This is a 2-for-1 deal: 2 pies for 1 lot of effort! This particular recipe is to create two two-person pies, but if you wanted to feed more, just double, or triple the recipe. It freezes perfectly, and I’m finding these sorts of meals very handy at the moment, as I am beginning to be quite strapped for time.
Also, I’ve finally (almost) perfected puff pastry! That oven thermometer that I purchased recently certainly opened up my eyes to my ridiculously hot oven. Now that I know 180 degrees really is 230 in my heat-happy oven, I’ve managed to create edible puff pastry treats by bringing the temperature dial down to a measly 130 degrees.
Ingredients
3 chicken Thighs
4 tbsp Flour
4 leeks, trimmed of green end and root end
Salt
Pepper
1tsp Grainy Mustard
cornflour
3 cloves garlic, crushed
Chicken Stock
Method
1.Remove excess fat and sinew and chop the thighs up into different sizes. Large chunks, smaller chunks and finely diced bits (this will give the pie a bit more texture, without being all chunky. – The small bits fill the spaces between the big bits)
2. cut the leeks down the length of them and wash any grit from between the layers. Slice.
3. In a large pot, sweat out the leeks and garlic until they are a little brown. Set them to the side.
4. In the same pot, chuck in the Chicken and get some colour on it all. About halfway through, throw in the flour and brown it off well. (This is an important step, as the more colour you get in this step, the better the pie filling will look. Personally, there is nothing worse than a pasty albino chicken pie filling. Icky.)
5. Pop the rest of the ingredients and the leek back into the pot. Pour in about a cup or two of stock. Put the lid on and simmer on a low heat for about 1.5hours, checking every 10 minutes or so. Add more stock if needed, but remember, it should be quite dry. For the last 30 minutes, take the lid off to let the moisture evaporate.
6. At the end, check the consistancy. It should be thick and sticky. If it’s still a little wet, add a little cornflour (1-2 tsp) and mix in.
7. Let the mixture cool completely, separate into 2 containers, and freeze.
To make the pie
Try different things with the pastry – there are so many ways you can fancy up a pie!
Use 2 sheets of Puff Pastry or Shortcrust pastry.
Egg Wash (1 egg and a dash of milk, whisked)
1 container of defrosted pie filling
Method
1. Grease a pie dish – we often use one of those retro glass dinner plates – it’s the perfect size for 2 big serves, or a little Gratin baking dish.
2. Put one sheet down, fill it with the chicken and leek filling, and pop the other sheet on top. Seal the edges, and trim the excess
3. Brush a little egg wash on top, and put in a 180 degree oven until golden brown (about 20-40 minutes, depending – keep an eye on it!)
Serve with vegetables.
Sounds awesome! Do you usually leave your frozen fillinG out to defrost, say, before going to work? Or do you just defrost in a microwave? I never know which is best!
I’m a bit rough and ready when it comes to defrosting things. I use both methods, and have even tried your submerging-in-water technique for pieces of meat (which i reckon is pretty awesome). I think a slow defrost is a lot better for food (as long as it doesn’t become too warm and becomes a mecca for bacteria) but a quick zap in the microwave is fine if you’re not organised at all – like me.
I usually zap my food for a moment or two on defrost at a time. Wait 5 – 10 minutes and then zap it again. It usually doesn’t start to cook then! There’s nothing more disgusting than a half-grey/brown piece of steak out of the microwave. Eww!
The last word on it… (who’d a thought i would have 3 paragraphs of things to say about defrosting food!) is that it’s more important to be vigilant about whole raw steaks (like chicken breast, beef steak etc) than stuff you can mix around during the defrosting process (like stews and diced meat) because microwaves always concentrate heat in one spot.
There. I’m finished!
x
S