I was first introduced to this dish when our neighbors brought some over to us following their granddaughter’s birthday party, on a day that we were fasting. My wife said that it wasn’t really his thing. I generally don’t eat meat. I actually ended up eating the dish that day, but had a headache later, from consuming the red meat. Since my wife wasn’t a fan, I figured I could try and make the dish myself. I’ve tried twice now. There’s probably still, room for some improvement. I generally tweak recipes to suit me. Hope you like it as much as my family does—they ask for seconds.
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
- 3 to 4 pounds of beef chuck, arm blade, or cross rib roast
- 1/2 cup of chopped onions
- 2 minced garlic cloves.
- 4 chopped celery ribs.
- 14 ounces of beef broth.
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
- 1 teaspoon of pepper.
- 3 teaspoons of parsley (optional).
- 1 bay leaf (optional).
- 1 teaspoon of thyme (I didn’t include this as I don’t have it in my pantry).
- 8 small potatoes, cut in half.
- 8 carrots, cut into large pieces.
Pot Pie Squares, also known as the smooth dumpling.
- 1 and a half cups of flour.
- 1 large egg.
- 1 tablespoon of vegetable shortening (I included this, but the noodles are fine without it)
- Half a teaspoon of salt.
- 3 tablespoons of cold water.
Prepare the meal
Heat oil, in a pot over heat add the beef and cook until its browned all around. Season with salt and pepper, add the onions, pour in the beef broth, then reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot. Let it simmer gently for two hours.
For making pot pie squares, begin by combining flour, egg, salt and shortening in a bowl. Knead the dough by hand, gradually adding water until it comes together. Allow it to rest covered for 15 minutes. Divide the dough into two or three portions, roll each out on a floured surface to 1/8 inch thickness, then cut into squares measuring 2 to 2.5 inches each. Let these squares air dry for 30 minutes before cooking.
Remove the beef from the broth. Shred or chop it into bite sized pieces. Add water to make 3 quarts of liquid and introduce potatoes, celery, carrots, and any other desired vegetables into the simmering broth. Let them cook for 15 to 20 minutes.
Add the pot pie squares into the soup mixture gradually while stirring frequently to prevent sticking. After adding all the ingredients, allow them to cook gently for 6 to 8 minutes until they become tender. If you want the sauce to be more thickened you could try adding a bit of cornstarch.
I spent a good bit of my 20’s touring the country playing music. As a teenager, and throughout my 20’s, in between music, I always worked in restaurants, in various capacities. Somewhere in my late 20’s I realized that I was not on the cover of Rolling Stone, as planned, and so, I started thinking about my future and trying to figure out other ways to have an impact, be creative and still live a bit of that rock ‘n roll lifestyle. The restaurant industry provided me with a good bit of those things. And so, I started honing my chops in the kitchen, putting my nose in food lover’s companion, and really started to go somewhere with it.