the modchik

Rachael Ray’s Pot Pie – Italian Style

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Ok, so I had a little kitchen accident last night. I’m fine, but I’m typing a little slow this morning and my thumb still throbs.  Over Easter weekend my mom made Rachel Ray’s Pot Pie for everyone. I loved how flavorful it was without the heaviness of thick gravy and how you still got that satisfying crust without having to eat pastry dough. Don’t get me wrong I love a good flaky crust but I was trying to save my calories for the next days’s Easter eating marathon. Rachel Ray recently appeared on the Good Morning America show demonstrating her Italian version of the Chicken Pot Pie. Delish!
Here are the ingredients you’ll need:
ingredients
You will also need a couple rotisserie chickens:
Heat a large pot over medium-high heat with the EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil), 2 times around the pan.
Add the butter and, once it melts, add the mushrooms and cook for 4 to 5 minutes to give them a little color.
Add the pearl onions, garlic, carrots, celery, red pepper flakes and a little salt and pepper.
Cook 5 minutes longer, stirring occasionally.
cooking
While the veggies cook, slice the polenta log into 1/4-inch-thick disks. One log should yield 20 to 22 disks.
sliced-polenta
Half the ball of mozzarella, then slice each half into 1/4-inch-thick half moons and reserve alongside the polenta disks.
mozzarella-ball
Sprinkle the flour into the veggies and stir to combine, then continue to cook for another minute or two.
Stir while keeping it on the heat – this is when you are actually making the base for your gravy/sauce it’s also known as a roux.
You need the liquid hot enough to properly cook the flour, if you don’t you will end up with an uncooked flour taste commonly known as “white wash” and is considered unacceptable to most gourmet palates. Cornstarch can also be used as a thickening agent but you may still be able to detect its taste and it can also result in a shinier (is that a word?) looking sauce. Stick with a roux.

it will look like this after the flour has incorporated and browned up the dish.
Add the white wine, scraping up any bits on the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.
Add the chicken stock and cream ( I used half and half), and bring up to a bubble, then simmer for 10 minutes.
I remembered my mom’s having issues with the gravy being very thin so I held back and only added 3 Cups of stock and my sauce was still on the thin side. I did substitute 1/2 and 1/2 for cream so that could be a factor as well. I would add less to begin with and adjust at the end if your gravy/sauce is too thick. <– a good rule of thumb.
Remove all the meat from the rotisserie chickens, tearing it into large bite-size pieces and discarding the skin. Add the chicken meat to the simmering sauce as you break it up.
Once all the meat is in the pot, add the tomatoes and peas, and cook for another 2 minutes.
peas
make sure to extract all the water from your frozen peas please!
time to add the basil and parsley
take a bunch of Basil and form it into a little log roll….
carefully slice the basil this is called a chiffonade (<– click for a how to)
be VERY VERY CAREFUL
… I sadly was not.
camera a little shaky after attempting to chop parsley … wonder why
Add the basil and parsley; taste to adjust the seasoning.
Transfer the mixture to a large oval or rectangular baking dish, casserole or lasagna pan.

Shingle the polenta disks and the mozzarella half moons over the top of the chicken and vegetables, distributing the cheese evenly
among the polenta.
Sprinkle the top of the assembled dish with the grated cheese and transfer to the broiler several inches from
the heat.  I had shaved Parmesan I used a TON about 3/4 of the container.

Broil until the polenta is warm and the cheeses have browned.
5 minutes
keep watching… don’t leave your oven
ohh for the love of cheese~
somewhere between 7 and 10 minutes I found perfection!
Let it cool for a few minutes and serve in a bowl.

I served this with crusty french bread (I have to carb load or my boys will scream!)
No veggie dish needed -can I get an Amen for one pot meals!
Unanimous decision that this would make a return appearance soon at the modchik house.
all photos are my own, recipe appears here courtesy of ABC News. You can find the printer friendly version here.

Rachael Ray’s Pot Pie

From the Kitchen of Rachael Ray

Servings: 6
Difficulty: Moderate
Cook Time: 30-60 min

Chicken Pot Pie is a classic comfort dish. Rachael Ray shows
“Good Morning America” how to make them in your home kitchen.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
1 pound button mushrooms, trimmed and halved
1 bag frozen pearl onions (1-pound), defrosted, then drained on a kitchen towel to remove excess liquid (see peas note)
4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
3 celery ribs, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1/3 palm full
Salt and black pepper
1 log prepared plain or flavored polenta (24 ounces) I used plain (room temp on pasta aisle)
1 pound ball fresh mozzarella cheese
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup dry white wine
1 quart chicken stock (I only used 3 cups)
1/2 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
2 cooked rotisserie chickens (I used lemon garlic chickens… enhanced the flavor!)
1 pint red grape tomatoes
1 box frozen peas (10-ounce) (I used the peas with the pearl onion mixed in and separate the 2 during prep)
1 1/2 cups fresh basil (about 25 leaves), coarsely chopped or torn
3/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves (about 3 generous handfuls), chopped
1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (grated), 3 overflowing handfuls (I used fresh shaved)

Directions

Preheat the broiler. Place rack at the center position or drop
the lower or upper broiler pans as far from the heat source as
possible.

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Comments

  2. modchik says

    like a bad car accident you just can’t NOT look! LOL

    thanks for stopping by Jo!

    Reply

  3. kathleen says

    Oh for the Love of Cheese! Great recipe. So sorry for the knife mishap, way to go giving us your all! Fabulous ONE PAN recipe. Thank you Modchik!
    .-= kathleen´s last blog ..Jenny Craig vs Nutrisystem *updated* =-.

    Reply

  4. Leslie (The Sister) says

    Looks DAMN good!!! It must take you twice as long to cook now that you photograph every step!!!

    Reply

    • modchik says

      you know what the more you do it the faster you become. My family now asks what’s next up on modchik when they see my camera on the counter. — you know what it has made me look forward to cooking again too!

      Reply

  5. Leticia says

    Speaking of carbs……I am carb central (bread). Sam’s always bringing things to try so let me know and I can drop off. Everything looks great, Love It!!!

    Reply

    • modchik says

      Thanks!!! I miss your fresh-out-of-the-oven pita SOOO MUCH… let me know when to swing by so I enter my carb coma.

      Reply

    • modchik says

      Thanks for coming over!! how did I do what? add the band aid to the photo? I added a clip art file in publisher, saved as a JPEG. 🙂

      Reply

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