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By Root 959 0

of the mutton of Provence; it is called chicken bog and is made outdoors in wash tubs to serve large crowds.” A particular favorite on the lower reaches of the Pee Dee River, chicken bog is not only “fixed right regular” in school cafeterias but also served at countless family reunions, church suppers, and political fund-raisers. There’s even an annual Bog-Off in the little town of Loris, South Carolina, just thirty minutes northwest of Myrtle Beach. There are dozens of recipes for chicken bog, some of them strangely complicated; the point of the dish is that it’s an easy way to feed an army. As for the recipe’s unusual name, some say that “bog” comes from the fact that rice is grown in bogs, others that the chicken is “bogged down” in the rice, and still others that the dish is just a “soggy, boggy mess.” Note: Some modern cooks shortcut chicken bog by using chicken parts and canned broth. The recipe here is fairly classic.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 pound spicy country sausage links or chorizo, sliced ½ inch thick

1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped

1 large green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and coarsely chopped

2½ cups converted rice

6 cups rich chicken stock or broth

5 cups large-ish chunks of cooked chicken plus the coarsely chopped cooked giblets (see Stewed Chicken, Chapter 3)

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

½ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

1. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over moderately high heat for 2 minutes. Add the sausage and cook for 5 minutes or until nicely browned. Using a slotted spoon, lift the browned sausage to a plate and reserve.

2. Add the onion and bell pepper to the sausage drippings and stir-fry for 8 to 10 minutes or until limp and lightly browned.

3. Add the rice and cook and stir for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock, chicken, giblets, reserved sausage, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat so the mixture bubbles gently, cover, and cook for 20 minutes, stirring often, or just until the rice is tender. If the bog seems soupy, cook, uncovered, for 5 to 10 minutes more. It should be about the consistency of a soft risotto. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust as needed.

4. Ladle into big soup bowls, and serve with butter beans, red-ripe tomatoes, and Jerusalem Artichoke Pickle Relish.

CHICKEN PIE

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

Breathes there a southern cook who doesn’t have a pet recipe for chicken pie? My own favorite is my attempt to re-create the chicken pie served at the Salem Tavern in Old Salem, a restored Moravian village in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. I order it whenever I lunch there. Unlike so many chicken pies, this one contains no carrots, no peas—just chicken and well-seasoned gravy. Note: I find the chicken more succulent if I roast it, strip the meat from the carcass while the bird is still warm, and make the pie straightaway (it takes a 4½-to 5-pound chicken and 1 to 1¼ hours in a 400° F. oven). If you’d prefer to use Stewed Chicken, follow the recipe on Chapter 3. Needless to add, turkey can be substituted for chicken; it’s a splendid way to use up the big bird.

4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

1 medium celery rib, trimmed, halved lengthwise, then each half thinly sliced

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon rubbed sage

¼ teaspoon dried leaf thyme, crumbled

¼ teaspoon black pepper

2½ cups hot chicken broth

5½ to 6 cups bite-size pieces cooked chicken or turkey (see Note above)

Pastry for a 9-inch, 2-crust pie (see About Pie Crusts, frontmatter)

1. Place a heavy-duty baking sheet on the middle oven shelf and preheat the oven to 425° F. Note: Setting the unbaked pie on a hot baking sheet cooks the bottom crust faster and reduces the risk of its becoming soggy.

2. Melt the butter in a large, heavy skillet over moderate heat, add the onion and celery, and cook, stirring often, for 6 to 8 minutes or until limp and lightly browned.

3. Blend in the flour, salt, sage, thyme, and pepper, then, whisking hard, pour in the hot broth. Cook, whisking all the while, for about