Chicken, Leek and Mushroom Pot Pies

This dish is so satisfying on a cold winter’s night. It is easy to prepare and the filling can be prepared well in advance and finished off later on. The perfect accompaniment to this dish is mashed potatoes to soak of the delicious sauce from the pie.

Ingredients

• 50g butter
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 500g skinless chicken thigh fillets diced
• 1 leek, sliced
• 250g button mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves crushed garlic
• 3 tablespoons of corn flour
• 2 cups chicken stock
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons cream
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley or chives
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 sheets puff pastry, each cut into 4 circles or squares

Preparation

• Melt butter and oil in a large sauce pan, add onion, leek and garlic and fry until the onion is soft. Add mushrooms and cook for two minutes. Add chicken and cook for another five minutes or until chicken  is cooked through.
• Add stock, bring to the boil and then simmer for 10 minutes.   Mix the cornflour in 1/3 of a cup of cold water and slowly to the pan stirring until the dish thickens.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Remove from heat. Transfer to a bowl, stir in the cream and parsley/chives and cool. Refrigerate until cold.
• Divide filling between 6 x 1 cup capacity ovenproof dishes. Grease the edges of the dishes.  Place pastry on the dish, with a little overhanging, brush the pastry with egg and make a few slits in the pastry to allow steam to escape. Bake at 200°C for 25-30 minutes or until puffed and golden.

Cream of Mushroom Soup

I haven’t met a soup I don’t like yet.. It’s one of my favourite meals. This is such a simple recipe and yet it is so tasty. I like to garnish it with homemade croutons or thinly sliced mushrooms and finely chopped spring onions and chilli…. For a luxury touch add a spoon of sour cream or natural yoghurt… Delicious!

Serves 4

4                    

Ingredients

• 50 grams butter
• 1 small onion diced
• 10 mushrooms chopped
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 litre chicken stock
• Salt and pepper
• Milk to taste

Preparation

• Melt butter in a saucepan and add onion and fry gently for 5 minutes
• Add mushrooms and cook for a further 5 minutes
• Sprinkle in flour and cook for a further minute
• Add the stock and stir well
• Bring the soup to the boil, stirring until thickened
• Add salt and pepper to taste and simmer gently for 5 minutes
• Blend the soup and add milk to taste.