Chicken-Leek-Mushroom Pie (with Bacon)

A British classic. Now I know why!

What we call "pot pies" here in America were called savory pies in Ireland, England and Scotland. The chicken-leek pie is classic British fare. And leeks do make the dish. I also added mushrooms and, since I now live in the South, I added smoked hog jowl--bacon to you Northerners.

I became so frustrated with this recipe that I almost gave up and threw it out. The sauce was too thin and not at all what I wanted and I felt the chicken overcooked. Instead, I covered the meat/leek mixture and put it in the fridge. I doctored up the sauce (cream cheese does wonders) and put it over some whole-grain pasta. The following day I re-examined my recipe and amended it. I'm glad I did.

Don't even begin to think of this a Banquet frozen pot pie. The savory leek-and-thyme chicken mixture with a cheese-garlic Bechamel sauce and topped with a flaky crust is insanely, lick-the-dish-clean delicious and worthy of a white-linen table cloth.

Meat Filling

• 10-12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken thighs (1 heaping cup) chopped into chunks
• 2 medium leeks, sliced (about two cups)
• 1 small onion, chopped, 1/2 - 3/4 cup
• 4 ounces sliced baby button mushrooms (about 1 cup)
• 1/4 cup chopped, thick-sliced bacon or skinless, smoked and sliced hog jowl (or pancetta)
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme flakes
• Salt and pepper to taste

Sauce

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 teaspoon pressed garlic or finely minced
• 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken stock
• 1/4 cup fresh-grated Parmiganno-Regianno cheese
• Turmeric for color (optional)

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry

I almost threw away this old pan. It's great for throwing in chopped veggies.

Place bacon in heavy saucepan and begin to sautee. When it begins to brown and render its fat, add the mushrooms. If necessary, add a drizzle of olive oil. You don't necessarily want the bacon to turn "crisp." This is easier to do if the bacon is a thick slice or if your are using smoked hog jowl. When mushrooms have yielded their liquid and reduced, remove to a bowl.

Smoked, sliced hog jowl is cheaper than bacon and,
in my opinion, better. The fat is "buttery."

Add a bit of olive oil and butter to pan. When hot, add the leeks and onions, cooking over medium heat until leeks are wilted and the volume is reduced by half. The mixture will just begin to turn a bit brown and leeks will have become soft and pliable. Remove to bowl with mushroom/bacon mixture.

Give the pan a drizzle of olive oil and a bit of butter. Add chicken and quick fry until golden. Don't crowd the pan and do in two batches (which is what I did). If necessary, de-glaze pan with a bit of dry white wine. Remove chicken pieces to separate bowl.

Keeping the chicken in large chunks prevents over-cooking.
Remember, the chicken will also bake in the oven.

When done, add all ingredients back to pan. Add dried thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer gently so flavors meld.

At this point, the mixture may be cooled, covered and refrigerated until the next day.

To make the sauce:

Add butter to a medium pan. When melted, add the garlic and stir until fragrant. You don't want it to brown and if it begins to do so, remove from heat immediately.

Add the flour and stir for about two minutes over medium-low heat to cook out the flour taste. If it turns a bit golden, don't be alarmed.

Now begin adding the milk, a little at a time, stirring constantly with a wire whisk. When tiny bubbles show around the side of the pan, that's a sign to add more liquid. (This is not going to be a super thick sauce.) Add stock a little at a time. When it turns the consistency of heavy cream, add the cheese and stir until melted. Add a few sprinkles of turmeric until it turns light gold in color. Taste for seasonings.

Place meat mixture in a large bowl and begin mixing in the sauce. You may find you don't need all of it. You will end up with a total of about 2.5 cups of mixture.

Distribute mixture evenly among four, four-inch ramekins.

Divide cold puff pastry into four squares. Wet the rim of ramekins and place one square over each pot, pressing down gently around the edge. Cut a vent in the center. (At this point, I only did two and returned the other two to the fridge to prepare the following day.)

Place filled and topped pies in refrigerator while oven is heating.

Preheat oven to 400 F. Place on a baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes.

Allow to cool a bit before digging in.

Meatballs

Garlic. Parsley. Cheese. That's a good meatball.

A bad meatball disguises itself as meatloaf. Meatballs should have a certain complexity to their taste, which includes cheese, parsley and lots of garlic. And the mixture should be lightly handled to avoid stone-like balls when cut into. I actually prefer my meatballs served with plain, buttered noodles. But simmering them in a tomato sauce will give an added depth and tenderness.

15 meatballs

• 1/2 lb. ground chuck
• 1/2 lb. ground pork
• 1/3 cup dried bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 2 heaping tablespoons finely chopped curly parsley
• 1 tablespoon garlic, pressed
• 1-2 tablespoons grated onion
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/4 cup fresh-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese or similar
• 1/4 teaspoon all-purpose black pepper
• 1 egg, lightly beaten with 2 tablespoons milk
• 6 dashes Tabasco Sauce or to taste
• 3 sprinkles/shakes ground allspice

Melt butter and add to dried bread crumbs. Be sure your parsley is finely minced. If you don't have a garlic press, finely mince your garlic.

Place all ingredients into a bowl and with a wooden spoon or spatula, begin folding and mixing. Avoid using your hands because they tend to squeeze the mixture. You want to keep it as light as possible. Cover and place in refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 400 F degrees.

Lightly spray a wire rack and place it over a sheet pan.

