One of my new cookbooks is "From Amish and Mennonite Kitchens" by Phyllis Pellman Good and Rachel Thomas Pellman. Tonight I made chicken pot pie out of it, and it was one of the best dishes I ever made.

Now, I don't expect most of you to go make this tomorrow. For one thing, it was a lot of work, the ultimate in scratch recipes.

But for what it's worth, I want to share it with you to capture the moment.

I did this a couple of days ago: Roast a whole chicken with cut up carrots, celery, onion, and a garlic clove in the bottom of the pan. Save the pan juices. Take the meat off the bones and cook the bones and skin in some water to make chicken broth. Add the pan juices and thicken with cornstarch to make a medium-thick gravy. You will need at least 2 1/2 cups. Set aside.

Tonight I did the rest of it, and some of the steps could have been done ahead:
Make pie crust: 2 cups white flour, 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 1/4 cups Crisco, 1 egg, beaten, 1/3 cup cold water, 1 tablespoon vinegar. Roll out and line a stoneware deep dish pie pan or casserole with pastry.

Prepare the following vegetables: diced carrots (I used fresh), diced potato, 1/8 cup diced celery, frozen peas, frozen corn - to make about 2 cups total. Cook the carrots first until nearly tender, then add the potatoes and celery and when almost tender add the peas and corn.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Combine about 1 1/2 cups diced cooked chicken, the cooked vegetables, and 1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour into the pastry-lined baking dish and spoon gravy over the top to moisten well. Cover with a top crust. Cut vents in the crust for steam to escape. Brush with milk. Bake for 30 - 40 minutes until the filling is bubbling in the middle, and the crust is golden brown.

Serve hot with additional gravy.

Yes, it was a lot of work, and it wore me out making it, but this was one of those serendipitous dishes that may never happen again - the pan juices may not be as flavorful, I might use frozen carrots, the pie crust may not turn out as well.



I took this picture after the leftover part had been in the refrigerator for awhile, but you get the idea.