Delicious Chicken Pot Pies

On December 12, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Recipes4 Comments

Many of us grew up eating the pot pies that you can find in your grocery store’s freezer section, but making your own pot pie is certainly worth the extra effort. As with any food, making it yourself is usually healthier and tastes better. We had a delicious chicken pot pie when we were in Strasbourg and it was rustic and simple. Obviously you can make pot pies with turkey or beef as well, but chicken works out really well. It is a perfect way to use leftovers this holiday season in a way that doesn’t really feel like a leftover. We happen to have a mini-pie maker, which helps, but you don’t have to have one in order to make your own pot pies. You can buy premade pie crusts that are personal size in tin trays and just top with store-bought pie crust. The key to a really good pot pie is the stock that you use, so making a homemade stock is certainly worth the effort. Chicken pot pies are a perfect dinner for a cold winter evening.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups Chicken Stock
4 tbsp Unsalted Butter
2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
2 tbsp All-Purpose Flour
1 Egg – egg white only
1/2 cup Carrot – diced
1/2 cup Onion – diced
1/2 cup Celery – diced
1/2 cup Frozen Corn – off of the cob (or peas)
1 cup Russet Potatoes – parboiled and diced
1 cup Cooked Chicken – diced
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Dried Thyme
1 tsp Dried Rosemary
2 sheets Pie Crust (store-bought) – one package
Salt and Pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Be sure to cut the celery, carrots, and onion into equal sized pieces. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter along with the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the carrots and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the celery and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes and then finally add the onions and cook until they are translucent. Remove the vegetables from the pot, leaving any drippings. Add the remaining butter and heat until melted. Add the flour and whisk until it is slightly brown and nutty, do not over cook. Heat the stock in a microwave until hot and then add the stock to the roux, making sure to whisk frequently as pouring it into the pot. Add the garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper, and continue to heat until it reaches a slight boil. Reduce the heat to low and add the potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, corn, and chicken and cook until heated thoroughly and the stock has thickened. Spoon the mixture into the bottom sheet of pie crust (if using store bought pie pans, prick with a fork and partially cook in an oven before adding the mixture). The mixture should be about a quarter of an inch from the top of the crust. Cut the pie crust to fit the top of the pie and place over the mixture being sure to crimp the edges together with a fork or with your fingers. Brush with egg white and cook in the pie maker (or in the oven) for the directed amount of time, 12 to 15 minutes in our case. Let them rest a few minutes before serving.

Traditional Meat Lasagna

On November 14, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Italy, Reviews3 Comments

Regardless of where you travel, you will likely be able to find a good Italian restaurant that serves traditional meals. When we were in Tuscany we ate many different meals and, unlike other cuisines, the food was pretty much the same as what we find everywhere. When we were in Rome, we actually ate lasagna at a couple of different restaurants and they were both delicious. We have our own family recipe for lasagna that we have enjoyed for years. It is very versatile and can be done as a vegetarian dish or with other meats like ground pork. We make our own spaghetti sauce, but using a favorite store bought brand is certainly perfectly fine. We always make a large batch and then enjoy the leftovers later or even freeze it to pull out on a cold day. It is definitely a meal that gets even better over time.

INGREDIENTS

1 box Lasagna Noodles – Either oven ready or cooked to the package directions
1 lb Ground Beef
1 tsp Dried Italian Seasoning
1 tsp Garlic Powder
7 cups Spaghetti Sauce – homemade or store-bought
2 cups Ricotta Cheese
3 cups Mozzarella Cheese – shredded
2/3 cup Parmesan Cheese – shredded
Salt and Pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

In a large skillet, brown the ground beef with the Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Heat the spaghetti sauce in a large sauce pan, add the ground beef, and simmer for about 20 minutes until the meat is fully seasoned. Spoon just enough of the meat sauce to cover the bottom of a large casserole dish that has been sprayed with a non-stick spray. Put a layer of lasagna noodles over the sauce, being sure to overlap the noodles slightly. Cover the noodles with more meat sauce. Using half of the ricotta cheese, place spoonful’s across the meat sauce. The cheese will spread out as the lasagna cooks. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Repeat with another layer of noodles, ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese. For the final layer, add noodles, a lighter coating of meat sauce, and the remaining 1/3 mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes.

Vertical Roasted Chicken

On October 31, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Recipes3 Comments

One of our favorite meals this time of year is to have roasted chicken with roasted vegetables. Using a can to stand the chicken upright is a great way to get the chicken to roast evenly on all sides and the can helps the inside of the chicken cook more evenly as well. We used our tajine as the base to put all of the vegetables, allowing the drippings from the chicken to coat the vegetables, which makes them even more favorable. It is certainly the type of meal that can be found almost anywhere that you travel as there are so many different ways that chicken and vegetables can be roasted together. You can choose whatever type of root vegetables are in season, but be sure to keep them all about the same size.

Vertical Chicken with Roasted Vegetables

INGREDIENTS

1 whole Roasting Chicken
10 small Red Potatoes
14 Baby Carrots – multicolored
12 Brussel Sprouts
1/2 Red Onion – cut into chunks
4 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tbsp Dried Rosemary – roughly chopped
1 tbsp Dried Thyme
2 tsp Powdered Garlic
Salt and Pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Coat the vegetables with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, salt and pepper, and place them in the base to the tajine (or a shallow baking dish). Coat all sides of the chicken with the remaining olive oil, garlic powder, rosemary, thyme, and salt and pepper. Place a can that is large enough to support the chicken, and that has been washed and dried, inside of the chicken cavity, placing the closed side of the can towards the top of the chicken. Put the can with the chicken in the center of the tajine, surrounding it with the vegetables. Place the chicken and vegetables into the lower rack of an oven that has been preheated to 350 degrees and roast for 15 minutes per pound. Remove from the oven and let rest for 20 minutes. Carve the chicken and serve with the roasted vegetables.