Stirring up nostalgia with this classic vintage Chicken Stew and Dumplings recipe

Like most people, I find that there are certain foods that remind me of my childhood more than any others. Over the years, I've shared several of them (such as Hamburger Pie, Schill Family Spaghetti Sauce, and Cheddar Green Onion Cheese Ball) here with you and am sure others will follow as time goes on. In fact, we're shining the spotlight on one here today that suits these last few icy cold weeks of winter extremely well: Hearty Chicken Stew and Dumplings.

My mom makes an incredible chicken (ditto for turkey and beef, too) stew with dumplings, which was truly a cornerstone of our family meals when I was growing up. Economical, easy to freeze and reheat, and a huge crowd pleaser with everyone under our roof, this was a classic dish that I could never get enough as a youngster and which, albeit in gluten-free form, I still make each fall, winter and early spring to this very day.

There is something so powerfully comforting about the rich, creamy broth of a hearty meat and vegetable stew, which, already filling unto itself, becomes a true stick-to-your-ribs meal with the inclusion of a classic biscuit topping that is cooked right on top of the simmering liquid.

I have only to think of this dish and suddenly I'm seven years old again, coming inside from hours spent making snow forts and snow angels alike in the backyard. Or, I'm 10 and its games of street hockey in the driveway of the elegant little Edwardian house we lived in at the time. 12 and I've just gotten back from selling cases of Girl Guide cookies around our neighbourhood, and at 15, it's enjoyed with my girlfriends before we stay up into the wee hours of the night for a sleepover.

This dish represents the often forgotten warm side of winter. It hugs and comforts the stomach and soul alike. Easily multiplied for a large groups, it is equally at home when serving one person. Shortly after those aforementioned memories, I was living on my own and making meals like stew and dumplings to eek every last cent that I could out of my extremely modest income at the time.

These days, it's a fond reminder of decades past and a way for me to nourish my own family, as well - coming full circle - as my parents when they come 'round for a winter eve's dinner of stew and biscuits.

We need foods like this in our life. They don't have to be this exact dish by any means, just so long as they’re ones where we’re uplifted and filled in ways far surpassing our actual bellies by recipes that have constant companions throughout the decades. They're everyday traditions that are worth their weight and gold and which will always provoke a happy sense of nostalgia in us, while also being the bedrock for future meal related memories, too.



{This delicious mid-1950s Chicken Stew and Dumplings recipe is wonderful as it sits, but can also be modified to suit your family's tastes and what you've got in your fridge at the moment. Stews are very versatile dishes and can usually take a lot of alterations in stride, so they're well worth turning to often throughout the dark, chilly winter months, when a nourishing bowl of steaming how stew not only fills a person up, but also brightens their mood as well. Vintage recipe image source.}


Of course, if you're not a meat eater, you can easily opt instead for an equally satisfying vegetable only stew, with or without biscuits (which can easily be made vegetarian or vegan). When going this route, I'll often take things in a French or Mediterranean direction, sometimes starting with a tomato base and adding in whatever suitable veggies I have to hand at the moment.

I usually like to partner stew with a light side vegetable and/or green salad, some buns/rolls or bread for dipping up every last morsel of the delicious stew liquid, and a refreshing dessert, such as vanilla ice cream with spiced poached pears, chocolate mousse, or a chilled cheesecake afterwards, especially if I'm serving such a meal to company.

Whatever foods evoke a positive wave of nostalgia in you, I hope that you're able to tuck into at least a few this season and well on throughout the rest of the year. Such dishes remind of us of where we came from, what life was like when we were growing up, and
how important it is to keep everyday meal traditions alive even in the midst of our hectic, mile-a-minute adult lives. Something that I will definitely raise a glass - and a spoonful of stew - to anytime!

A very 1950s spin on shepherd's pie

For most of us, there are certain dishes - the mere mention of which - instantly brings a flood of happy childhood meal times memories rushing to the surface. I would argue that, further still, a good many of these are tied to certain months of the year, especially if you grew up with a family that cooked in keeping with the seasons.

Hands down one of the most iconic and classic wintertime meals from youth was my mom's awesome shepherd's pie (technically, cottage pie as it was made with ground beef, whereas shepherd’s pie, by its original definition, involved ground lamb - but we, like most folks in North America and even the UK, where both versions originated, called it shepherd's pie all the same). To this day, my stomach stirs and my taste buds perk up at the mere idea of it.

With the season of ice and snow (and even more snow!) out in full force here still, I got to thinking about shepherd's pie - that comfort food of ground meat, chopped veggies, tomato sauce, and mashed potatoes (or, as my mom sometimes did, a mixture of white rice and cheddar cheese instead of spuds) that millions of people have enjoyed sitting down to a steaming hot plate of for over two hundred years now.

My recent ponderings - and craving for - shepherd's pie led me to discover today's 1950s recipe for Crown o 'Gold Meatloaf, which is really neat twist on this hearty winter staple food. Instead of spuds (mashed or one of my favourite ways, topped with shredded hash browns), rice, dumplings, mashed cauliflower, or the like for the lid, it uses fluffy egg whites to create something that is akin in a way to the top layer of a lemon meringue pie.



{Mustard, horseradish (omit if desired, a little garlic could easily take its place), green onions, ground beef, and eggs combine in this meat loaf meets shepherd's pie inspired fifties dish that as easy to make as it is wonderfully filling. Image source.}


This twist is definitely fun and has very, very mid-century feeling to me. Of course, if you prefer (or, like me, aren't able to eat eggs for whatever reason), you can always used mashed spuds here and get a dish that for all intents is strikingly similar classic cottage or shepherd's pie. You can also easily ditch the yolks in the body of the meat loaf/meat pie here, too. If doing so, I'd just use a little bit of gray, tomato sauce, white sauce, cheese sauce or shredded cheese as a binding agent.

Feel free to vary the meat. Ground chicken, turkey, veal, pork, or a vegetarian/vegan meat substitute all work wonders in dishes like this. Though the only veggies called for here are green onions, feel free to add in any and all others that call your name. Carrots, parsnips, peas, green beans, sundried tomatoes, corn, and even squash would all be awesome choices to use in this stick-to-your ribs cold weather staple.

I've been making a spin of my mom's classic shepherd's pie recipe for decades now, but sometimes I like to shake things up and try other versions, too - especially when they're of vintage nature like this great 1950s recipe, which I'd be apt to serve with a green salad, light vinaigrette, hot butter (GF, in my case - ditto for the bread crumbs in today's recipe) rolls, and homemade apple sauce for a hearty dinner that is sure to combat even the biggest cold weather induced appetites, no problem!

Are you a fan of shepherd's/cottage pie, too? Does this mile high egg white topped version appeal to you or would you rather stick with the mashed potato version?