I was born and raised in Amish country in northern Indiana – the 3rd largest population of Amish and Mennonites in the country. Many of my favorite comfort foods are simple, inexpensive traditional ‘country food’. My Grandma was the best at making Pot Pie and as children my sister and I requested it at every family gathering… which was a few times a month. She didn’t always make Pot Pie but if it was a holiday meal, it was definately on the menu. My sister and I learned to make this regional favorite very early. My mom says I was 2 or 3 when I first stood on the chair to reach the counter to roll out and cut the dough. I’ve been making it for my children to carry on the family tradition.
It wasn’t until I was in college that I realized this was a regional favorite and very few people had heard of it. Most people think of those frozen disks that look like a pie when they hear “Pot Pie” but that is not what this is. Pot pie is what it sounds like… a savory pie in a pot.
You start off with a big kettle of broth and get it to a rolling boil. Any kind of broth will do – chicken, beef, even vegetable. You can use homemade, storebought in cans or cartons or add boullion cubes to the boiling water. As it starts to boil, add the cooked meat. My grandma always used chicken or beef but you can use just about anything. It’s a perfect way to use up leftover roast. Just finger shred it into somewhat bite size pieces and put a couple cups of it into the broth. It’ll heat up with the broth. Now start on the noodles while the broth and meat come to a boil.
Put 2 cups of flour into a bowl. Break the eggs into the flour and work it together, adding just a bit of cream or milk to make a soft dough. It’s usually about 2-3 tablespoons of milk or cream but it can vary. So just add a little at a time until the consistency is just right. The dough should be a little sticky. Roll the dough out on a slightly floured surface. Be careful not to add too much flour or the noodles will be too thick and chewy after cooked. Roll it as thin as possible and cut into 1″ x 2″ rectangles with a knife, pizza cutter or pastry wheel. Drop a few at a time into boiling broth. Use a fork to separate and dunk under the broth as you drop them in — you don’t want them clumped together. Boil them until done… about 10-20 minutes depending on how thick you made them. The broth usually thickens up as they cook because of the flour on the noodles (from rolling them out).
The best way to serve these is over a pile of mashed potatoes. The thick broth, the big noodles and chunks of meat make a great tasting savory pie in a pot.
