Chicken And Mushroom Pie With Phyllo Parmesan Crust Food

CHICKEN AND MUSHROOM PIE WITH PHYLLO-PARMESAN CRUST

Steps:

• Combine dried porcini and 1 cup hot water in small bowl; let stand until porcini are soft, about 20 minutes. Drain porcini, reserving liquid.
• Melt 3 tablespoons butter in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add fresh mushrooms and garlic; sauté until mushrooms are browned, about 8 minutes. Add porcini, porcini soaking liquid (leaving any sediment behind), broth, wine, prosciutto, lemon peel, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer uncovered 20 minutes to blend flavors. Whisk cornstarch mixture to combine and add to skillet; stir until mixture thickens slightly, about 1 1/2 minutes. Season sauce to taste with more salt and pepper, if desired. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool slightly, then cover and refrigerate.)
• Preheat oven to 425°F. Melt 6 tablespoons butter in small saucepan; remove from heat. Place 1 phyllo sheet on work surface (cover remainder with sheet of plastic wrap, then damp towel). Brush phyllo sheet with some of melted butter. Using both hands, gently scrunch buttered phyllo sheet into loose ball, about 2 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter; set on work surface. Repeat with remaining phyllo sheets and melted butter.
• Bring mushroom sauce to boil. Mix in chicken and parsley. Transfer mixture to 13x9x2-inch glass or ceramic baking dish. Cover hot filling with phyllo balls. Sprinkle Parmesan over. Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F; bake until phyllo is golden and chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes longer.

OH MY, CHICKEN PIE!

Steps:

• Poach chicken in wine for 8 minutes; remove from cooking liquid (discard liquid); allow chicken to cool completely and cut into small dice; put in a large bowl and set aside.
• Rinse spinach leaves, shake most of water off leaves and place in large saucepan over high heat; cover pan and steam spinach for 3-4 minutes, or until it has just wilted; tip into a colander and run cold water over spinach to stop cooking; leave in colander to drain, pressing down with palm of hand and compacting into a bunch; press out as much liquid as possible; chop spinach up quite fine and add to chicken.
• Over medium-high heat, saute onion in olive oil in large frying pan, stirring occasionally, for about 15-17 minutes, or until starting to turn golden and caramelize; add chopped mushrooms and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes, or until any liquid released by the mushrooms has evaporated; add garlic and bacon and continue sautéing for another 5 minutes; remove from heat and add to chicken/spinach mixture in bowl; allow to cool for about 5 minutes, then stir in heavy cream, cheeses and eggs, stirring to distribute evenly; check seasoning and season to taste (it probably won't need much salt because of the cheeses, but lots of freshly-ground pepper will be great!).
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Butter your one large pan (or two smaller ones - if you are making 2 pies, separate the phyllo into 2 equal parts and cover each with a dampened kitchen towel); start staggering your sheets of phyllo into the pan, and buttering each one generously; when half the sheets have been used, spoon in the chicken/vegetable filling; cover filling with remaining phyllo sheets, buttering each one generously as it is added; fold in edges, tucking them in to make an attractive finish, and butter top layer generously, using up remainder of butter.
• Score top of pastry lengthwise into 4 sections with a small, sharp knife, making sure not to cut all the way through (do NOT cut through pastry on bottom layer) - these will facilitate cutting pieces when pie is baked and will also serve as steam vents; sprinkle some cold water generously over the pie (I shake the water off my fingers, about 3 runs under the tap and shaken all over the pastry) and pop the pie into the oven.
• Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the pie is a rich golden-brown - for the last 20 minutes of baking, slip the pan directly onto the floor of the oven to brown and crisp the bottom phyllo sheets (if you are baking the frozen pie, put it in the oven frozen, tack on another 10-15 minutes baking - if phyllo is getting too brown, tent with foil).

CHEESY CHICKEN AND LEEK PHYLLO PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Add leeks and mushrooms; cook and stir 3-4 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in flour until blended; gradually stir in stock and milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; cook and stir 3-4 minutes or until thickened. Stir in chicken, 3/4 cup cheese, thyme, salt and pepper., Brush a 9-in. pie plate with some of the remaining oil. Place one sheet of phyllo dough into prepared pie plate, allowing ends to extend over edges of dish; brush with oil. (Keep remaining phyllo covered with plastic wrap and a damp towel to prevent it from drying out.) Layer with seven additional phyllo sheets, brushing each layer with oil and rotating sheets to cover the pie plate. Transfer chicken mixture to crust., Gently fold in ends of phyllo over filling, leaving an opening in the center. Crumble the remaining phyllo sheets over filling; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Brush edges with remaining oil. Bake 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.

PHYLLO CHICKEN POT PIE FROM FROZEN PHYLLO DOUGH

Steps:

• 1.) Place carrots, celery, potatoes and onions into the chicken broth and cook over med-high until tender. Add frozen peas and corn. Add diced chicken, salt pepper sage and thyme. Simmer over med-low for a few minutes.
• 2.) Whisk milk and flour together. Add to above mixture and simmer until thickened.
• 3. ) To make pie, overlap 10 sheets of fillo in a 9" pie pan, buttering the sheets as you layer them in the pie pan. Pour chicken mixture on fillo dough. Top with remaining 10 sheets, overlapping the fillo and brushing each layer. Score top.
• 4.) Bake in preheated 350ºF oven for 25 to 40 minutes or until golden brown Let stand 5 minutes. Serve hot.
• GENERAL FILLO DOUGH HANDLING DIRECTIONS. Allow fillo dough to thaw in refrigerator overnight. Bring to room temperature before using. Carefully unroll fillo sheets onto a smooth, dry surface. Cover fillo completely with plastic wrap, then a damp towel.Keep fillo covered until needed. Do not leave uncovered for more than one minute to avoid drying out. Microwave butter until melted. This will give you a lighter and flakier pastry. Brush each layer of fillo with melted butter, margarine or oil.To prevent edges from cracking, brush edges first and then work into center. Be sure to brush the last layer of fillo with melted butter.Fillings should be chilled and not excessively moist. Fillo may be rolled and refrozen to store when not in use.