Chicken Pastel to Get Through Holiday Hell

Got a bone to pick with your year-end obligations? Toss it aside but keep the chicken meat for these comforting classics.

Christmas spirit can be such a needy bro. He’s always like, “Do you feel it?” 

No, you say. I’m stressed out and not in the mood, okay? Now could you get off me? 

Minutes later, there he goes again, pressing his jingle bell rock against you. “How ‘bout now? Do you feel it?”  

Then there’s New Year’s. That guy is a piece of work. As if the past year hasn’t already worn you out, he’ll waltz in, all sequins and optimism, expecting you to welcome him with a vajazzled attitude and a fresh pair of lingerie he calls “resolutions.” 

Who else is over these holidays forcing themselves on us? And don’t even get me started on their consumerist kinks. 

So no, I will not do a cute little dance for December no matter how hot the coals of holiday obligation get: the pressures of what to gift, which reunions to attend, who to tolerate at the noche buena table. And no, I will not treat the year’s end like it’s a profound sunset—an amusement to behold with glitzy goals and feigned well-being. I am not a guest at The White Lotus!  

For Coolidge’s sake—calm down, Christmas.

Let’s ease the burden of these latter months, people. No Christmas to rush you, no New Year to nag you toward self-revision. 

I will grab one goodie bag from tradition, though. The time off, obviously. And just as important: the cozy cravings. Together, they make one soul-nourishing season. 

Amid this true bounce back to ourselves, what could be more healing than good ol’ chicken? 

Turkey is a joke, like Michael Bublé (he of the dryest warbling). But chicken? Now there’s a bird! As versatile as Mariah’s vocals and as iconic to comfort food as our diva is to the Yule season. The best part is that there’s no fuss in finding or cooking it, which totally fits our path to less pressure. 

Let’s make this a Daza-cember to remember.

To help us along, I’ve called upon the ghost of Christmas past aka the spirit of Nora Daza. Two recipes from Let’s Cook with Nora (1965) have stood the test of time (and oil spatters in our family kitchen): Tinola and Chicken Pastel. Mingled with pasta the Mafalda way, we raise the comfort in these classics. 

With Nora and your nonna toasting you through these recipes, it’s time to celebrate—no, not the holidays, silly! Yourself! And that’s always reason enough. 

From my home to yours, Merry Me-Time to one and all!  

CHICKEN PASTEL CON PASTA 

This crusted casserole was already gay rights: a stewy sausage party packed with chorizo and de latang Vienna wieners . With twisty pasta snuck in and a rough puff crust to get everything steamy, we’ve sent it off for a hot Roman holiday a la Elio and Oliver.  

INGREDIENTS 

Serves 4-6

For the Filling 

2 Chicken Breast Fillets & 2 Chicken Thigh Fillets, Boneless & Skinless

2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce 

2 Pcs. Calamansi or ½ Lemon, Squeezed  

113g Unsalted Butter 

5 Pcs. Small Chorizo de Bilbao, Sliced into Thick Coins 

1 Carrot, Diced Medium 

2 Potatoes, Diced Medium 

3 Cups Chicken Broth 

¼ Cup Evaporated Milk (Optional) 

1 Can (4.5oz) Vienna Sausage, Drained and Sliced into Three Pieces (I used Libby’s because we love a diva) 

½ Cup Pitted Green Olives 

1 Can (400g) Whole Button Mushrooms, Drained & Halved 

4 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter 

¼ Cup All-Purpose Flour 

For the Pasta

200g of your favorite pasta corta (short pasta): elbow macaroni, farfalle, or in this case, fusilli I made fresh and extruded via Kitchen-Aid attachment. 

For the Top Crust  

151g All-Purpose Flour 

¼ Tsp Fine Sea Salt 

113g Unsalted Butter 

1 Cup Ice Water 

1. Ready your dough with the same recipe and technique I used to create one Rough-Puff Pizza in my last newsletter. Keep it wrapped in the fridge for a maximum of 3 days, or in the freezer for up to a month until you decide to use it (Let sit at room temperature for an hour before using). Or just use store-bought dough! 

2. Prepare your filling. Marinate the chicken in a mixture of soy sauce and calamansi juice for 15 minutes. Drain. 

3. Melt ⅓ cup butter in a frying pan and sear the chicken in 2-3 batches until half-cooked. Set aside. 

4. Slide the remaining butter into a medium pot and toast the chorizo. 

5. Add the carrots, potatoes, chicken broth, evaporated milk if using, and the seared chicken. Cover pot, turn heat to low, and simmer for 25-30 minutes until the chicken is completely cooked. 

6. Add the Vienna sausage, olives, and mushrooms. Simmer for another 5 minutes. 

7. In a separate pan, melt the remaining butter and flour to make a roux, stirring constantly. Transfer this to the pot, allowing it to thicken the sauce for 5-10 minutes. Pour everything into a glass baking dish within ½ an inch of the rim and let cool. (Any excess can be frozen to sauce pasta or top rice with.)

8. Boil your pasta until barely al dente (¾ of the indicated cooking time), drain, and stir about ½ cup of the cooked pasta into your pastel filling.

