Okay, I will be real, this one's a doozy. It does take a fair amount of time, there are many steps and it's best if prepared over the course of 2 days. BUT…It. Is. Amazing. This is one of my true go-to recipes, I have made it at least 50 times. Once you get it down, it's like a beautiful Brazilian dance. It's easy to double so you can give a couple to friends, bring to a shared meal or freeze them for later on. The flavor is a classic for Brazilian food but not a common combo for American cuisine. It's unique, balanced and so comforting.
I first had this dish in 2014 while visiting coffee farms in Minas Gerais (a state just north of Rio de Janeiro) for my job. It's hard to say what my favorite thing about that trip was. Of course it was amazing to learn about coffee and connect with farmers who were growing beans for the company I was working for. We made fast friends and even with the language barrier the camaraderie was palpable. This was the first time I was (as an adult) connecting something I consumed on a regular basis, coffee, to its origin. How much time and care it took to produce. The amount of resources required and the network of people who stood between the actual coffee cherry growing on a tree and the handmade mug which I sipped that sweet caffeinated elixir from.
I always say that trip was the worst and the best experience of my life. Worst because I no longer felt good about the role I had with this company. I was grateful to have gone on the trip, but when I arrived back at my regular job, I felt so disconnected from it. It took me a few more years to actualize farming as my career. And really it was this trip that made me do it. Nothing like traveling 4,600 miles just to realize what you are meant to do with your life is something your Pépère has been talking to you about for decades. But that's what made that trip the best. Well that and the copious amount of fresh fruit that I stuffed into my backpack each day while visiting farms. And the fresh cheese. And the shots of cachaça we were expected to take before hiking a steep mountainside to see the most ripe coffee cherries. Okay, and the cakes! Seriously if you are not familiar with Brazilian food…check it out. (because I now have a hankering I will be including a totally non-meat related almond cake recipe, its my favorite Brazilian sweet treat…so far)
As always, peep those underlined products in our on-farm market, open every day from 8-8!
Empadao de Frango (Chicken Pie) - recipe adapted from Leticia Moreinos Schwartz cookbook: Cook Brazilian (makes 2 pies, can be frozen unbaked)
Tools
- Stand up mixer with paddle attachment
- 1 large pot
- 1 large saucepan
- 1 medium bowl
- 1 large (to gigantic) bowl
- 2 pie pans (glass, recyclable {we just started carrying “If You Care” brand unbleached kitchen goods in the market and we have the pie pans!} or even round cake pans will work)
Dough
- 3 ⅓ cups flour, sifted
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 3 sticks cold unsalted butter
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup milk (I will never stop plugging Larson Farm’s raw milk CSA)
- 1 beaten egg for the top crust once the pie is assembled
Filling
- 5 cups chicken broth (homemade with our backs and feet -OR- from Simmering Bone)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1 cup flour
- Salt, pepper and nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 ¼ cup frozen peas, thawed
- 1 ¼ cup frozen corn, thawed
- 1 cup diced hearts of palm
- 3 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced (optional in my opinion)
- 4 ½ cups shredded cooked chicken - I prefer to use a half chicken to get the combo of light and dark meat BUT a breast roast or two would work wonderfully as well
- ½ cup chopped scallions, chives or both
- Starting with the dough…sift flour into a bowl and add salt, then set aside. In an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, beat butter at medium until creamy. Add the eggs and milk and mix. Add flour and salt and turn to low speed. Depending on the humidity you may need to add up to 3 tablespoons of water to form a dough ball.
- Turn the dough out onto a flat floured surface. Make the dough into a disk shape, place in a bowl or wrap in plastic wrap and put in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile prepare the filling…In a large pot boil the chicken broth on high, reduce heat and whisk in tomato paste.
- In a large saucepan, melt the butter on low heat. Add flour to make a roux and let cook while stirring for about 2-3 minutes. Add the broth to the roux and whisk constantly over medium heat until it thickens. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Set aside.
- Using the large pot that you boiled the broth in, head oil on low. Add onions and cook for about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add peas, corn, hearts of palm and tomatoes. Stir constantly. Add the chicken and cook for about 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Transfer to a large (or giant) bowl.
- Add the stock to the meat and veg in the large bowl, mix. Add chives, stir and check seasonings. Add more if needed. Cool this mixture completely before making pies. (This is where I would let the mixture cool in the fridge overnight and resume the following day)
- Remove your dough from the fridge about 20 minutes before rolling.
- Cut the dough into 4 pieces. Roll onto a floured surface until about 1/16 inch thick. Fold in quarters and carefully place into the pie dish, be sure the edges are touching for maximum fill. Add filling to the top of the edge of the dish.
- Roll another quarter of the dough. Wet the edges of the bottom half of the pie and place the top on. Crimp the edges and cut an X or a smiley face or whatever you want into the top of the pie with a sharp knife.
- Repeat 8-9 for the second pie. Place in the fridge for at least 1 hour before baking. This would be the time to put the pie in a freezer bag or wrap in plastic wrap to freeze if you wanted to.
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Place your pie on a sheet pan to catch any bubbles & drips. Bake until the crust is slightly golden, about 30-40 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush with beaten egg and put back in the oven for 10-15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let rest. Give it time, this pie holds together and is served better when just warm.
