You know you've become a Seattleite when...
- You find yourself apologizing to out-of-town visitors about the weather;
- You find yourself pointing in various cloudy directions and saying, "If it weren't raining/overcast, you would see the Olympics/Mount Rainier/the Cascades/downtown Seattle over there";
- You become expert at spotting even the smallest, narrowest break in the clouds and tinge of blue sky;
- A sunny day makes you feel guilty, if you don't spend part of it outside;
- You scoff at people using umbrellas for anything less than a total deluge.
This past week... [Photo by Brandon Wong on Unsplash
They keep forecasting some decent weather, but until it materializes we must keep on keeping on. I'm headed over the Pass the next couple days to help my in-laws pack up for the move to assisted living, and it promises to be an emotionally and physically trying time, but, on the plus side, Thursday is supposed to be partly cloudy there and 60F! At least the weather won't mirror the mood.
In the meantime, our droopy surroundings call for something homey and heartening, like chicken pot pie.
That's what I'm talking about
Penny's Chicken Pot Pie
1/4 cup butter
6 Tbsp flour
1 c milk
2 c chicken broth
3 c cooked chicken, torn up into bite-sized pieces
1/4 tsp rosemary
1/4 tsp summer savory
1 Tbsp minced fresh parsley or 1 tsp dried
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 c carrots, sliced thin or cut in little chunks
1 c peas
1/2 c cooked, chopped onions (I mix with a little olive oil and microwave a couple minutes)
1/2 c corn
1 - 9" pie crust (I used pie crust dough made from the Bellevue Farmers Market Cookbook p.71 that I'd frozen last August)
1 egg yolk mixed with 1 Tbsp cold water
Preheat the oven to 425F. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Blend in the flour. Add milk and broth and heat, stirring, until thickened. Add chicken and all the seasonings, then cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix in vegetables, spoon into large, ungreased casserole dish, and let mixture cool to room temperature.
Roll your pie crust out until it's larger than the casserole dish. Cuts slits in the crust to vent. Lay the crust over your filling and crimp to seal. Brush with egg glaze.
The pie in its unbaked glory
Bake your pot pie 30-40 minutes, or until brown and bubbly. Serve with a salad and maybe crusty bread. I'd say it yields about eight servings, which means it fed our family of four people, with one serving of lunch leftovers!
Penny's Pot Pie was so tasty it just might make you wish for the rain to continue another four months! Oh, wait--the rain actually probably will continue another four months. Well, enjoy your pie anyhow.
