Come to find out about it, frequent Forum helper-outer Michael Koznek of Snohomish knows his way around the garden every bit as well as he does the kitchen.
First, for fellow gardeners, he says, “Now that the spring planting season is at hand, may I please suggest to readers that when they are planting their gardens, they put in a few more seeds for local food banks.
“Here is a little rhyme to help determine how much to plant: ‘Plant one for the birds, one for thee and one for to share with charity.’
“I do not recall where I learned this, but I did not write it.”
Then, for the cooking part of the program today, Michael tells us, “After reading the SOS from Pat Rhodes, I immediately thought of this recipe. It’s not exactly what she asked for, but it’s close and tastes good.”
He adds, “Don’t let the name fool you.”
So read through his recipe, and all the directions, and you’ll see exactly what he means…
OK, I’ll cheat and spare you the suspense: Michael also says, “For some reason, unknown to me, these large noodles are called ‘pot pies.'”
Pennsylvania Dutch chicken pot pie
1 (3-3 1/2-pound) chicken
1/4 teaspoon pepper
21/2 teaspoons salt
1 rib celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon saffron
Water
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch slices
4 ribs celery, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
Dough:
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
4-6 tablespoons water
Chopped parsley for garnish
4 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and cut into wedges for garnish
Place the chicken in a 4-quart pot or Dutch oven. Add the pepper, salt, chopped celery, onion and saffron. Add water to almost cover the chicken. Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer about 1 hour or until the chicken is tender. Do not overcook.
Remove the chicken from the broth. Strain broth, skim off as much fat as possible, and return the broth to the pot. When the chicken is cool, remove the meat from the bones and cut it into bite-size pieces. Discard the skin and bones.
To make the dough, place the flour in a mixing bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the eggs and salt. Gradually work the eggs into the flour, adding only enough water to make a soft but not sticky dough. Knead 5 minutes. Cover the dough with a cloth and let it rest on the kneading board for 30 minutes.
Divide the dough in half. Roll out each half as thinly as possible into a 15-inch square and cut each square into 2-inch squares with a sharp knife or pastry wheel.
Now add the potatoes and sliced celery to the broth. Simmer 25 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Taste the broth and add salt and pepper as needed. Add the chicken pieces and bring to a boil. Slide the squares of dough into the broth, a few at a time, pushing them down gently. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer 20 minutes.
Ladle the pot pie into large soup bowls and garnish with chopped parsley and the wedges of egg. Makes 6 to 8 servings.
The next Forum will appear in Wednesday’s Good Life section.
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