Dan and I often spend the holidays solo since our relatives are far away. But that never bothers us. We still make a full Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, and then are over-loaded with leftovers. But is that a bad thing?
We have lots of leftover turkey from this Thanksgiving. Dan and I looked through my vintage cookbook recipes and found a nice one for Turkey Pot Pie. He even volunteered to make it! Again, is this a bad thing? It actually was a Chicken Pot Pie recipe, but we figured turkey could be substituted. I was worried at first that he wouldn’t follow the recipe, but he did for the most part and it was heaven.
The recipe is from Meta Given’s, The Modern Family Cook Book. I have the 1953 edition, but it was first published in 1942. The inside cover has a lovely inscription: “One of the first cookbooks given me in the 50s by Pappau.” It’s certainly well used. Here’s the recipe:
Filling:
- 1/2 c. cold chicken broth
- 1/3 c. flour
- 1 1/2 c. hot chicken broth (Dan actually used quite a bit more chicken broth as the roux was too dry)
- 2 1/2 c. turkey cut into large pieces
- 3/4 c. peas (we used frozen)
- 2 sticks celery, diced
- 2 carrots, diced (this was not in the original recipe)
- 1 tsp. salt
Dan stirring the pot of goo
Make a paste by blending cold chicken broth and flour until smooth
Add paste to hot chicken broth and cook over direct heat, stirring constantly until sauce boils and thickens
Combine with chicken, peas, celery, carrots, salt and pour into a pie shell (Dan used the Pillsbury roll out pie dough)
On top place the second Pillsbury pie dough sheet and crimp all around sides
Make several gashes near the center to allow steam to escape
Bake in a 425 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until nicely browned
The finished pie out of the oven
The result was divine! And the best part was I didn’t have to make it. Hope you enjoy this great 1940s/50s era recipe that is timeless.
Ready to serve
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