipe but a good one. My dad, who was a child during the Depression, loved bread topped with apple butter and cottage cheese with his pot pie. Now, that's as Pennsylvania Dutch as it gets.
Chicken pot pie
1 whole chicken (smoked or not smoked)
4 medium sized potatoes, cubed
1-2 TBSP parsley
Pot pie dough:
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
2-3 TBSP water
1 TBSP shortening or soft butter
Place the smoked chicken in a crockpot and cook on low for 6-7 hrs. (If using a smoked chicken, no salt is needed) Debone the chicken and strain the broth. Pour the broth in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Add the potatoes and let simmer while you roll out the dough. Mix together the dough ingredients and roll out as thin as you like. Cut into squares and drop in simmering broth. Add the parsley and any additional seasonings you like. Add the chicken at this time. I like to simmer the potpie for an afternoon before serving. Goes great with apple butter bread.
*Before serving, I drop a piece of Parmesan rind in for added flavor. A couple TBSPs of grated Parmesan works too.
Happy Cooking, and eat well my friends!
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Bev Kauffman, of Lewistown, operated a catering business in Juniata County for nearly 20 years. She has authored the cookbook, "Preserving the Past: In the Kitchen with Bev Kauffman" in 2013 and is currently working on a
second cookbook.