Comfort food I dream about
Last week, as I flew half way around the world from Sydney to Boston via Dubai, I began to have serious food dreams. They were so real that I woke up, on numerous occasions, with a neck jerk and a dying need for something tasty and comforting. As I pondered this strange occurrence, I realized that I was in need of comfort food. I was missing home, sick of airplane food and was dreaming of a dish that made me feel content and happy.
Needless to say, I thought it would be great to share this pie recipe with everyone because it is one that I not only love but always have in my freezer. It is also one that uses whatever you can find in the fridge (in terms of vegetables). As an added bonus, the puff pastry leftover pieces are useful to make savory cheese straws or my favorite sweet, the Palmier or Elephant ear.
Mixture about to be covered with the puff pastry
What is your favorite comfort food?
This is a true comfort food recipe for me. It is also a recipe that permits lots of freedom. You can substitute vegetables for whatever you have in the fridge or freezer including sweet potatoes, sweet peas, broccoli or whatever else you love to eat. This is also a recipe that can easily be frozen before or after cooking it.
Ingredients
- 1 small onion, chopped into small pieces
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1 cup bite-sized cut potatoes (can be leftover cooked ones)
- 1 cup carrots, cut up into bite-sized pieces (can also be cooked)
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/3 cup cream
- 4 1/2 cups chicken or turkey meat
- 1 cup roasted mushrooms
- 1 teaspoon dry thyme
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 sheet of Puff pastry
Instructions
- In a medium pan, sauté the onions in butter, until softened.
- Add flour and continue to cook the onions and flour over medium heat, being careful not to burn the mixture.
- After a few minutes, stir in the potatoes and carrots and coat with the flour mixture.
- Pour in broth and allow the mixture to cook and thicken (aprox. 5 minutes).
- Add cream and continue to cook the vegetables until the sauce begins to thicken.
- Mix in the meat and mushrooms and cook for a few more minutes.
- Add a little broth or cream if the sauce is too thick.
- Pour mixture into an oven-proof dish or ramekins.
- Roll out puff pastry and cut out pieces to cover the dish.
- Be creative with the pastry or reserve to make sweet or savory straws.
- Mix an egg and a drop of water in a small bowl. With a pastry brush, coat the pastry with a thin egg layer.
- Cook pie in a 180C (375F) for 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden and puffed.
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