Chicken with Salsify in Pastry

This is a wonderful ragout of chicken thighs and salsify wrapped in pastry. It is a specialty served around Mardi Gras in the Corrèze, the Périgord, and the Quercy. Originally it was prepared in a special three-legged iron or unlined copper pot (called a tourtière) placed in the fireplace and surrounded by embers.

White salsify, also called oyster plant, tastes to some like oysters and to others somewhat like asparagus with lemon. It is sometimes available in farmers’ markets