Chicken and Leek Pie
Serves 5
1 whole chicken, about 1.5kg
1 onion, left unpeeled
2 sticks celery, chopped
bouquet of fresh herbs
1 quantity of shortcrust pastry
6 leeks, washed and sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 egg, beaten
salt and pepper
Method
1. Put the chicken in a large pan with the onion, celery, herbs and seasoning. Add enough water to cover the chicken and simmer until the chicken is cooked - about 45 minutes. Spike the chicken with a knife and pull back the flesh, it should be cream, not pink. Take the pan off the heat and leave to cool. Remove the chicken meat from the carcass. Keep the cooking water.
2. Meanwhile, make the pastry according to the instructions below and put it in the fridge, or run to the supermarket and buy a packet of ready-made pastry (225g).
3. Cook the leeks for 2 minutes in salted boiling water. (You can also cook carrots and potatoes too, if you want more in your pie!).
4. Grease a 24-26cm pie dish and add the cooked vegetables.
5. Dice the cooked chicken and add to the pie dish with the parsley and seasoning. Pour in enough stok from the boiled chicken pan to just cover. If you prefer a thicker sauce, add some cornflour to the stock and warm it over a low heat before pouring over the chicken and veg.
6. Roll out the pasty on a lightly floured surface. Cut a strip and place it around the rim of the pie dish. Brush the pastry strip with beaten egg. Lay the main part of the pastry over the pie to make a lif and press the pastry edges together. Trim off the excess with a knife to neaten.
7. Make a central hole for the steam to escape.
8. Brush the whole pie with beaten egg to give it a golden crispy look when cooked and to stop the pie crust drying out. Cook for 20 - 25 minutes in a preheated oven, 230C until the pastry is golden, then lower the heat to 180C and cook for a further 20 minutes.
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Recipe for short-crust pastry
Makes a 20c pastry case
Ingredients:
175g plain white or wholemeal flour
pinch of salt
85g butter, chilled
3 tablespoons cold water
Method:
1. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl, and grate the butter, straight from the fridge, into the flour.
2. Using your fingertips, rub in the butter with minimum handling - you don't want the butter to melt. Add 2 tablespoons or water, little by little, just enough to bind the mixture together. Wrap the pastry in cling wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.
Stop here if you are making the above recipe - otherwise, continue on as below:
3. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to fit a 20cm tart tin.
4. To bake the pastry blind, cut a circle of greaseproof paper the same size as the base of the pastry case and lay over the pastry. Place a handful of dried beans on top of the paper - these prevent the pastry rising.
5. Put the pastry case in a preheated oven, 180C and bake for 10-15 minutes. Then remove the beans and paper and bake for a further 5-10minutes.
Enjoy!!
Yum!!!
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