Don’t ask me why I haven’t capitalized on this fact in the past, but it just dawned on me that the library has a wealth of cookbooks available for checkout. I’ve been visiting our downtown branch about every other week lately to check out books on tape for my commute to Raleigh. Each time I visit, I pick out a couple of cookbooks to page through at home in the ensuing weeks. One of my more recent picks was The Foster’s Market Cookbook by Sara Foster. For some reason I don’t have this book, although I do have Fresh Every Day. For those of you not from this area who therefore don’t know about the wonder that is Foster’s Market, check out this website. Be prepared to drool.
This cookbook immediately had about 1/3 of its pages tagged with sticky notes. It was hard for me to pick the first recipe to try. But since my class schedule has been forcing me to prepare meals earlier in the day to reheat when Jeff and I return home, I focused on those that could be prepared entirely in advance. This has meant a lot of casseroles around here. It’s a good thing cooler weather is on the way, because I think my slow cooker is going to be my best friend in the coming months.
Both of us really enjoyed this dish. It had tons of flavor and the southwestern flair helped it bridge the seasons, since it has still been quite warm around here the past few weeks. I made several modifications from the original recipe. Some were health-conscious, such as cutting some of the oil and butter. Some changes were made according to our personal tastes: cutting the amount of onion in half and swapping red for sweet, halving the heat-creating ingredients, swapping lima beans for the corn, and eliminating the thyme. I’ve written the recipe as I made it below. If you want to see the original recipe, I’d suggest visiting your local library!
Southwestern Shepherd’s Pie with Chicken and Chili Mashed Potatoes
Serves 8-10
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 sweet onion, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
8 cups shredded, cooked chicken
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup fresh lima beans
3 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
leftover mashed potatoes, about 2-3 cups
2 tsp. chili powder
Preheat the oven to 400F.
Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until slightly brown, about 5 minutes. Add the celery and bell pepper, and cook 3 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and jalapeno and cook 3 minutes more, stirring occasionally.
Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the flour starts to brown slightly, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken, lima beans, and wine and stir until the wine begins to evaporate, about 1 minute. Slowly add the chicken broth, and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture begins to thicken and coats the back of a spoon. Reduce heat to low, bring the mixture to a low boil, and cook 5 to 10 minutes or until the mixture thickens and is creamy.
Remove from the heat and add the parsley and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper, and transfer the mixture to a 9 by 13-inch baking dish.
Mix mashed potatoes with 1 tsp. chili powder in a bowl until well combined.
Spoon the chili mashed potatoes on top of the chicken and bake 20-30 minutes, or until the potato peaks are slightly brown and the chicken mixture is bubbling around the sides of the dish. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with the remaining chili powder, if desired. Serve immediately.
Adapted from The Foster’s Market Cookbook
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