Narnia Menu: “Prince Rilian’s Pigeon Pie”

By Astrid Tuttle Winegar

In a Dark Castle in The Silver Chair, Jill, Scrubb, and Puddleglum encounter a mysterious, yet annoyingly charming nonetheless, Knight. He treats them to a feast of “pigeon pie, cold ham, salad, and cakes.” He is obviously spellbound and tells his guests that he will “turn into the likeness of a great serpent, hungry, fierce, and deadly” unless he is strongly bound to a magical Silver Chair. The companions have been searching for a true sign as to their Prince’s whereabouts. Fortunately for them, this Knight is indeed Prince Rilian, and he is now freed from his ten-year-long imprisonment.

I wish they’d hurry up and make this into a movie; I’d love to see the battle between our Narnian heroes and the Lady of the Green Kirtle.

“Prince Rilian’s Pigeon Pie”

3 tablespoons salted butter

½ teaspoon dry thyme

½ teaspoon dry basil

½ teaspoon dry oregano

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

About 1 cup chopped onion

About 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ¾” bits

14½-ounce can diced tomatoes, with juice

15½-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained

2 ounces raisins

2 ounces slivered almonds, lightly toasted

½ cup heavy cream whisked with 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, thawed as directed (such as Pepperidge Farm; half of a 17-ounce package)

1 tablespoon salted butter, melted

In a 5-quart deep skillet, melt the butter and seasonings over high heat. Add the onion and chicken and sauté over rather high heat until the pink is gone. Add the tomatoes through the cream/flour and mix in. cook about 5 minutes over a medium heat, uncovered. Season, if desired. Set aside. (If you prefer, you may skip the next step and simply serve this as a stew—cover and chill leftovers; serves 4-6.)

Preheat oven to 400°. Spray 6 (1-cup) ramekins. Place all on a large baking sheet. Roll out the thawed puff pastry and cut into 6 circles, each a bit larger than the ramekins. You can use the scraps to cut small decorations, if desired. Divide the stew into each ramekin. Place a pastry circle on top and press onto the tops of the ramekin. Snip a small X in the center. Repeat. Brush each with butter and attach decorations. Bake 20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes on the pan before serving. Cover and chill leftovers. Serves 6.

Astrid Tuttle Winegar is the author of Cooking for Halflings & Monsters: 111 Comfy, Cozy Recipes for Fantasy-Loving Souls, which is now available from Oloris Publishing and Amazon! For now, she is mostly telling a culinary Middle-earth story here on Legendarium. Astrid has loved C. S. Lewis since childhood, J. R. R. Tolkien since middle and high school, all Star things, both Trek and Wars, all things Whedon, and many other things besides… She lives in the enchanted city of Albuquerque, New Mexico, with her husband. Visit her website for more information: Astrid Tuttle Winegar | Cooking for Halflings & Monsters. Staff Reporter.