Recipe - Chicken Pot Pie With Herbs

2 tablespoon Butter
1 Onion, chopped (Or 1 cup
chopped leeks, white
Part only)
One half teaspoon Minced fresh sage
One half teaspoon Minced thyme leaves
2 teaspoon Minced fresh garlic
2 tablespoon Minced sweet green pepper
2 tablespoon Flour
1 One half To 1 Three fourths cups strongly
flavored chicken stock,
heated
2 cup Cooked chicken cut into
3/4inch chunks
1 tablespoon Chopped sweet marjoram
1 cup Yellow turnip, peeled and
cut into 1/2inch
Pieces
2 cup Waxy potatoes, peeled and
cut into 1/2inch
Pieces
2 cup Carrots, peeled and cut into
1/2inch pieces
Salt
Cayenne pepper
Melt the butter in a heavy
saucepan and add the onion,
sage and thyme

Cook, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes. Stir
in the garlic and green pepper; cook for an additional
2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the
flour. Cook for a minute or two to remove the floury
taste, then pour in the chicken stock, stirring
constantly. The stock should thicken slightly. Add
the chicken and sweet marjoram and set aside.
Meanwhile, cook the turnip and potatoes in boiling
water for 5 minutes. Add the carrots and cook for 3
minutes more. Remove the pan from the heat and let
the vegetables sit in the water while you make the
biscuits or roll out the pie crust. BISCUIT TOPPING: 2
cups flour 2 One half tsp baking powder 5 Tbl shortening
Three fourths cup milk Stir together the flour and baking
powder. Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender
until it is the size of small peas. Stir in the milk
with a fork. Pat the dough together. If you overmix
it, the dough will be tough. Pat the dough to a 1inch
thickness. Cut the biscuits with a biscuit cutter or
a straightsided glass dipped in flour. TO ASSEMBLE
THE PIE: Drain the vegetables and add them to the
chicken mixture. Taste the mixture and season with
salt and a generous pinch of cayenne pepper. Pour the
filling into a deep pie plate. Top with the biscuits
(OR the crust; see the Variation). Place on a cookie
sheet (in case the sauce drips) and bake in a
preheated 400 F oven for 15 minutes or until the
biscuits are browned. VARIATION: PARSLEY CRUST "The
amount of liquid depends upon the amount of moisture
in the air. One trick in making pie crust is to add
just enough liquid so that the dough barely holds
togather. Then let it sit in the refrigerator for 20
minutes. The flour particles will swell and absorb the
liquid and you will have a more tender crust." 1 cup
flour 4 Tbl shortening 2 to 3 Tbl water, milk, or
chicken stock Place the flour in a bowl. Cut in the
shortening with a pastry blender. Little by little,
add the liquid, tossing the mixture with a fork. Add
the parsley, press together and place in the
refrigerator for 20 minutes. Roll out on a floured
surface. Place over the pie, cut air vents, and crimp
the edges. Bake in a preheated 425 F oven for 15 to 20
minutes. Let the pie set for a minute before serving
VARIATION: Replace the potatoes with 2 cups of raw
zucchini, cut into 1 inch pieces. Add the chicken
stock along with the chicken.

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini