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!

Pretzels, Sweet, Savory and Stuffed!

Good evening ladies, gents and children of ALL ages!  I hope your day has been wonderful and your evening is off to a relaxing start!!

I have made soft pretzels so many times, for so many years and I realized, though I always share photos with you I have never shared my recipe with you!  How RUDE of me?  These remind my husband of home (Jersey) and my dad of home (Philly) and I enjoy making them a batch every chance I get.  I know what is like to miss the flavors and people of home so I do what I can!  Oh, in fact I have a great photo of the 2 of them enjoying some last Father's Day!!  See these mustard lovin' guys?  I call them my "easties"!

Mustard is the topping of choice in our family although I like to make cinnamon and sugar ones that we dip in caramel sauce or cream cheese icing! Ack!  You can see in the photo some are topped with kosher salt and some are not, those are the sweet ones.  You can also see the pretzel dog bites on the top!

I hope that you enjoy these soft pretzels, they are not hard, just a little time consuming, nah, not even all that time consuming, just make them, you won't regret it!  This is a really basic recipe, I have made just a few changes to.

1 1/2 cups water (110 degrees)
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 packet of yeast
2 tbsp melted butter
4 1/2 cups flour

7 cups water
1/3 cup baking soda

1 egg
Kosher salt
Cinnamon Sugar (1 tbsp cinnamon+1/4 cup graulated sugar)

In the bowl of your stand mixer, add in water, sugar, salt and sprinkle yeast over the top.  Let it sit for 5 minutes and become foaming on top before you continue.  Fit your mixer with the dough hook!  Add in melted butter and flour and let it go for 4-6 minutes.  The dough should be nice and uniform in color and texture, it will have cleaned off the entire bowl of all flour and liquid like this....

 





Turn out into a bowl that has been coated in oil or sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.  Cover and let sit for 1 hour in a warm place.  The dough should double in size.  It will look like this...

In a large, wide pot or a roasting pan, fill with water and baking soda and begin bringing this to a boil.  Preheat oven to 450.  Get 2 cookie sheets ready by laying them with parchment paper and spraying with nonstick spray on top of that, then, set aside.

At this point you will turn the dough out unto a floured surface.  You have  couple of options.  Well I am sure you have way more options than that, I just used these 2 options!

1. Divide into 12 pieces, roll into a snake and shape into a U shape.  Take the ends at the top of each side of the U, criss cross them downward and smoosh into the bottom part of the U. (I now realize I should have double twisted the crisscross, sue me)  Making a pretzel shape.  Do this with all 12 pieces.  OR

2.  Using all beef hot dogs or little smokies, take a small ball of dough 1 inch in diameter and flatten it out.  Lay a piece of all beef hot dog or 1 little smokie in the center and wrap the dough around, sealing on the bottom. 

3.  Do half and half!!  teehee

Now wait for your water to boil, and carefully place 1 pretzel at a time in for 30-40 seconds, then use a spatula/flipper to take them out.  If they are sturdy enough you can use tongs.  Lay them on your sprayed parchment lined cookie sheets.  If you are doing the hot dog bites, do the same thing. 

Now using 1 egg beaten with a splash of milk, brush the tops and sides of the pretzels/bites with it.  Then sprinkle on kosher salt or a mixture of cinnamon and sugar for a sweet pretzel. 

Bake:
Pretzels 10-12 minutes
Bites 7-10 minutes.

Now as I said before, in my family we dip the savory in mustard or cheese.  We dip the sweet in caramel or cream cheese icing and of course we eat the bites with cheese or ketchup.  You do what you like, just make sure you try one of each!  It is what a GOOD chef would do! :)

Your "soft pretzels make me sweat" chefwannabe