Recipe: Chicken pot pie

The association shares this note about the recipe: This filling for the pie can be made a day or so in advance. Feel free to put an egg wash (one egg whisked with a tablespoon of water) on the finished pastry before baking if you prefer a sheen on your crust.

For the chicken:

1⁄2 cup chopped parsley

For the crust:

3 tablespoons ice water

Prepare the chicken. In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil until hot. Stir in the garlic, thyme, oregano, tarragon, bay leaf, turmeric, salt-free all-purpose seasoning, pepper, salt and sauté for one minute. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and mushrooms and sauté for two minutes. Stir in the flour and coat the vegetables well.

Add the Pernod, if using, and chicken stock and stir to blend well. Allow the mixture to come to a simmer. Stir in the chicken and simmer for five minutes. Stir in the peas and parsley. Remove from heat and pour the mixture into a 3-quart oval casserole. Cover loosely with foil and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and set aside. To make the crust, placed the flour (and salt, if using) in a medium-sized bowl and add the margarine spread, cut into in one-inch pieces. Cut the margarine spread into the flour with a fork or pastry cutter (this can all be done in a food processor) until crumbly. Avoid over-working the dough. Add the ice water and mix (pulse in a food processor) until the dough just comes together. Roll the dough between two pieces of film wrap until it matches the size of the casserole. (Hold the dish above the dough to check for correct size.)

Peel off the top layer of wrap and bring the casserole next to the dough. Lift the dough by the bottom wrap and use it to help invert the crust onto the casserole. Trim the outside edges of the crust and gently press the dough so that it fits perfectly around the inside perimeter of the casserole dough. Cut eight, evenly -spaced 1-inch vents in the dough as demarcations of portions and to release steam while baking. Place the casserole on the foil-lined baking sheet and bake until the crust is golden brown and the juices are bubbling, about 45 minutes. Let the casserole rest for ten minutes before serving. Serve the pie in a soup plate over a small mound of olive oil mashed potatoes (which are traditional mashed potatoes made with olive oil instead of butter).

8 servings

Dietary Exchanges: 2 lean meat, 1 1/2 starch, 2 vegetable, 1/2 fat