9. Prepare an egg wash, beating 1 egg and 1 Tbsp. of milk together. 

10. Preheat your oven to 375F and roll out your dough to ¼-inch thick. Brush the rim of the glass dish and around its slope. Gently lay dough almost flush against the filling and ½ an inch past the dish edges. Cut any excess. Fold overhanging dough beneath itself so that it creates its own rim bordering the baking dish. Crimp to seal edges any way you wish, or leave as is. 

11. Brush the entire pastry lightly with egg wash. Use a knife to make small slits at the center of the crust, creating air vents.

12. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Let sit at least 10 minutes before serving. 

TINOLTELLINI 

Lola meet nonna. Tortellini meet tinola. Prepare for rainy-day respite with gingery chicken dumplings in the soothing broth we love. The dumpling filling I use here was adapted from a meatball recipe in Scott Conant’s Peace, Love, and Pasta. Got excess? Easily shape it into balls you can sear or bake, then top on rice.  

INGREDIENTS 

Serves 4

For the Tortellini Filling 

60g Panko or Japanese-style bread crumbs  

180ml Whole Milk 

280g Ground Chicken (I get mine from Nishikiken—a fatty choice, conveniently divided into 100g packets)

1.5 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese 

1.5 Tbsp Ricotta Cheese (Optional) 

1 Tbsp Fresh Parsley, Chopped  

1.5 Tbsp Grated Ginger 

2 Tsp Fine Sea Salt  

Pinch Crushed Red Pepper 

1 Large Egg 

For the Tortellini Dough  

151g 00 Flour 

54g Egg Yolk 

47g Whole Egg 

For the Broth 

1 Tbsp. Canola Oil, or your Neutral Oil of Choice

1 Red Onion, Chopped 

1 (2-inch) Pc. Ginger, Peeled & Sliced into Thin Strips 

2 Cloves Garlic, Minced 

1 Tbsp. Patis 

5 Cups Chicken Broth 

Malunggay Leaves to Finish

1. The day before you plan to serve your tinoltellini, prepare your filling. Combine the panko and milk in a bowl and let sit for 2 hours at room temperature, then lightly press excess milk out through a strainer. Discard soaking liquid. 

2. Place the soaked panko in a mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment). Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until just combined. (Do not overmix or the fat in the chicken will start to separate from the protein.) Cover and place in the refrigerator overnight. 

3. Make your tortellini with egg dough, as instructed here. Once rested, roll your dough out into sheets as thin as a Corona notebook cover. With a pastry cutter (or pizza cutter), cut the sheets into 1.5-inch squares, moving from south to north; then, from east to west. 

4. Working with just a few at a time and keeping all other pieces covered (I use a large unused and unscented garbage bag), add ½ tsp. of filling to each square. 

5. Orient each piece as a diamond in your palm. Fold the southern tip up and over the filling to the opposite side to form a triangle, sealing where it’s joined. Seal the edges of the triangle. In one sealed edge, gently create a crease, folding the sealed flap toward you from the top of the triangle down toward the tip. Once at the tip, grip the crease delicately with your thumb and index finger and allow the triangle to hang. Repeat on the other side and, in one motion, wrap the pasta around your index finger, connecting the two tips. Press this evenly to create a single thickness. (Pastaiolo Evan Funke demonstrates this in the above video at this timecode.)

You may flour your tortellini and freeze them in a sealed container to cook another day. Otherwise, let sit to dry as you prepare your broth. 

6. Heat cooking oil in a pot over medium heat. Sauté onion until soft and fragrant. 

7. Add ginger and garlic. Sauté for a minute, then add chicken broth. Season with patis. Simmer for 5 minutes. 

8. Taste soup, then season as desired. Bring the soup to a boil and toss in your tortellini, cooking this for at least 6 minutes to ensure tenderness and a silkier bite.   

Ladle into bowls and stir in malunggay leaves. Serve hot with patis on the side. 

Canelé molds from French heritage bakeware company De Buyer

HELP ME DRAG DECEMBER

…and win a prize from De Buyer! 

In the spirit of giving—and I mean giving this stressful time of year a piece of your mind—here’s your chance to win a set of four canelé molds from French heritage kitchenware brand, De Buyer. 

Not only will you get to bitch out, you’ll also get to bake an elusive French treat (try my canelé recipe from a couple newsletters back)! 

The great thing about De Buyer’s molds is that they’re made of heat-retaining coated steel, so no need to futz around with beeswax to make fluted cakes worthy of a Bordeaux bakery. 

How to join?

First, follow De Buyer’s Philippine IG account. Next, treat my comments section like a Ber month burn book: Tell me just one thing that you do not want to deal with this December. Whether it’s a critical tita or cultural inconvenience (like, I hate how the New York City Ballet only does The Nutcracker this time of year), lay it on thick, sister. The more detailed, the better.   

Or don’t deal with my crap and buy the molds instead! 

Check out De Buyer’s local inventory via Lazmall (nationwide shipping very soon). From heavy-duty candy thermometers to silicone macaron mats, De Buyer Philippines stocks many of the serious culinary tools they’ve been cranking out in their Vosges factory for the past 200 years. 

*The “Diba, De Buyer?” Canelé Contest is open only to residents living in the Philippines. Entries will be accepted until December 12. The winner will be announced on the @mafalda.makes Instagram.