Semi-Deconstructed Turkey Pot Pie

One of the meals that we had when we visited Strasbourg was a very rustic chicken pot pie. Because of the fact that we wanted to share it, they basically prepared it deconstructed for us, which we actually enjoyed. We decided to make our own version of this hearty meal and it turned out quite delicious. Needless to say, it certainly wasn’t as elegant as the meal we had in France, but since it was just a weeknight meal for the two of us, that was perfectly fine. We happened to have left over turkey, so that is what we chose to use, but you could easily do something similar with beef, chicken, or even lamb. You could also use a puff-pastry instead of biscuits, but we liked the biscuits as it made a cross between a pot pie and dumplings. Obviously this recipe is very versatile, so you could add in different vegetables to create your own spin on the meal. It is really about what leftovers you may have on hand and what flavors you prefer.

Pot Pie Filling in Strasbourg
Our Pot Pies for Two

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 cups Turkey Stock (we used homemade stock, but you can use store bought chicken stock)
  • 1/2 cup All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 cup Red Onion – chopped
  • 1 cup Celery – sliced thin
  • 1 cup Potatoes – peeled and diced
  • 1 cup Carrots – peeled and sliced
  • 1 1/2 cup Cooked Turkey – diced
  • Biscuits – store bought or homemade
  • 1 tsp Fresh Thyme
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
Vegetables

INSTRUCTIONS

Sauté the onion and celery in a skillet over medium-high heat until they are soft and translucent. In a medium sauce pan, melt butter and stir in the flour to create a rue and add the stock and continue heating on medium-high heat until it simmers (alternately, you can heat the stock in the pot and mix the flour and some cold water in a bowl to create a slurry and then add that to the simmering stock). Add the carrots, potatoes, and cooked onion and celery to the broth. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 2 hours, stirring continuously. Once the potatoes and carrots are tender, the stew is done. Pre-heat an oven to the temperature in the biscuit directions (350 degrees in our case). Pour servings of the stew into oven-safe bowls and put the uncooked biscuits on top of the stew trying to cover it is fully as possible. Place the bowls in the oven for the time in the biscuit directions (16 minutes in our case). Remove and serve.

Sauté Onions and Celery
Simmer Pot Pie Stuffing
Put in Bowl with Biscuits and Bake
Our Version of the Pot Pie

 

Unconventional Food in Chicago

We have been to Chicago several times and have eaten traditional foods such as deep dish pizza, Chicago-style hot dogs, and Italian beef hoagies. During our most recent trip, the temperatures averaged below 10 degrees Fahrenheit (-12 degrees Celsius) with wind chill temperatures that were between -15 and -25 degrees Fahrenheit (-26 and -32 degrees Celsius). With temperatures that cold, it was hard not to just have soup to keep us warm, which we did a few times. We had a variety of food from Italian, American, and even Irish. We did have a pizza, but we not big fans of deep dish pizzas, so we chose a thin crust pizza.

Frozen River from the Michigan Street Bridge
Thin Crust Pizza
Curry Deviled Eggs with Pickled Radish and Caviar
Seafood Pasta

Of the things that we ate, some of our favorites were a seafood pasta with black linguini as well as homemade ravioli. One of our favorite restaurants to visit when we go to Chicago is Ditka’s, which is a traditional steakhouse, but we tend to eat lighter meals when we go there. We actually visited twice and did have a steak, but we also had oyster shooters and then later had a crab bisque, filet mignon sliders, as well as a delicious raspberry cheesecake.

Oyster Shooters
Filet Sliders
Raspberry Cheesecake
Ravioli

We always try to find an Irish Pub during our travels and Chicago is certainly a great place to find one. We ended up going to the Emerald Loop, also a couple of times, and had a wonderful Irish breakfast, corned beef sandwich, and a seafood curry, which they considered to be an Irish dish. You may wonder why we went to the same places more than once during our visit and the answer is quite simple, it was too cold to walk around and go exploring and the Emerald Loop was less than a five minute walk away and we went to Ditka’s for dinner and then later for afternoon snacks.

Irish Breakfast
Seafood Curry
Corned Beef Sandwich
Cold and Snowy

Overall, our visit to Chicago was wonderful as always, despite the frigid temperatures. We look forward to our next visit to Chicago, although it will likely be during a warmer season. Chicago has such a wonderful variety of food and it is definitely a place where you can find things to eat that will suit any palate.

Soup and a Sandwich
Crab Bisque