In times of stress, after a bad day or simply when it's cold outside, comfort food warms us and nourishes our bodies and souls. After all, food is what we offer when others are hurting, or we want to show someone that we care about them. Love of comfort food must be rooted in our childhood psyche. When we are pining for something warm and gooey, we are yearning for the feeling we got when Mom would go out of her way to do something extra to make us feel special. At my house, it was always Chicken and Dumplings. I don't know how this became the ultimate comfort food in my life, but whenever I was in a rough spot, Mom would pull out the big pot and start cooking. It always seemed to take the edge off of my day and make me feel loved.
So this week, after three consecutive blizzards, near zero temperatures and a month of icy, treacherous streets, my family was in need of little TLC. We lit a fire and poured a glass of wine, but comfort food was needed to warm us on the inside. Something creamy and hot from the oven. Something like a pot pie.
I started with some turkey breast pieces, cut up some veggies and made a cream sauce. I found some marinated mushrooms and red peppers and added them for flavor and color. Some drop biscuits on top added the perfect touch of doughy, crusty goodness. Baked until the sauce was bubbling through tiny holes in the biscuits, my whole house smelled like a hug. We ate big bowls of it in front of the fire, and felt very well taken care of.
Turkey Pot Pie
1 cup of chicken broth
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 stalk of celery, diced
1 1/2 cups of milk
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups cut up turkey or chicken
3/4 cup mushrooms and red peppers, marinated in olive oil and herbs
1/2 teaspoon of pepper blend
1/2 teaspoon of dried parsley
1 teaspoon of garlic salt
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a medium saucepan, mix together the broth, carrots, onion and celery. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 5 minutes. Stir the milk and flour together in a small bowl, add to veggie mixture in saucepan. Cook until thick and bubbly. Mix in turkey, mushrooms, peppers and seasonings. Pour into a 2 quart casserole. Make the biscuit dough:
1 1/2 cups of flour
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup of milk
Blend together dry ingredients, cut in butter until mixture is coarse and crumbly. Pour in milk and mix just until blended. Drop by spoonfuls on top of turkey mixture. Bake 20-25 minutes until the biscuits are golden brown and sauce is bubbly. Enjoy!
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