POT PIES

 

QUICK DINNER POT PIES

This is such a good idea! I buy a lot of pot pies. The whole family loves them. Wish I would've thought of this before.
QUICK DINNER -- Create Your Own Signature Mini Pie (and an easy way to get rid of leftovers!)
Mix 1/2 cup of Bisquick, 1/2 Cup of Milk, and 2 eggs together for a base. (put about 1 tablespoon in each muffin cup)
Top with about 1/4 cup of any "fillings" you want. - Cheeseburger, Pizza, BLT, Chicken and Veggies, etc.... You can mix it up in the pan (any meat should already be cooked)
Then top with one more tablespoon of the "Bisquick Mixture" - and bake at 375 for 25-30. It's a great way to get rid of your leftovers! These can also be frozen! Just pop them into the microwave for a quick meal on the go!

FABIO'S CHICKEN POTPIE

 Recipe by Fabio Viviani
Yield: 6 potpies
Ingredients:
For the crust:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks cold butter (12 ounces), cut into small chunks
1/4 cup ice water
For the filling:
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup diced celery (1/3-inch dice)
1 cup diced onions (1/3-inch dice)
1 cup diced carrot (1/3-inch dice)
1 teaspoon salt plus additional if needed
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup diced potatoes (1/3-inch dice)
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size cubes
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/4 cups chicken broth
1 cup diced broccoli
1/2 cup peas
2 sprigs fresh parsley, chopped
2 sprigs fresh oregano, chopped
2 eggs
Method:
Preheat oven to 400°F.
For the crust:
Place the flour, Parmesan, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the butter has been reduced to slightly smaller pieces.
With the motor running, slowly add the ice water, until the dough comes together. Transfer the dough quickly to a lightly floured surface, and knead it briefly a few times until it forms a ball. Flatten the ball slightly. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it while you make the filling.
For the filling:
In a pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.
Add the celery, onions, and carrots, and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté, stirring occasionally, just until the mixture starts to caramelize.
Add the potatoes, and sauté until the potatoes start to brown around the edges and the onions are a little more caramelized. Stir in the chicken with another pinch of salt and pepper, and continue to saute, stirring occasionally, until all the meat turns white, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the chicken and vegetables, stirring well so that the flour evenly coats the mixture, and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually stir in the chicken broth. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Simmer for a minute. Stir in the broccoli and then the peas; heat through.
Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the parsley and oregano. Season with more salt and pepper to taste.
To assemble the potpies:
In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs with a pinch of salt and a little water, and set aside.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to a 1/3- inch thickness.
Cut out 6 rounds that are slightly larger than 6 oven-safe bowls.
Ladle the hot filling into the bowls.
Top each bowl with a round of dough, fitting the dough inside the bowl rim so that it touches the filling. Flute the edges of the dough. Brush the dough with the prepared egg wash.
Cut small slits in the dough to let steam escape. Place the bowls on a baking sheet, and bake until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is bubbly, 30 to 45 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving

DELICIOUS CHICKEN POT PIE

1 cup potato, diced
1 cup onion, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup carrot, diced
1/3 cup melted margarine
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup half-and-half
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 cups chicken, cooked and chopped
2 pie crusts (either store bought or your own recipe)
Preheat oven to 400°F. Sauté onion, celery, carrots, and potatoes in the margarine for 10 minutes. Add flour to sautéed mixture, stirring well, and cook one minute stirring constantly. Combine broth and half and half.  Gradually stir into vegetable mixture.  Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until thickened and bubbly.  Stir in salt and pepper; add chicken and stir well. Pour into shallow 2 quart casserole dish and top with pie shells. Cut slits to allow steam to escape.  Bake for 40-50 minutes or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly and cooked through.

POT PIES (CHICKEN, STEAK AND TURKEY)

