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That Was Not the Pie I Remembered

Before I give you a recipe, the first thing I do is to make it and make sure it’s good. Then I make sure the ingredients are readily available, or that substitutes can be made easily. Then I sometimes tinker with the recipe to make the recipe even better.

This was not the case with the tourtiere you read last week.

I did make a tourtiere, or French-Canadian meat pie, decades ago, but my husband really didn’t like the cinnamon blend so I never made it again. But my husband is gone and I love the spice blend, so I decided to make a tourtiere from a recipe I found online.

Unfortunately, in this case, I sent the column before I made this tourtiere.

Once I made it, I was gobsmacked.

Either my palate had changed (which can happen to anyone), or the spice blend was horrible, or my taste memory was faulty.

I drove down to my friend Rich Swanson’s house and made him try it.

He said he didn’t think the pie was bad. But maybe he was just being kind?

While I was there, he gave me an individual spiced lamb pie he’d made. That day I thawed the pie and had it for dinner with some broccoli, and there was that tourtiere flavor I remembered.

Will you give me that recipe? I begged him over the phone. Yes, he said, but it might take him some time to make the right amount of seasoning for a full-sized pie.

“Take your time, Rich,” I said.

Unless you are a kid and it is Christmas morning, waiting for something so wonderful is easy. So, I’ll wait.

Today I am giving you a recipe for chicken chili that I have made many times. Because it serves 12 people, you can halve the ingredients to make it for six people. Either way, it freezes well.

Lee White of Old Lyme has been a food editor and restaurant reviewer for more than 25 years. You can email her at leeawhite@aol.com.

Chicken Chili

Adapted from Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa Parties!

Clarkson Potter, New York, 2001

Serves 12

If you call this recipe a stew, make it a day or two earlier and refrigerate, warm it up, and serve over rice; everyone will love it.

Ingredients

8 cups chopped onions (6 onions)

¼r cup good olive oil, plus extra for chicken

¼ cup minced garlic (8 cloves)

4 red bell peppers, cored, seeded and

large-diced

4 yellow bell peppers, cored, seeded and

large-diced

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

½ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes, or

to taste

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

4 teaspoons salt, plus more for chicken

4 28-ounce can whole peeled plum tomatoes

in purée, undrained (I used Muir Glen diced

tomatoes)

½ cup minced fresh basil leaves

8 or more split breast chicken, bone in,

skin on (thighs or a combination would be

fine, too)

For serving: chopped onions, corn chips,

grated cheddar cheese, sour cream

Directions:

Cook onions in the oil over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add bell peppers, chili powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, cayenne, and salt. Cook for 1 minute. Crush tomatoes by hand or in batches in a food processor fitted with a steel blade (pulse 6 to 8 times). Add to the pot with the basil. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In the meantime, rub the chicken with olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast chicken for 35 to 40 minutes, until just cooked. Let cool slightly. Separate the meat from the bones and skin and cut into ¾-inch chunks. Add to the chili and simmer, uncovered, for another 20 minutes. Serve with toppings, or refrigerate and reheat gently before serving.