Chicken pot pie (17th century)

Yield: 10 Servings

Measure Ingredient
8 tablespoons Butter, sweet
½ teaspoon Nutmeg, grated
½ teaspoon Cinnamon, ground
5 tablespoons Flour
3 cups Chicken stock
½ cup Heavy cream
1½ teaspoon Salt
¾ teaspoon Pepper, black
½ cup Prunes, pitted; coarsley chopped
½ cup Currants
½ pounds Mushrooms, quartered
1 \N Pepper, Red bell; cored/seeded/coarsely chopped
1 pounds Pearl onions, frozen; thawed
6 cups Chicken, cooked; cubed
1 pack Peas, frozen; thawed
½ \N Flaky pastry recipe
\N \N Egg wash
\N \N SOURCE:*Yankee Magazine, November 1993
\N \N POSTED BY: Jim Bodle 10/93
\N \N Fidonet COOKING echo

In a 2 quart saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons butter over low heat. Add the nutmeg and cinnamon and cook for 1 minute. Sprinkle the flour over the butter, and with a wooden spoon, stir to blend. Increase the heat to moderate and slowly add the chicken stock, blending well after each addition so that there are no lumps. Mix in the cream, salt and pepper. Gradually bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. When it has thickened, add the prunes and currants. Cook over low heat 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter in a saut^B pan over moderately low heat. When it foams, add the mushrooms and peppers. Saut^B until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the onions, increase the heat to moderate, and saut^B for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place the chicken in a large mixing bowl. Scrape the sauteed vegetables and peas on top, then pour the prune sauce over all. Toss gently to distribute all the ingredients.

Taste for seasonings and adjust if needed.

Spoon the chicken mixture into a deep 4-5 quart ovenproof casserole.

Roll out the flaky pastry or puff pastry and, using the casserole's lid as a guide, with the tip of a sharp knife cut it to fit. Lay the pastry over the chicken mixture and brush it with the egg wash.

Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown. Serve immediately. Serves 10-12

Early cookbooks reveal that chicken pie was every bit as popular as roasted turkey for the prinicipal entree at Thanksgiving dinner. Al- though it's hard to believe, some familes even served both. This recipe, with its bizarre inclusion of prunes and currants, nutmeg and cinnamon, has been developed from a very early recipe. Do not be put off by the fruit and spices. Their presence is unobtrusive and they enhance what can be a very pedestrian sauce, turning it into a magnificent, if mysterious, backdrop for the chicken.

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