The base for all three of these pot pie variations are the same. We start with a basic roux and then
alter from that to make the individual pie. This recipe will fill one 9 inch pie crust. You will need
two crusts one for the bottom and one for the top. Set your oven to 425*. I have listed my
preparation procedures for the entire meat filling including vegetables and pie crust. You can
change this anyway you’d like, but your mileage will vary.
Basic Roux Ingredients
3 tablespoons of butter
3 tablespoons of flour
1 ½ cups hot (chicken, beef, turkey) broth
½ cup of milk
½ teaspoon of salt
¼ teaspoon of pepper
½ teaspoon of lemon juice
Basic Roux Instructions
Roux is a very easy thing to make and also a very easy thing to mess up. Have all ingredients pre
measured and ready to go. This is something that is a continual stir, so don’t stop to answer the
phone or change channels on the TV. If you burn the roux, throw it away and start over.
In a large saucepan melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and stir until a light brown,
about 2 minutes. Stir in the broth, continuing to stir until the mixture is thick and smooth. Slowly
add the milk, continuing to stir. Add the salt, pepper and lemon juice and cook, stirring
frequently, until the mixture is quite thick. Stir in the cooked meat of choice and any added
vegetables and transfer to the prepared baking dish. Cover with the remaining pastry, seal the
edges and crimp. Make several slits in the top crust. Bake for 25 minutes. Let stand at least 25
minutes. It needs to firm up a bit before slicing.
Chicken/Turkey Preparation
3 ½ pounds of cut up fryer parts
Place parts on a cookie sheet, season with salt and pepper. Bake the meat at 350* degrees for one
hour. Another variation is to grill the meat to a 160* internal for breast meat and 170* for all
dark meat. Boiling chicken and or turkey is really not an option. You’re taking the time to do
this, so do it right. When finished let them cool. Separate the skin and bones from the meat.
Shred the meat and add to the Roux.
Steak Preparation
2 pounds of beef tenderloin cubed
Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large saucepan. Season the beef with salt and pepper. Brown
the beef in the pan. Cook until the outside edges are brown but the centers are still rare. Set aside
to cool. When cool further chop the steak into smaller pieces. Add to roux mixture.
Vegetables
You can add vegetables to all of the three basic pies. I don’t add any to my chicken pot pie but
use them in both the turkey and the steak pies. I you want to use peas add them, frozen directly to
the roux mixture, do not precook.
1 medium sweet onion chopped
1 small bag of carrots chopped
1 red bell pepper chopped
2 table spoons of butter
Sauté vegetables in a large sauce pan. Set aside to cool. Use the same sauce pan to start the roux.
Pie Crust
This will make enough crust for one pie. If you feel really good about your skills with a rolling
pin then you could spread it over two pies. I have found that the crust is too thin on the bottom
and doesn’t hold together well in the cooking process and becomes soggy. The key here is to
make sure both the water and the shortening of choice is chilled. So measure it out and set them
in the freezer to chill prior to making the crust.
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 cup of chilled shortening, I like to use lard
1 to 2 teaspoons of salt
1/2 cup of chilled water
In a bowl add flour and salt. Using a whisk mix them together. Cut in the shortening until you
have small pebble size pieces. Add the water and mix until everything sticks together. Place the
ball on a floured board and knead back and forth several times. Finish with a nice slap. Divide
the dough into two pieces. Roll out the dough to cover the bottom of your baking dish. Trim
edges one inch over the outside of the dish. Add mixture and cover with the second crust and
trim back to match the bottom crust. Fold the top crust under the bottom crust edges. Seal the
edges, flute and cut several vents into the top crust. For a final twist you can take any of the above meat mixtures, with or without the vegetables and
serve over a bed of hot noodles.

BEEF POT PIE

Pastry for 2-crust pie, homemade or purchased
1 pound lean ground beef
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped green onion
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 small summer squash or zucchini, chopped
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 scant teaspoon dried leaf thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 egg, mixed with 1 tablespoon of water, for glaze
If pie pastry is not pre-made, prepare pie crust; divide dough in half for top and bottom crust. Wrap dough portions in plastic wrap; chill for about 30 minutes. Prepare filling. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook ground beef in olive oil until no longer pink. Transfer beef to a bowl with slotted spoon. Drain off excess grease, leaving a few teaspoons. Put skillet back on medium heat; add green onion, red bell pepper, chopped celery, squash, and chopped carrot. Cook stirring often, until softened, about 8 to 10 minutes. Return beef to skillet and stir in flour; stir and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in tomato sauce, Parmesan cheese, thyme, salt, and pepper. Set aside while rolling dough. Roll half of chilled dough out on a floured surface to a circle about 12 inches in diameter; place on an ungreased baking sheet. Spoon beef filling over the dough circle to within 2 inches of the edge. Roll out remaining dough to a circle about 11 inches; place over filling. Fold edges of bottom crust circle over the top circle; pinch to seal all around. Brush top of beef pot pie with egg and water mixture. Bake beef pot pie at 400° for about 50 minutes. Place baking sheet with beef pot pie on a rack to cool for about 5 minutes before serving. Beef pot pie serves 6.