Pot Pie

Picked Pea Pot Pie

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Do you ever just have bad days? Of course you do. Everyone does. My fishing guide had one the other day. This year he is not really my fishing guide. He became a real fishing guide as he needed a job. The job options up here in Almost Canada are rather bleak so he was more or less forced to work on the ice. He now brings others to fish, thus we do not get to fish. Something that is none too thrilling for our hobby of ice fishing which we are both quite passionate about. But what can you do? He needed a job.

This job is different from his previous accounting desk type jobs. He likes this job well enough but like all jobs, things set you off. You get grumpy. He called me on his way home with a grumpy & annoyed tone the other day. Our conversation was brief. He had a long day.

All his days are long actually. He gets up at 4:30 and working 12 hour days (or longer) is the norm. Consequently, I make dinner. I always made dinner before but now it is more of a necessity. I don’t mind. I love making dinner.

When he called me I had planned on making individual pot pies with biscuits. A comforting, warming dish common in Minnesota this time of year. This one would be super easy and all my ingredients were readily available. I had leftover duck already shredded, I had biscuits for the crust, and I had cream of chicken soup, cheddar cheese, herbs, and a bag of mixed veggies in the freezer for the filling.

The veggies consisted of corn, green beans, carrots, and peas. And here lied my dilemma…peas. He hates peas with a passion. I love peas and I love them in my pot pie. Needless to say he does not enjoy them at all in food. I knew today was not the day to be serving him peas. I actually burst out laughing in the kitchen imagining his reaction if I were to serve them to him. Funny to me but not to him most likely. So I set about removing the peas from my filling. It wasn’t that difficult. I just tried to scoop portions for his that didn’t contain many peas and then removed any stray peas.

When he came home and saw mini pot pies for dinner he looked pleased. When I served him his plate and put mine before me he said, “mine looks different”. I responded, “That’s because I picked out all the peas from yours.” A smile appeared on his face. And then a smile appeared on mine. We then enjoyed what little time we had left before he went to bed.

While I know that picking out peas did not cure his grumpiness completely it did lighten the mood. It is a reminder of how much I care for him. A small thing that reminds me that things aren’t as bad as one might think if all you have to do is take the time to remove some peas.

Individual Pot Pies* (serves 4) 

*Note that I do not know who came up with this recipe first. I know that biscuit companies have this almost exact recipe listed on their websites but I also know that I didn’t learn it from them. I’m not sure where I learned it. I think it is one of those recipes that everyone comes up with at some point.

  • pack of 8 refrigerated biscuits (or make your own)
  • 1 1/2-2 cups shredded meat (I used duck but chicken works just fine)
  • 1 can cream of chicken soup
  • 1/2 tsp each oregano & thyme
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (use more if desired)
  • 1 bag mixed vegetables or use what you have on hand (about 2- 2 1/2 cups veggies)

Preheat oven to 375F. Grease 8 muffin cups.

Cook veggies according to package directions. Place meat, veggies, soup, cheese, and seasonings in a large bowl. Mix well. Take biscuit dough and stretch each biscuit until about 1/4 in thin. The circle should be about 5-6in diameter. Place biscuits in greased muffin cups. Fill with filling until about the top of the muffin cup. Fold sides of biscuit over filling. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.

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Heat excess filling on the stove or in the microwave. Serve pot pies with the additonal filling.

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(Picture is of my pies, the ones with peas. My fishing guide’s pot pies looked the same but contained only corn, carrots, and green beans in terms of veggies)

Cornbread Chicken Pot Pie

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I love pot pie. I think it is engrained in my Minnesota upbringing. When winter is half the year you enjoy comfort foods for half the year. The weather has turned rather brisk so pot pies are going to be a reoccurrence for many months to come.

Peas, carrots, potatoes, & chicken in a creamy sauce with a pastry crust is the traditional pot pie eaten by many, but you can really add anything. I love the fact that they are so versatile. You can add basically whatever you want to them depending on what kind of flavors you desire.

The first pot pie I ever made my fishing guide had peas & mushrooms in it. I didn’t know it then, but am constantly reminded now, how he hates peas. His mother even told me that she served him peas as a child and he responded with a question, “Are you made at me?” I guess he has always hated peas and will always hate them (except for pea soup – go figure). Anyhow, he did not enjoy that classic version & I have constantly been adapting pot pies ever since.

This version uses the veggies I had on hand as so many of my recipes do along with chicken and a cornbread crust. It is quite comforting on a brisk autumn day or cold winter night.

Cornbread Chicken Pot Pie (makes 4 servings)

Filling

  • 1 can (10 3/4 oz) Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
  • 1 can (about 8oz) whole kernel corn, drained
  • large handful fresh green beans, washed, trimmed, & cut into 1 inch pieces (use canned if needed)
  • 2-3 medium carrots, sliced into bite-size pieces
  • 2 cups chicken, cooked & shredded
  • 1/2-3/4tsp thyme
  • pinch salt, pepper, garlic powder & onion powder
  • 1/2 cup cheddar cheese

Cornbread Crust

  • 1 package (about 6.5 oz) corn muffin mix
  • 2 tbsp melted butter
  • 1/3cup milk
  • 1 egg
  1. Preheat oven to 400F.
  2. In a small pot of boiling water add carrots & cook for 10-15 minutes. Add green beans and cook for 3-5 more minutes (if using canned omit this step and combine with the rest of the ingredients in step 3). Drain water.
  3. In a medium bowl combine cooked veggies & all other filling ingredients. Pour into a 2 qt casserole dish.
  4. In a small bowl, combine crust ingredients. Spoon dollops onto the filling in the casserole dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until topping is golden brown.

Comfort Food

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I have been absent from writing & baking for a bit. It isn’t because I want to be but rather because I have no Internet where I am staying. I do have my phone so hopefully this goes through. For those of you who are interested I have landed my dream job in a dream location. This has caused me to temporarily live with someone until I can get a place of my own. Thus, I was only able to bring up a small amount of items to get by and all my baking equipment and supplies stayed down south.

The person with whom I am staying has gone deer hunting as I imagine most people up here have done. After all, Deer Monday or Deer Day (the Monday following deer opener) is a school holiday. This weekend I am all alone. My guy is also off hunting so he did not come up to visit. The weather is also quite crisp and there was a slight snowfall yesterday & today. To warm myself up and be comforted by one of my favorite foods, I decided to make a pot pie with what I had on hand.

Directions: Preheat oven to 375F. Chop 1 onion and 2 stalks of celery. Add to sauté pan with 2tsp olive oil. Cook over medium heat for 5min. Meanwhile, peel and chop 3 large carrots. Add carrots to pan, cover, turn heat down to low.

Bring a pot of water to boil & add 2-3 potatoes depending on the size. Boil for 30min or until cooked through. Remember to move your pan veggies around every so often. Cube or shred 8oz of cooked chicken. Once the potatoes are done, drain the water. Add milk and yogurt & mash until desired consistency.

Add a concentrated chicken stock and 1/2C water to the veggies with pepper to taste. Add the chicken & transfer to a baking dish. Top with mashed potatoes and bake for 30-40 minutes. Serves two or one person twice.

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