Simple Chicken Pie

This is a very tasty way to use up leftover chicken. And leftover vegetables, if you happen to have them available.

Ingredients:

• double pie crust (use frozen or make your own by following directions of the Crisco or lard box)
• about 3 cups of roasted or poached chicken cut into bite-sized pieces

• about a cup of frozen peas

• about a cup of par-boiled carrots

• one small onion diced and quickly sauteed in a bit of butter to soften

• about 1/4 cup of diced red pepper, sauteed with the onions to soften

• 2 tablespoons of butter

• 2 tablespoons of flour

• salt and pepper to taste

• 1 teaspoon of dried thyme leaves

• about 1 cup of milk, perhaps more

Methods: 
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. 

Combine the meat and chopped pre-cooked/sauteed vegetables in a large mixing bowl then quickly combine the butter and flour in a small saucepan on the stove to make a roux. (See roux-making instructions below) Add the milk to the cooked roux  and whisk it until the liquid has thickened. You've just made a white sauce. Add salt, pepper and thyme leaves to taste, then pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables and mix well. Cool the mixture to room temperature, then pour it into the bottom pie crust and top with the second crust. Crimp the edges of the top and bottom crust together to form a firm seal, then crust a slit in the top of the pie to allow steam to escape while it bakes. At this point, you can brush the crust with a bit of cream or beaten egg if you want a browner, shinier finish after baking.

Place the pie on a middle rack in the oven and bake until it's a lovely golden brown. This may take 30 to 45 minutes, or longer, depending on the fickleness of your oven. Remember, the ingredients are mostly cooked before the pie enters the oven so baking the pie is all about melding the flavours of the ingredients and getting the crust right. 

Roux Making:    
To make a basic roux, use equal weights of fat and flour. Butter is the most commonly used form of fat; other fats can be used, but will have a different flavor. Melt the butter over medium heat; slowly add the flour to the butter, whisking constantly. Within 2 to 3 minutes the roux will have a consistency of a cake frosting. A white roux is done when the flour loses its "raw" smell and begins to develop a toasty aroma.