Come Monday nights, a funny thing has happened... I’ve been finding myself cooking rather fabulous dinners. I’m not sure if it’s a way of cleansing after the weekend or it’s a way of setting myself up just right for the week. Either way, there’ve been some great snacks created from a Monday evening cook-a-thon, and this Monday was no different. Although, it was a Martha Stewart marathon of a thing. And it was accidental.
See, I’d taken a chicken breast out of the freezer (a nice, plump corn fed one) and all day had no idea what to with it. So, I browsed a few sites like www.taste.com.au and a new favourite discovery at www.cuisine.com.au as well as some real life cookbooks for inspiration.
Then I saw it... a lovely image of a luscious chicken and veg pie, shrouded in crispy buttery pastry and I knew that’s what I wanted. I knew it was what I had to have – and was going to have it no matter what. No matter about having to make the pastry myself, or having to cut up tons of vegies, or having to make a white sauce to bind it all.... and not to mention having to wash a million dishes, all while Underbelly was on!
The other problem was that none of the recipes were quite what I wanted. So in the end I had to make it all up... but it worked and I was happy (although if anyone can give me a few bullet points on the gist of Underbelly, that would be great!).
So, before I forget how it all happened, I thought I’d write it down NOW and post it.
Chicken & Vegetable 'Pot' Pies... Free Form style
(this made 12 mini/med pies)
Pastry
1 Cup Wholemeal Flour
½ Cup Plain Flour
125gm Butter – chilled, chopped
Pinch Salt
Cold water
Sift flour and salt, add to food processor. Dot butter around and whiz until the mix looks like breadcrumbs. With the motor running, slowly add chilled water until the mix comes together in a ball. It should be slightly sticky, like playdough.
Wrap dough in cling wrap, and refrigerate for 30 mins (this will prevent shrinkage when baking).
When ready to use, flatten to a disk, before removing from wrap and rolling out to desired thickness on a floured bench.
Chicken and Vegetable Filling
1 Large Chicken Breast
1 Cup Leek – chopped
1 Cup Sweet Potato – peeled and chopped
½ Cup Carrot - chopped
1 Cup Mushrooms – chopped
1 Cup Zucchini – chopped
½ Cup Frozen Corn Kernels
1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
1 teaspoon Garlic – minced
½ cup White Wine
½ cup Chicken Stock
Salt, Pepper, Paprika
Olive Oil
Parboil sweet potato (about 10 mins) in lightly salted water. Drain and set aside.
Sauté leek and carrot in olive oil until soft and slightly browned. Add garlic and mustard. Sweat down for a few minutes before raising heat and adding chopped chicken. Brown together, stirring to prevent sticking.
Add stock and wine and bring to a simmer. Add mushrooms and zucchini and cook on a low simmer for a few minutes. Add corn and sweet potato as well as salt and pepper to taste, and a dash of paprika. Stir through and remove from heat.
Add white sauce (recipe below) to bring the mixture together – you may not need all the sauce, the mix should not be too wet, just nicely thickened to bind the filling together.
When combined, assemble pies.
White Sauce
2 Tablespoons Butter
2 Tablespoons Plain Flour
2 Cups Milk (warmed)
Salt & Pepper
Melt butter in a saucepan, when melted, add flour and stir until well combined. Allow the flour to cook for a few minutes, lower heat and then add a splash of milk, stirring briskly to break up lumps. When thickened, slowly add more milk, stirring constantly. Continue adding milk until the sauce reaches the desired consistency. Salt and pepper to taste.
To assemble pies – cut round discs of pastry (I used a saucer) place on a greased baking sheet. Add a spoonful of chicken filling. Bring up sides, slightly overlapping the mix, crimping to make the pastry hold up. Alternatively you can also line muffin tins with the pastry, adding the filling.
Bake - in a pre-heated (220’C) oven until pastry is cooked through and filling bubbling (mine took around 35 mins). Allow to rest for a few minutes, before turning onto a wire rack to cool slightly.
Tasting Notes
- The wholemeal pastry took longer than expected and was rather heavy, but I was trying to be healthy! If you don’t want to use wholemeal flour, use 2 cups of plain white flour to the same ratio of butter.
- These can be adapted for any ingredients that you may have in the fridge. The vegies above are what I had to hand...
- You could also make one large pie, you could double the pastry mix so the pie was enclosed
- If you have leftover white sauce, it freezes well so pop it away for another use
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