French-inspired Chicken Pot Pie for Pi Day

It's Pi day so I made a riff on Chicken Pot Pi!

Rotisserie chicken, shredded

Olive Oil

2 large shallots, thinly sliced

2 carrots, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

3 T butter

3 T flour

1/2 cup white wine

1 T chopped tarragon

2 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 T freshly chopped parsley

1/2 cup frozen peas

2 puff pastry sheets, thawed and cut into rectangles

1 egg, lightly beaten

Salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. In large cast iron skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add shallots, carrots and celery. Saute for about five minutes. Season with sat. Remove to bowl.

3. Add butter to melt over medium heat. Once foaming, add flour and whisk until smooth and a golden brown color. 30-60 seconds. Gently pour in chicken stock and continue whisking. Also add tarragon. Pour in the heavy cream and continue whisking for 30 seconds. Turn heat down to low and simmer for ten minutes. Add salt and pepper as needed.

4. Add vegetables, shredded chicken, peas and parsley. Stir until everything is covered in sauce.

5. Arrange puff pastry rectangles on top of the pot pie, overlapping in places. Brush tops with a beaten egg, and bake 30-40 minutes, until pastry is golden brown and lightly puffed.

6. Let rest for 10 minutes.

Italian Wedding Soup

 Clearly I am in a soup mood. Made this yesterday after inspiration from my parent's neighbor that dropped off some while I was staying there after all the surgeries. I need to learn to make the meatballs smaller but this was a good first try. 

Meatballs

1/2 lb ground beef

1/2 lb Italian sausage

1 egg, whisked

Handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated

salt and pepper

Olive Oil

Soup

Olive oil

1/2 small onion, diced

3 carrots, diced

3 stalks celery, diced

3 cloves garlic, diced

10 cups chicken stock

Fresh spinach

1 cup orzo or acini de pepe pasta

Salt and Pepper

1. Add all meatball ingredients, except oil, to a bowl and mix with your hands. Scoop into small balls. Add oil to Dutch oven over medium heat. Sear for roughly 5 minutes rotating every 1-2 minutes. Remove and let drain on a paper towel. 

2. Add olive oil into drippings from meatballs. Stir in the diced carrots, onion and celery. Saute for 5-6 minutes and add garlic. Continue cooking for a minute.

3. Pour in broth and scrape the bottom of the pot to ensure no bits or pieces are left on the bottom. Bring broth to a boil. Add pasta, salt and pepper and meatballs. Cover and reduce heat to medium. Simmer for 7-9 minutes or according to pasta instructions.

4. Drop in spinach and allow to wilt.

5. Serve with shaved parmesan.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

 On a cold and rainy day and family visiting, we had brats and this potato soup. 

5-6 pieces of bacon cut into small pieces

Bacon grease

1/2 onion

1 t paprika

1 T fresh thyme

4-6 russet potatoes, pealed and diced

1/4 cup flour

4 cups whole milk

1 cup chicken broth

2 garlic cloves, minced

3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese

3/4 cup sour cream

Salt and Pepper

Scallions, chopped

1. Cut up the bacon and add it to a Dutch oven. Fry the bacon over medium high heat until crispy. Remove and set aside. 

2. In the bacon grease, add onion and saute for five minutes. Add paprika and thyme. Cook for another minute.

3. Stir in the flour and cook for about a minute. Whisk the milk in slowly until the flour has dissolved and there are no clumps. 

4. Add the chicken broth, garlic, and potatoes. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. 

5. Reduce heat to cover the pot with the lid slightly ajar. Let soup simmer for 20 minutes. Use a potato masher to squish it around some.

6. Add grated cheddar, sour cream and bacon. Season with salt and pepper. 

7. Top with scallions and remaining cheddar and bacon.