Corning Ware Comfort Foods - Not Shepherd's Pie

Traditionally, Shepherd's pie is made with Lamb, Cottage Pie is made with Beef, Swineherd's Pie is made with Pork and Huntsman's pie is made with wild game of some sort.  Since this is chicken, and I have no idea what you call someone who tends chickens, I am just gonna go with "Not Shepherd's Pie"

Even more true, in this case, since it isn't covered in mash potatoes, but rather a mashed faux-tato concoction made with Cauliflower, Roasted Garlic, Greek Yogurt and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (trust me, it's good)

I always hand mince my chicken thighs, because I do not care for the mealy texture of ground chicken.  Hand mincing really does make for a better stew.  Which is really what "Shepherd's/Cottage/Huntsman's pie" is... a thick stew topped with mashed potatoes (or in this case, mashed faux-tatoes)

Not Shepherd's Pie

Your Topping: (Mashed Faux-tatoes)

1 head of Garlic
Olive Oil
2 heads of Cauliflower
1/4 cup real Greek Yogurt
1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated - plus more for sprinkling on top

The Filling: (Chicken Thigh Stew)
Olive Oil
1 Onion, diced (about 6 oz)
3 - 4 medium Carrots, diced (about 7 oz)
3 - 4 stalks Celery, diced (about 7 oz)
1 lb Chicken Thighs
1 TB Tomato Paste
2 TB AP Flour
1/4 cup White Wine
1 1/2 cups Chicken Stock
1 TB Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp Thyme, dried or 2 tsp fresh, chopped
1 tsp Rosemary,
1/2 cup Frozen Peas

The Equipment: (Corning Ware, of course)
5 quart (A-5-B) with lid (A-12-C)
4 quart (A-84-B)

Begin by preheating the oven to 400F degrees.
While the oven is preheating cut the cauliflower into florets

Dice the Onion, Carrot and Celery....

and mince the Chicken Thighs.

When the oven is hot, cut the top from the head of Garlic, place it on a piece of foil, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with Salt and Pepper.

Crimp the edges and top together to form a parcel and toss it in the oven for 40 minutes.

(or until it roasts and become sweet and browned)

Meanwhile, begin heating 3 1/2 quarts of water in the A-5-B, set over medium high flame.

Place the the P-84-B over medium flame and apply olive oil.

When hot, add the Onion, Carrot and Celery, sauteing until tender.

Remove the vegetable from the P-84-B.

Apply more Olive Oil and begin sauteing the minced Chicken Thighs.

When evenly cooked, add Tomato Paste and cook for 5 minutes.

Return the vegetables to the P-84-B and add the Flour, cooking until the Flour begins to smell "nutty".

By now, the Water in the A-5-B should be boiling, so add the Cauliflower Florets.

Cover, and allow to come back to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or until tender.

Add Wine to the Chicken mixture and cook until the flour begins to thicken slightly

Now add Chicken Stock...

and the Thyme and Rosemary....

Then hit it with the Worcestershire sauce as well.

Bring everything up to a simmer over low flame and let it all hang out and mingle together for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, squeeze the roasted (and now cooled) Garlic from the peel into the bowl of the Food Processor.

Drain the Cauliflower and add to the bowl as well.

Pulse a few times to begin breaking everything up.

Add Greek Yogurt and Parmigiano-Reggiano, then process until everything is smooth.

You may even add some chives to the mix, it you like.

When your chicken "stew" should be sufficiently thickened.......

Turn your oven Broiler on, then remove the "stew" from the flame and stir in the frozen peas. (Don't worry, there is plenty of heat in the stew to thaw them out but leave them crunchy - I hate mushy peas)

Now, begin spooning the Cauliflower Mash (Mashed Faux-tatoes) over the stew, following the outside edge in a spiral towards the middle. (this will ensure a good seal around the outside)

Leave a small hole in the middle to allow for steam to escape. (yes, those are chives in my faux-tatoes)

Sprinkle the top with more Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. (cause there is no such thing as "too much" Parmigiano-Reggiano)

Place under the broiler until the top begins to brown.

Remove and consume with delight.

Where is your Corning Ware??
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In The Beginning - Corning Ware 2nd Generation BPE (Before P# Era - 1960-1961)

It's time for Act II of Corning Ware's first Era (AKA: Fin Lid Era) from 1958 - 1961.  The first "Act" involved the embossed bottom pieces from Generation 1 from 1958-59.   The second Act encompasses the blurry blue ink generation (Gen 2) produced from 1960 thru 1961.  This generation also includes a new percolator design, but more on that later.  Let's go all the way back to the beginning......   (this is a recap of the "In The Beginning - Corning Ware 1st Generation BPE" post)       

In the beginning of the beginning there were no P, B, W, N, A, C, S, DC, F, G, U or L model numbers..   You see, Corning was unsure how well their cookware would be received by the American housewife, so they made a limited number of pieces for the initial release in the fall of 1958 to test the waters.....  These would be the 1 quart, 1 1/2 quart and 1 3/4 quart saucepan with fin lids (similar to the Pyrex FlameWare design) along with the 10 inch skillet topped with the infamous pyroceram lid adorn with more cornflowers.  With only 4 pieces, it was pretty easy to keep track of what was what, so no model numbers were really needed at this point.

Corning Ware ended up being such a hot seller that, by Christmas, retailers were screaming for more.  So, in spring of 1959 Corning unveiled 2 additional skillets (9 inch and 7 inch with fin lids), a 2 1/2 quart Saucepan and the famed 8 cup & 6 cup pyroceram lipped percolators (which would later be referred to as P-108 and P-106).

All these 1st Generation pieces, percolators aside, had an embossed stamp on the bottom stating either "Corning Ware" with a volume measurement or, in the case of the skillets, width in inches while others simply had "Corning Pyroceram" embossed on the bottom with no other identifying marks other than mold numbers for QC purposes.

By 1960, the embossing on the underside was dropped in lieu of blue ink...  blurry blue ink.  Though these pieces still have the 1st Era fin lids, these pieces have become known as the 2nd Generation of Corning Ware. The marks on these pieces can be very difficult to read sometimes.  It's not just that the ink is blurry, which it is, but the printing was less than perfect as well.  Thus, they can be REALLY light, or only partially printed, or even smudged to the point of complete illegibility.  Saucepans are marked with volume size and skillets by width in inches. 

Unlike the 1st Generation, Generation 2 saw ALL the pieces being produced at the same time.

 1 Quart

1 1/2 Quart

1 3/4 Quart

2 1/2 Quart

7 inch Skillet

 

9 inch Skillet

10 inch Skillet with Pyroceram lid

It should be noted, that Trefoil was released in 1960 as well.  Thus, some of the first Trefoil pieces (1960-61) have blurry blue ink marks on the bottom, instead of P-series model numbers.  These pieces should be paired with Fin Handle Pyrex lids as well.

It was in the Fall of 1960 that the original P-108 & P-106 Percolators were removed from the market.

It had come to Corning's attention that pyroceram lip was a weak point in their percolator design... Thus, the 1st edition of the P-119 and P-116 with a stainless steel rim were released. The 1st generation of the P-119 & P-116 can be identified by the design of the handle.

The stainless steel rim was glued onto the pyroceram body, then the handle was bolted to the rim.

These bolts were covered by a small piece of black plastic.  The Black Starburst 9 cup percolator (P-129) is designed this way as well.

This handle would be updated in 1963 (2nd Edition) though the model numbers on these two pots would not change.

Where is your Corning Ware??
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