Farmer's Pie

Good evening!  It is finally starting to feel like winter around here.  Even a little white stuff on the ground, a very little.  I won't complain, at the same time, I feel like we need one of those big, "give it to me good" snow storms where you can't leave the house for a couple of days.  I know, I know, some of you want to slap me right now but, don't worry, I am on the other side of your computer, you temptation will die. 

This pie, I am so excited to share with you.  Honestly, I don't really know why, but the idea all started with, Hunter's Pie, a British dish.  My mother in law, who lived in England for several years would make Hunter's Pie with birds or game my father in law hunted.  Ok well, there are so many things wrong with that idea to me, that I won't waste your time or mine.  No game.  No "shot it myself" birds, and did I mention no wild game?  I know traditionally only venison is used, but this was my late mother in laws way of doing it. 

As my husband was telling me, I had thoughts of more domesticated meat, pork, chicken, and beef in my mind.  Almost like sugarplums, and far from the shiver causing, gag reflex inducing idea of wild game or pheasant, or any of that "stuff" we had to eat as kids.  Oh yea, you thought I was just being nasty because I didn't like the idea of it, when the truth is, this is a lot of what we ate as kids.  Deer meat, never mind, I can't even go there.  My mom would try to sneak it in everything.  My son still tries to get me to eat it.  No, No, NONONONO. 

 

So in a nutshell I decided if I used pigs, chickens and cows, it could be a farmers pie.  A few potatoes and veggies as most farmers or their wives have gardens, and a cast iron skillet and pie crust could round it out.  Perfect, a Farmer's Pie! 

At first I thought this was completely wrong.  Wrong as in, the idea of serving a fried egg on top of a chicken breast, but then I decided, pigs, cows and chickens all get along on the farm, why not in my pie?

You will need:
1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. olive oil
8 ounces chicken, uncooked and diced
5 ounces beef, uncooked and diced
8 ounces pork, uncooked and you guessed it, DICED
1 tsp. minced fresh garlic
1/2 lb.  Yukon Gold potatoes, diced
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup green beans
1/2 cup beef stock
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tbsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. poultry seasoning
1/4 tsp. salt
black pepper to taste
3 tbsp. flour
1 pie crust (I used a premade one for this)
1-2 tbsp. milk (to brush on crust)

While I did this in my cast iron skillet, I am giving you directions to do it in a pot first, then pour into cast iron.  Okey dokey?

First of all, in a large measuring cup pour your chicken and beef stock together.  Add in parsley, onion powder, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper.  Mix to combine and set aside.

In a large skillet or pot on high, add in butter and oil, let the butter melt and add in all of your diced chicken, beef and pork.  Stir and let brown for 3-4 minutes. 

Turn down to medium heat and add in garlic, potatoes, carrots and beans.  Stir and let simmer for 2-3 minutes.  Add in flour and stir until the flour is absorbed, stir for 1 minute to cook off the raw flavor of the flour.  Now, add in stock, and let simmer a until the stock has thickened stirring a few times to combine.  

At this point you can pour it into your cast iron skillet or just a 9 inch round casserole dish.  Now lay the pie crust over the top of the filling.  You can be sloppy!  Just bunch it up here and there so there is just a little bit hanging over, and gently push to adhere to the edges and let it hang. 

This is a rustic pie, let it look that way!  Cut a few vent slits on the top.   Brush the top of the crust with milk and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. 

Let sit for 10 minutes before serving!

ENJOY!

Where's the BEEF Pot Pie?

It is Friday morning.  Still no snow out here, we keep getting small chances but they never come.  AMEN.  I love the cold, I can leave the snow and ice.  One less day of me worrying about my husbands morning commute to work.  People out here drive like mad people.  Have you ever noticed how everyone always seems to be in such a hurry?  So much so that they seem to take unreasonable risks behind the wheel, cutting people off, running lights, etc.  Don't even start me on texting and driving.  I challenge you today, to notice, how many people you see while you are driving with a cellphone to their ear, or reading or sending a text.  It scares me to death.  How many people do not have driving safely, as the only priority when behind the wheel of a car.  I am so thankful our car has blue-tooth built in, but up until then my husband would pull over before he would talk on the phone.  If I didn't reach him for something I needed before he left work, I was doomed because he would not answer while driving.  My rant is over.  Just all comes rushing to me when I see how much a hurry people are in, sometimes I think it is all in the name of the almighty dollar.  Sometimes they have children in the car, and it just freaks me out.  Rant officially over.........

