Kurnik (Chicken and Rice Pie)

littleturtle's Note:

Chicken in a creamy sauce topped with a flaky crust. Rich and lemony classic Russian dish. Cooking time includes refrigeration time for the pie crust. You can cut out a lot of the time and effort by using ready-made pie crust and chicken broth, but it's much better this way.

• Total Time: 5 hrs
• Prep Time: 1 hrs
• Cook Time: 4 hrs

Ingredients:

Serves: 9-12

Yield: 1.0 9x12

Pie Crust

• 12 tablespoons butter, chilled and cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 4 tablespoons vegetable shortening, chilled
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 7 -10 tablespoons ice water

Chicken Stock

• 2 medium onions, peeled
• 1 stalk celery, with leaves
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 6 whole black peppercorns
• 2 whole cloves
• 1 large bay leaf
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Filling

• 1 (4 lb) stewing fowl, quartered
• chicken giblets, coarsely chopped
• 8 tablespoons butter
• 1 lb fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice, strained if fresh
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup unconverted long-grain white rice
• 3 cups onions, thinly sliced
• 5 hard-boiled eggs, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh dill leaves, finely cut
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 egg yolk, dissolved in
• 2 tablespoons cream

Directions:

1. Pie Crust:.
2. In a large, chilled bowl, combine the butter, shortening, flour and salt.
3. Working quickly, rub the flour and shortening together using your fingertips until it looks like flakes of coarse meal.
4. Pour 7 tbsp of ice water over the mixture all at once, toss together lightly and gather the dough into a ball.
5. If it crumbles add up to 3 more tbsp of ice water by drops until the dough sticks to itself.
6. Dust the dough lightly with flour and wrap in wax paper.
7. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until firm.
8. Chicken Stock:.
9. In a heavy 6-8 quart casserole dish, combine the onions, celery, garlic, peppercorns, cloves, bay leaf, salt, chicken and giblets, and pour in enough water to cover the chicken by about an inch.
10. Bring to a boil over high heat, skimming off all of the foam and scum as it rises to the surface.
11. Then reduce to low heat and simmer partially covered for 1 1/2 hours, or until the chicken is tender, but not falling apart.
12. Transfer the chicken to a large platter, and strain the stock through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing down hard with a spoon on the herbs and vegetables before discarding them.
13. Set the stock aside.
14. Filling:.
15. With a small, sharp knife, remove the skin from the chicken and cut the meat away from the bones, cutting the meat into 1" pieces and return them to the casserole dish.
16. In a 10-12" skillet, melt 4 tbsp of butter over high heat, and add the mushrooms.
17. Reduce to medium heat and cook 3-5 minutes, or until the mushrooms are soft.
18. Transfer them to the casserole dish with a slotted spoon.
19. Add the parsley, lemon juice, nutmeg, cream and 1/2 cup of the chicken stock.
20. Stir thoroughly, taste for seasoning, and set aside.
21. In a saucepan, combine the rice with 2 cups of the chicken stock, and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally.
22. Then cover the pan, lower the heat, and simmer for 15-18 minutes, or until the rice has absorbed all of the liquid.
23. Set aside, away from heat.
24. In a large skillet, melt the remaining 4 tbsp butter over high heat, and add the onions.
25. Lower the heat, and cook until the onions are soft and golden.
26. Stir the onions into the rice, and toss until they are well mixed.
27. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs with the dill.
28. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
29. With a pastry brush and the 2 tbsp of softened butter, lightly coat the bottom and sides of a 2" deep 9x12" baking dish.
30. Spread 1/3 of the rice mixture on the bottom of the dish and cover with 1/2 of the chicken mixture.
31. Top the chicken with 1/2 the egg mixture and repeat the layers, ending with the last of the rice.
32. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough in to 1/8" thick rectangle (about 10x14").
33. Drape the dough over the rolling pin, lift it up and unfold it slackly over the pan.
34. Firmly press the edges of the crust against the sides of the dish, pinching the edges to seal them.
35. With a small, sharp knife, cut out a 1" circle from the middle of the dough.
36. Brush the crust with the cream and yolk mixture and bake in the middle of the oven for 15 minutes.
37. Reduce the temperature to 350°F and bake for another 30-40 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.
38. Serve immediately.