Chicken Pot Pie

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute the onion in the butter until it clear, 5-10 minutes. Mix the flour, salt, pepper and poultry seasoning together. Add them to the butter and reduce heat to low. Gently cook the flour in the butter, stirring constantly, until the flour is a golden brown (what you are doing here is making a roux for thickening the gravy). This may take 10 - 15 minutes. Add the chicken broth to the roux, increase the heat and bring to a slow boil, stirring constantly. When the mixture has thickened, add the chicken and vegetables. Continue stirring until the mixture boils, then remove from the heat.

Roll out one half of the pie crust and place in the bottom of a 10 inch pie plate. Pour the filling into this. Roll out the other half of the crust and cover the filling. Crimp the edges of the pie together. Cut slits (or poke holes with a fork) in the top crust. Bake at 450°F until golden brown. This may take 35-45 minutes.

Notes

1. This works best if it is hot when you add it.

Filling variations

1:    Replace the chicken with beef and the chicken broth with beef broth and omit
       the poultry seasoning.

2:    Fry 4 or 5 pieces of bacon in a skillet until crisp. Reserve the bacon. Cut up a
       cup of beef steak and a cup of beef liver. Fry this in the bacon fat. Make a
       gravy (as above) using beef broth. Add the vegetables of choice.

3:    Make a white sauce (most general cookbooks will have a recipe for this). Drain
       the water or oil from two large cans of tuna. Add
       the tuna to the sauce. Add the vegetables of choice.

4:    Mince 2 cloves of garlic. Slice scallions to give 1/2 cup. Using a grater, shred
       enough parsnip to yield 1 cup, enough carrots to give 2 cups, enough green
       cabbage to give 6 cups and enough provolone cheese to give 2 cups. Melt 1
       Tbs butter in a large heavy skillet. Cook the garlic, scallion, parsnip and carrot
       over high heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. You don't want this to brown.
       Reduce the heat to medium. Add the cabbage. Cook, stirring often, until the
       cabbage is wilted and soft (about 15 minutes). Remove from heat. Add
       the cheese, 1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice, 1/4 cup heavy cream, 1 teaspoon
       oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice, 1/4 teaspoon ground
       nutmeg and 1/4 cup chopped parsley. Mix well. Allow to cool to room
       temperature.

5:    Cook 2 (10 ounce) packages of spinach according to package directions. Drain
       and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. Add 2 minced cloves of garlic, 1/4
       cup raisins, 1/4 cup pine nuts and 1/4 pound silvered ham. Heat 1 Tbs olive oil
       and 1 Tbs butter om a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the spinach mixture.
       Cook stirring for about 5 minutes. Turn this into a bowl. Add 3 cups shredded
       cooked chicken, 2 lightly beaten eggs and 1 cup heavy cream. Mix well.

6:    Chop 1 large onion, 1 green (bell) pepper and mince 1 clove garlic. Saute these
       in 2 Tbs olive oil untli the onion is clear. Add 2 cups diced cooked chicken, 1
       tsp salt, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, a pinch of ground cumin, 1 cup of chopped
       tomatoes, 1 cup tomato sauce, 1/4 cup chopped olives, 2 Tbs raisins and 1/4
       cup red wine. Mix together.

7:    Brown 1 pound bulk Italian sausage,1 minced glove of garlic and 1 chopped
       medium onion in a heavy skillet until the sausage is completely cooked. Drain
       this. Beat six eggs in a mixing bowl. Add the sausage, garlic and onion, 2 (10
       ounce) packages of frozen spinach which have been thawed and well drained,
       4 cups (1 pound) mozzarella cheese which has been grated, 1 cup ricotta
       cheese and 1/4 tsp pepper. Mix well. Bake at 375°F for about 50 minutes.