Ruth Ellen Church – Chicken Sausage Turnovers (8) Trib 10/69
My Grandma lived as a child with her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. It was one of the reasons she had to learn later in life how to cook. Between her and the three older ladies, there was no way she’d get to be in charge of the kitchen. The included picture includes all four generations. It seems like a last minute idea during the winter since they all have on their coats. The youngest lady in the picture is Nona Schubert, on her right (left side in the picture) is her mother Lorraine Breen, standing behind her is her mother Olga Berger, and the old lady seated on the right is her mother Matilda Hahn. This would be the last four generation picture taken of the ladies in our family forever.
This turnover looked so yummy tonight. I cut the recipe in half because it would have made 8 turnovers, all we were missing was a veg so we added peas. Easy fix, and a VG dinner!
When researching the name on the upper left hand corner of this index card, I learned a lot about the women’s sections of newspapers in the middle of the last century. Ruth Ellen Church began a 38 year run as food editor at the Chicago Tribune in 1936—one of the first American newspapers to have a test kitchen. The food editors for newspapers at that time played a significant role in the story of food in their communities and across the country. They helped home cooks balance their budgets while making tasty food for their families. They shared recipes that exposed readers to the dishes of new cultures. The recipe columns and the cookbooks that came from the newspaper food editors were an early form of social media, linking the food journalists with the home cooks of their communities.
Ruth Ellen Church – Chicken Sausage Turnovers. (8) Trib 10/69
Ingredients:
2 packages frozen patty shells
8 Chicken Thighs
Salt, pepper
¼ cup butter
½ cup chicken broth
½ lb. fresh mushrooms diced fine
¼ cup flour
1tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 cup half n half scalded
½ cup white wine
8 pork sausage links cooked
1 egg yolk
2 tbs. cream
Directions:
Defrost 8 patty shells in refrigerator for at least 8 hours. Season thighs with salt and pepper. Brown in butter in large heavy skillet. Add broth. Cover and simmer 30 minutes or ‘til tender. Remove chicken and cool. Simmer mushrooms in droppings for 3 minutes. Blend flour and seasonings into drippings and broth. Add half n half and wine, cook till thickened and cool. Remove bones, skin, and cartilage from chicken leaving meat in a whole piece.
Place a sausage in each thigh. Roll each patty shell in a lightly floured pastry cloth onto a 6” square. Place about 2 tbsp gravy in center of pastry and top with stuffed thigh. Fold pastry over chicken and place seam side down on jelly rolly pan. Brush each turnover with egg yolk mixed with cream. Bake 400° for 30 minutes. Serve gravy separately.
