This easy chicken pot pie has crispy phyllo topping
I’ve heard it over and over again from readers and I am feeling it myself. We have pandemic cooking fatigue. We dream of stepping out for dinner at least one night a week, maybe two?
We’ve tried lots of strategies to cut down on time in the kitchen and on those dishes, dishes, dishes, including cooking extra for leftovers, but there is nothing like a hot-off-the-stove or freshfrom-the-oven dish.
That’s where this variation on the chicken pot pie steps in. The
ance that I admire. In this book, she lists essential equipment and pantry items, but it is her smattering of cooking tips – ones less experienced cooks need to hear, and experienced cooks always need to be reminded of – that had me turning page after page.
A few examples:
Gather everything you need before you start cooking. (I love this because nothing is more frustrating than realizing you need an ingredient or a tool midway through a recipe.)
Make sure meat is “not fridge-cold,” by removing it 20 to 30 minutes before you will cook it. (I’ve done this often now, after realizing that taking the chill off makes for more even and faster cooking.)
Keep your knives sharp. (This makes slicing and chopping faster, neater and safer.)
Taste when you’re cooking, as long as it is safe to do so. (Sometimes my palate is different from the recipe developer’s; maybe I want more spice, less salt.)
One tip I haven’t tried yet: “For washing away stuck-on grime, use a little laundry washing powder – the detergent breaks down grease effectively and quickly.”
Also, she throws no shade for using a microwave or supplementing with store-bought ingredients in her recipes for brunches, soups, salads, meats and fish. She devotes chapters to meat-free entrees and desserts, too.
The dish I selected from the cookbook, Spicy Pork Loin
With Vegetables and Noodles, came together in less than 30 minutes. I made it once the way she has it in the book, but then made it again with a couple of changes: She recommends using instant vermicelli rice noodles, but I subbed in soba because I prefer them. I subbed in bell pepper for carrot,
too, and added a bit of crushed red pepper flakes for spice.
Either kind of noodle can be boiled, rinsed with cold water, drizzled with a little oil and then refrigerated for up to two days. The pork can be cooked a couple of days ahead as well, if you like.
The quick-as-a-flash dressing for this noodle dish is made with items including a sweet chili sauce, soy sauce and fish sauce, and finished with a splash of lime.
And another piece of advice Reynolds doles out is to consider whether a recipe ticks all the boxes you want to tick: taste, texture, appearance and serving presentation. This one does that for me. The dressing is sweet and salty, with a bit of kick from the pepper flakes I added. I love the crisp, cool cucumber and bell pepper in the same forkful of warm pork and tender noodles. The fresh mint and cilantro add springy freshness and the peanuts a bit of crunch in every bite. Next time? Maybe a little grated ginger in that dressing?