I figured since I live in Nebraska a "Where's the beef" type title was appropriate.  I have been seeing all kinds of different versions of Chicken Pot Pie lately just none for beef.  Chicken is my favorite, right down to those little ones in the freezer section of the store.  I know, I KNOW, but leave me alone, it is a double whammy for me, I love pot pie and I love the smell inside the freezers at the store.  Leave me alone, I will tell my MOM! :)  Sad thing is, she would agree I am a freak of nature.  She would deny she ever gave birth to me and then claim not that she chose to adopt me but I was dropped off in a basket on her front porch and she felt an "obligation" to me.  I swear, I can hear it now.  Age has made her a pretty funny chick.  Maybe raising 10 kids did it, or oh I KNOW, it was my DAD.  God knows being married to him for 55 years would make anyone funny, as a survival technique!

Ok, seriously now.  This turned out really well.  I have been making pot pies forever but decided to cut down on the varieties of veggies I usually use because I have a whiny little kid for a husband when it comes to vegetables.  I cut it down to carrots, potatoes and green beans.  I like peas and celery and onion as well but....waaaaaaaa  waaaaaaaaaa.  Need I say more? :)  If you choose to add more veggies, you might want to knock back a potato and a carrot so you don't have way more filling then you do pie space!

Time to get down to business.  You can use store bought gravy if you choose, you know how I feel about fake brown gravy.  LOVE.  I did use beef stock and just thickened it.  Mine isn't the rich brown color I normally like, but if it bothers you throw in some kitchen bouquet or something to deepen up the color.  I also used london broil for my beef.  Use whatever you have on hand or like, heck you can  probably even use ground beef.  I mean it would gag me, but you might enjoy it!

I did promise to post my crust recipe.  It is awesome.  I even add cinnamon and sugar if I am using it for something sweet.  This recipe will be enough for 2 crusts.  There are no real ingredient secrets, the secret is using FROZEN butter and ice water.  All ingredients must be kept as cold as possible.  When you mix the ingredients you want the little frozen pea size bits of butter to stay that way.  When you bake your crust those are the spots that cause flakiness and buttery goodness!  I make this in my food processor but if you don't have one, just use a pastry cutter thingymabober.  I don't remember where I got this recipe it has been so long.  It is the only recipe I have ever used or will ever use for pie crust!

CRUST:
2 stick of butter frozen, cubed and FROZEN
2 1/4 cups flour  *I even chill this*
1 tsp salt
8-10 tbs of ice water.  I just put ice in a glass, fill it with cold water and refrigerate until ready.

Put the butter, flour, and salt in the food processor, and pulse briefly just until the mixture resembles pea sized bits of butter.  

Add the water, 1 tbsp at a time pulsing briefly after each spoonful of water. Keep adding water until the dough just begins to gather together.  Transfer equal amounts of dough into 2 Ziploc bags or pieces of saran wrap. 


 Pat into disk, wrap well and put into the fridge and let rest at least 30 minutes.  Remove 1 disk at a time to use so it stays as cold as possible until baked.  

FILLING:
3 potatoes, peeled or not, and cubed
3 carrots, peeled and I sliced mine.  Slice it or dice it, whatever makes you feel warm inside
1 cup (ish) green beans (fresh or canned, just drain if canned)
2-3 cups of cubed beef. (We like lots of meat so....again, w/e makes your heart say.. "aahhh")
2 1/2 cups of beef stock
2-3 tbsp flour
2 tbsp butter
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large pot, add butter and beef, you are looking to cook your beef almost all the way here.  Toss it around from time to time, when it stops saying, "MOOO"  it is probably done. Remove from the pot and add your potatoes, green beans, and carrots (if you add celery or onions do that now too).  Pour in enough beef stock just to cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes.  I like my veg to keep a little bite to it, so I go 5.  Remember it will bake another 25 minutes too!  When your veggies are done, add flour to remaining stock in a measuring cup or bowl, whisk flour in until smooth and pour into pot with veggies, cook on medium until thickened.  

Add beef back in at this time as well.  Cover and cook on low, checking occasionally to make sure it isn't sticking or over cooking.  Now for the crust.  Take one crust from the refrigerator and roll out to approx 10 inches on a floured surface.  Gently roll it up unto the rolling pin and unroll over your deep pie dish.  Fit it in and then fill with your filling.

Get second pie crust and you can just place it over the top like normal or you can do a lattice work as I did on mine.  Whisk egg and brush entire top and sides of pie. Sprinkle course salt, pepper and parmesan cheese over the top.  


Place on a pizza pan or cookie sheet in case it runs over.  Bake 25-30 minutes until golden and delicious!!

This is what SHOULD be for dinner tonight!

Enjoy!

Your "pot pie rocks my socks off" chefwannabe

Chris