Begin forming golf-ball sized meatballs by gently rolling between your palms. Don't squeeze. Use a light touch.

Place on rack and bake for about 20-25 minutes. If you are going to add them to sauce, bake for about 15 minutes. They will finish cooking in the sauce.

NOTES: If you sub Italian sausage for part of the pork, omit the allspice and/or Tabasco depending on spiciness of the sausage you are using.

Three-Ingredient Tomato Sauce

Unctuous! Great for bread dipping! Keep the pot partially covered
to avoid "stove splatters." Notice the splatters along the edge of the pot. 

This recipe from Marcella Hazan was all over the Internet when it first appeared several years ago. Most people "swooned" over its ungarnished simplicity and taste. But, there are those who prepared it and voted it anything but "special."

Me? I'm somewhere in the middle. I have a tough time with any tomato-based sauce since my taste buds recoil at acidity and sourness.

So, in the interest of Internet made-recipes, I made it.

I enjoyed it so much, I made it several times.

This is NOT what one would call a spaghetti sauce or "gravy."

It's not going to have a ton of flavors like most spaghett sauces. But, that's the point. So, move on.

I thought maybe I'd miss garlic, but I didn't. Many people do not discard the onions but blend them in with the sauce. An immersion blender makes easy work of it if you are so prone. Most just eat it or spread it on a piece of lightly toasted bread.

My favorite way to eat this was simply dipping in pieces of torn artisan bread to hold the unctuous sauce.

And, when I paired it with meatballs, it was really all I needed. Or wanted. It complemented the savory meatballs perfectly without stealing the show the way some sauces can.

I've always added butter to my tomato sauce. It just makes it more mellow, and I'm not ready to throw out my standard, simple tomato sauce recipe for the acidic impaired. Or my jar of RAO. Or my Instant Pot recipe with pig's feet.

So, will I make it again? Yes, especially in the summer when I have fresh basil at hand. If you can your tomatoes, you may want to put up a few quarts of whole tomatoes to have on hand when the snow flies.

Since writing this, I now have access to a few "San Marzano" tomatoes which I used. They are way less acidic. A bit expensive, but worth it. And I always shower my sauce/spaghetti with a liberal grating of Parm.  You do you. 

If using fresh garden tomatoes, it is recommended you peel and de-seed them, keeping as much juice as possible. Enjoy.

The original recipe as written used eight tablespoons of butter, not five. I use six.

If you love tomatoes, you will like a spoonful of this over scrambled eggs, chunks of canned tuna fillets, slathered on gently fried gnocchi with fresh sage leaves. Lots of possibilities. 

I love a can with great, colorful graphics.
These are actually produced in Indiana
and get consistently good reviews.

• 1, 28 ounce can plum tomatoes 
• OR
• 2 lbs fresh tomatoes, peeled/seeded, juice saved.
• 5 tablespoons butter (see notes above)
• 1 medium onion peeled and cut in half

Place tomatoes in a heavy pan--at least three-quarts. Add the butter and onions. Bring to a simmer, occasionally breaking up some of the tomatoes as you casually stir. Cook for about 45 minutes to an hour on simmer mode or until you notice the yellow sheen from the tomatoes releasing their fat. (I kept the pot partially covered). Remove onion.

I like the onion. A lot will simply 'melt' into the sauce. Some people blend it all up. Some people remove it and serve on the side. You do you.

Salt: If you use canned tomatoes, they may already contain salt. If using fresh, they will not. Add salt to your taste.

(Notes: It's important to use a heavy-bottomed pan. You want a good, constant simmer so the the tomatoes thicken up. Use real butter. The recipe suggests San Marzano tomatoes, but, to tell the truth, I  find some brands "watery" so use that which you are familiar and enjoy.)

Scrambled Eggs

Eggs are amazing; their versatility, endless; their culinary requirement, a necessity. They take up little storage room and their shell is their own packaging! They are a powerhouse of protein, vitamins and amino acids. A large egg is only about 70 calories. They are, in fact, one of the healthiest foods to eat.

The "scramble" in scrambled eggs is a bit of a misnomer. You only want to "scramble" the eggs before cooking them. Once they hit the pan, you want to FOLD them so they keep their light, airy texture. I prefer mine on the custardy side, not overdone.

The addition of three ingredients elevates this humble food to a more adult level: cream cheese, green onion, Tabasco sauce. I used a chive/onion-flavored cream cheese, but plain is fine, too. (Scrambled eggs with a glass of Champagne is a killer!)

• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon finely minced green onion
• 1.5 tablespoons cream cheese, room temperature
• 4-6 drops Tabasco sauce
• Salt & pepper to taste

In a small bowl, add the green onion to the cream cheese and blend well. Set aside.

In another small bowl, beat/scramble the eggs using a whisk or hand beater until lemon in color, light and frothy and no egg white is visible. Mix in Tabasco.

Melt a bit of butter in a non-stick pan over medium-low heat. Add egg mixture and then dollops of the cream cheese mixture. When eggs begin to set, begin folding with a spatula and gently working in melted cream cheese. 

Eggs should still appear a bit "wet" when done. Slide onto a plate. Salt and pepper to taste.

Notice the "folding" ripples
and the creaminess of the cheese.

Notes: I used Kraft Philadelphia Cream Cheese flavored with onions and chive.

(If you like this recipe, be sure to click the SU submit button below.)

Thanks for stopping by!