Smitten Kitchen
Serves 4
LID:
2 cups (250 grams) all- purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon table salt
13 tablespoons (185 grams or 1 stick plus 5 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, diced
6 tablespoons (90 grams) sour cream or whole Greek yogurt (i.e., a strained
yogurt)
1 tablespoon (15 ml) white wine vinegar
1/4 cup (60 ml) ice water
1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
FILLING:
2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
4 ounces (115 grams or 3/4 to 1 cup) 1/4-inch-diced pancetta
1 large or 2 small onions, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1 large stalk celery, finely chopped
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
Thinly sliced Swiss chard leaves from an 8- to 10-ounce (225- to 285-gram)
bundle (4 cups); if leaves are very wide, you can halve them lengthwise
3 1/2 tablespoons (50 grams) butter
3 1/2 tablespoons (25 grams) all- purpose flour
3 1/2 cups (765 ml) sodium- free or low- sodium chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups white beans, cooked and drained, or from one and a third 15.5- ounce
(440-gram) cans
Weekday night tip: Make a double batch of the stew and lids. Keep
them separate and for two to three nights, you can ladle what you’d like
into bowls, roll out lids and bake them to order.
Make lids:
In a large, wide bowl (preferably one that you can
get your hands into), combine the fl our and salt. Add the butter and,
using a pastry blender or your fingertips, cut them up and into the
flour mixture until it resembles little pebbles. Keep breaking up the
bits of butter until the texture is like uncooked couscous. In a small
dish, whisk together the sour cream, vinegar, and water, and combine it
with the butter-flour mixture. Using a flexible spatula, stir the wet
and the dry together until a craggy dough forms. If needed, get your
hands into the bowl to knead it a few times into one big ball. Pat it
into a flattish ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill it in the
fridge for 1 hour or up to 2 days.
Make filling:
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium- high
heat in a large, wide saucepan, and then add the pancetta. Brown the
pancetta, turning it frequently, so that it colors and crisps on all
sides; this takes about 10 minutes. Remove it with a slotted spoon, and
drain it on paper towels before transferring to a medium bowl. Leave the
heat on and the renderings in the pan. Add an additional tablespoon of
olive oil if needed and heat it until it is shimmering. Add onions,
carrot, celery, red pepper flakes, and a few pinches of salt, and cook
over medium heat until the vegetables are softened and begin to take on
color, about 7 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook for 1 minute more.
Add the greens and cook until wilted, about 2 to 3 minutes. Season with
the additional salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Transfer
all of the cooked vegetables to the bowl with the pancetta, and set
aside.
Make sauce:
Wipe out the large saucepan; don’t worry if any
bits remain stuck to the bottom. Then melt the butter in the saucepan
over medium- low heat. Add the flour, and stir with a whisk until
combined. Continue cooking for 2 minutes, stirring the whole time, until
it begins to take on a little color. Whisk in the broth, one ladleful
at a time, mixing completely between additions. Once you’ve added one-
third of the broth, you can begin to add the rest more quickly, two to
three ladlefuls at a time; at this point you can scrape up any bits that
were stuck to the bottom — they’ll add great flavor.
Once all of the broth is added, stirring the whole time, bring the
mixture to a boil and reduce it to a simmer. Cook the sauce until it is
thickened and gravylike, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Stir the white beans and reserved vegetables into the sauce.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Assemble and cook pot pies:
Divide the filling between four
ovenproof 2-cup bowls. (You’ll have about 1 1/2 cups filling in each.)
Set the bowls on a baking pan. Divide the dough into four pieces, and
roll it out into rounds that will cover your bowls with an overhang, or
about 1 inch wider in diameter than your bowls. Whisk the egg wash and
brush it lightly around the top rim of your bowls (to keep the lid glued
on; nobody likes losing their lid!) and drape the pastry over each,
pressing gently to adhere it. Brush the lids with egg wash, then cut
decorative vents (smaller than mine, please, as they led to lots of
draping) in each to help steam escape. Bake until crust is lightly
bronzed and filling is bubbling, about 30 to 35 minutes.
Do ahead:
The dough, wrapped twice in plastic wrap and slipped
into a freezer bag, will keep for up to 2 days in the fridge, and for a
couple months in the freezer. The filling can be made up to a day in
advance and stored in a covered container in the fridge.
