Chicken & Mushroom Pie Success!

The 'Pie' was not anything I really liked growing up. I suppose more for the reason that my introduction to it was the frozen ready made ones my Mother would pick up from the grocery store. I always seemed to get chucks of fat in gristle in mine (yuck).

But then coming to the UK they are everywhere and a staple on any pub menu. Sooner or later I figured it was time to give it the old college try and make one. No idea why but I was craving chicken and mushroom.

Happy to report it turned out yummy!

Serves 6

2 tsp olive oil
50g butter
1 medium onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 large potato, diced (leave skin on cause it's good for you)
1 large carrot, diced
1 cup diced broccoli
1/2 cup shelled fresh peas
2 leeks, diced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
100g fresh tarragon sprigs leaves picked and chopped
2 chicken breasts (boneless skinless), cut into 4-5cm chunks
1/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms
450 ml chicken stock
100ml white wine
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp flour
250ml double cream
1 heaped tbsp dijon mustard
200g button mushrooms, halved
100g puff pastry

Heat the oven to 170C/Gas Mark 3.

- Heat the oil and 25g of the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed pan.
- Sweat the onion, celery and half the leeks in this for about 10 minutes, or until soft and translucent.
- Add the garlic, tarragon, chicken, dried porcini, potato, carrots, stock, wine and 1/2 tsp salt.
- Cover and cook over a low heat for 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Pour into a sieve set over a bowl, to strain the cooking liquid, and reserve this and the chicken mixture.

- Melt the remaining 25g butter in a clean pan. Whisk in the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes, until bubbling.
- Gradually whisk in the reserved cooking liquid and bring to a simmer.
- Whisk in the cream and mustard and check the seasoning. Remove from the heat.
- Add the chicken mixture, mushrooms, peas, broccoli and remaining leeks to the sauce and mix together.

- Roll out the pastry & cut 6 pieces large enough to cover 6 ramkins with a bit of overhang
- Spoon in the chicken mixture dividing evenly between the 6 dishes
- Lay the lid over the filling, then pinch the edges of the lid to the edge of the dish, to seal.
- Cut 3 or 4 1cm slits in the lid, to allow steam to escape during baking, then brush the lid with the remaining beaten egg to glaze.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and the filing is bubbling around the edges and through the slits in the lid.