Ham and Chicken Pie
I've had this recipe for years but it only exists as a handful of rough notes and ingredients. This is my attempt to share it as I make it (original recipe is in quotations).
"Melt a knob of butter in a saucepan."
I use a 10" cast iron skillet. I use a drizzle of olive oil on my knob. You're an adult, you decide how much a "knob" of butter is. A door knob? A cabinet pull? A couple of tablespoons? (Innuendo is the reader's, not the author's).
"Zest and juice of an orange then add a generous splash of Sherry."
I've never ever remembered to do this, but if I have something on hand to generously "splash" I will. I always forget the orange but I'm sure its acidity and sweetness would be appreciated.
"Add leeks until soft."
Leeks are often sold in bunches of threes, so I use three. Lop off the thick green tops and base and then cut into rings. Easy peasy and will fill a 10" skillet. It doesn't take more the 10 minutes on medium heat for them to softened.
"Simmer with lid on for about 5–6 minutes."
"Now remove lid and simmer to reduce liquid."
"Add 3 tablespoons of flour - best to add one at a time with a stir in-between."
If it looks too thick, by which I mean if it starts to get too dry rather than still saucy, then by all means stop and add a bit of water if you want.
"Add 500 ml of chicken stock"
Two cups seems a lot but hear me out, it does make a saucy sauce.
"Stir in a plop of some mustard."
Again, reader, whatever mustard you have handy and whatever you are comfortable plopping. I typically use a tablespoon plopped from a two metre height. Everyone is different.
"200 ml of cream"
OK - this is all getting very British. Again, I realized at some point the recipe is asking you to kind of make cream of leek soup, thus I say, you could skip the chicken stock and cream, and add a good old can of "Cream of Whatever" soup plus another can and a half of water. If I find cream of leek, I get it, but I've also used cream of mushroom or cream of celery. It's all cream of something.
"A good rip of tarragon."
What is "a rip" of tarragon? By my estimation it would be about a handful, chopped. As a substitute you could use basil, sage, savoury or if don't live in a bonny village selling "good rips" of fresh herbs, toss a tablespoon of the dried stuff.
"Add 600g of ham and turkey."
I usually buy a small ham and some pre-cooked chicken or turkey strips (sold in 200g packages); 300g of each is a fair amount. This year for the first time I did really use leftover ham - such a thing has happened - and the leftover chicken from our Christmas dinner.
"Season with salt and pepper."
Kosher salt only? Of course not. I'm not really sure why so many recipes demand kosher salt? It's a bigger flake, so, maybe it's easier to "pinch"?
"Place a steamer in a pie plate."
What's a steamer? You know that blackbird thing that your mother used and put in the middle of a pie? Well, that thing. I'm sure I've made do with something else? A straw? Also, this is too much mixture for a pie dish, so here's my primary hack: I use a 8" or 9" casserole dish and top the whole thing with a pre-made, frozen pie pastry. Voilà. I just saved you over an hour of your life.
"Add mixture around it."
"Top with pie crust."
Poke a few festive holes in it and brush on an egg wash. I know an egg yolk whipped with an equal amount of cream is an egg wash but please, it's leftovers night, just whip an egg and brush it on.
"Bake at 365°F for 35-40 minutes."
Pro tip: don't over fill your casserole as it could easily spill out during baking.
"Let stand until it is cool enough to eat."
Actually, you really should do this as the whole thing sets as it cools making for thicker filing.
"Serve with steamed veg."
Oh you Brits! Steam your veg, but I'll have some carrots, broccoli or asparagus I've roasted thank you very much.
If you really want to, you can make your own pie pastry:
Pastry crust (so you're really that kind of person?)
- 2 ½ cups (325g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt or 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup (230g) very cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
- 6 to 8 tablespoons ice water, or more as needed
Add flour, salt and 1/3 of the butter and rub it all together- add a bit of water until it is pie dough pastry. Roll into a rectangle. Top with a bit more chilled grated butter (another third) - fold into the pastry. Roll it out again. Top with more crumbled butter (the last third). Fold it, roll it again. Remember, you're aiming to cover an 8 or 9" pie or casserole dish. Wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for an hour.
Roll it out - cut a hole for the steamer. Place over pie dish.
Brush with egg wash.
Bake at 365°F for 35-40 minutes.
Ok. I admit it. I heard this recipe while lying half-awake on the couch during a Christmas break. It's from a Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood Christmas special. The whole thing was a blur but sounded good - a plop of mustard, a good tear of tarragon - leftover ham and turkey and so on. Here's the thing, I usually never have enough leftovers to make something like this and I never make a turkey at Christmas. Never mind, it usually works out anyway. Oh and I usually hack it together so it's actually something that is surprisingly easy to make. I've included my shortcuts so you can choose your own adventure. Are my shortcuts bodges or hacks? You decide, then make a few of your own.