October 26, 2019 – Cock-A-Doodle Pie – Recipe

         Below is one of the recipes that my brother asked me to copy out for him when I have time.  I had so much fun yesterday with the “English Apple Pie” looking up its history that I jumped right in on this recipe.

         This was a big hit at our house when we were kids.  A traditional Catholic household, we trooped off to church Sunday morning on an empty stomachs, came home to a quick breakfast and then Mom was in the kitchen making her “from-scratch” Sunday Dinner.  [Like all most woman in the 1950s through 1970s.]

         Often Dad would be in the kitchen helping [washing and cutting up the broccoli or some other vegetable] and after dinner, Dad would literally “kiss the cook” and go out into the yard and do some sort of garden chore – rake leaves, pick up downed limbs – whatever to get out of the way.

         When Mom needed a special casserole to go to a family gathering, this was it. When she invited back her adult kids for special occasions, this was what was served.  Us kids loved it, the in-laws – I am not so sure.

         This is a good way to get kids to eat broccoli.

         My research indicates it is a “Crisco’s Cock-a-Doodle Pie” from a magazine advertisement by Crisco. Could be as early as 1940, but I see it listed also as November 1952, Household Magazine with the exact ingredients in my Mom’s recipe.

         There are two parts to the Crisco advertising recipe – the crust part – of course made with Crisco shortening and the Cock-a-Doodle part. Mom’s copy does not have the piecrust part written out – she thinks everyone should know how to make a good piecrust.

         The only drawback on this old recipe is my Mom used Kraft’s grated American Cheese which was sold in a cardboard shaker container and Kraft no longer manufactures it.  So, locating dried powder grated American Cheese has been impossible for me – I find only grated Parmesan Cheese or the orange Cheddar Cheese powder. 

         What our Mom made did not have an orange color to it when I was a child – later when Kraft no longer made American Cheese, she had to opt for the orange colored Cheddar cheese – it just didn’t have the same flavor.

         I can never find the powdered stuff – so I buy a cheap box of macaroni and cheese and use the powdered cheese packet to make this dish and later find a use for the elbow macaroni.  But, at the price of 3 for a $1 on the boxed macaroni and cheese – it is an inexpensive workaround.  When it comes to the cheese part – you need to do a bit of playing around when you are making the sauce.

         Below is Mom’s recipe.

COCK-A-DOODLE PIE

Mrs. Alfred St. John, Berlin

Page 75

The Apron Cookbook

St. Joseph’s Church

Dated 1970

One 3 to 4 pound chicken

1 bunch broccoli

6 Tablespoon liquid shortening

½ cup flour

4 cups chicken stock or milk

2 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

½ cup grated American cheese

Piecrust for top

         Cook chicken.  Remove meat from bones and cut into large chunks.  This yields about 2 cups meat.  Cook broccoli until tender.  For the sauce: In a wide saucepan, heat shortening and blend in flour.  Add chicken stock [or milk] and cook until thick.  Add 2 tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper and ½ cup grated American cheese. Stir well. 

         Place broccoli in the bottom of a 1 ½ quart casserole, add chicken and cover with the cooked sauce.  Cover all with a pie crust. [Added touch – vent the crust with a chicken shaped design.]

         Bake at 425 for 30-40 minutes [will bubble around the edges].  Serves 6.

This is old fashioned cooking – Mom used to parboil the chicken in water until done and reserve the liquid for the chicken stock.  Modern cooks may buy a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store and proceed from there with canned chicken broth; but, the flavor will be completely different due to the additives in the canned broth.  Mom’s sauce was subtle, not over powering.

 Cock-a-Doodle Do to you! 