potpie

My mother was not a fancy cook. She cooked plain fare beautifully. All the standard Pennsylvania Dutch dishes she prepared to a turn, but they usually didn't require great finesse. Except one. Potpie.

Don't mistake potpie for the crusted vegetable pie that is pawned off under that moniker! Real, honest potpie is made from flour, egg, salt and milk. The trick is rolling out the dough to a perfect moist, but unsticking thinness, cutting it into squares and dropping it into the gently simmering chicken, beef, ham broth and cooking it lightly until done. I have made all kinds of pastries, but I have yet to conquer this seemingly simple art. I just downloaded a tutorial from the internet which in itself made me giggle, thinking of my heritage and Mother expertly rolling out the dough on our kitchen table with nary an electronic gadget even in her imagination.

I may still get lumpy misshapen globs of dough despite my efforts, but the deliciously tender morsels of potpie simmered in rich broth will drive me ever onward to the eventual end game of cultural culinary delight!