Hairy Bikers Leek And Mushroom Pie Food

CHICKEN AND WILD MUSHROOM PIE

Steps:

• For the pastry, pulse the flour, baking powder, salt, butter and egg yolk in a food processor until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Gradually add the water, a tablespoon at a time, mixing continuously until the mixture just comes together as a dough. (You may not need to use all the water.) Roll the dough into a ball, then wrap it in cling film and chill in the fridge for an hour. Meanwhile, for the filling, heat two tablespoons of the olive oil in a saucepan over a medium heat, add the chicken pieces and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until browned. Add the wine, water, tarragon and thyme, and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bring the mixture to the boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the volume of liquid has reduced by half and the chicken is cooked through. Heat the remaining olive oil in a separate frying pan over a medium heat, add the mushrooms, and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until golden-brown, then season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Remove the cooked chicken from the frying pan with a slotted spoon and place into a bowl, then add two spoonfuls of the residual juices from that pan. Add the mushrooms, then stir in the soured cream until well combined. Set aside to cool. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Grease a deep 20cm/8in pie tin with butter. Add a small amount of flour, then turn the tin to coat the base and sides, shaking out any excess. When the pastry has chilled, roll out two thirds of it onto a clean, floured work surface, until it is almost twice as wide as the diameter of the tin. Using the rolling pin, lift the pastry and lay it over the pie tin to line the base and sides. Gently press the pastry into the corners of the tin, trimming off any excess, then prick the base of the pastry case several times with a fork. Cover the pastry with a sheet of greaseproof paper and fill it with rice or dried beans. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until the pastry is pale golden-brown. Remove from the oven, discard the beans and greaseproof paper and set the pastry aside to cool. When cool, pour the pie filling into the pastry case. Roll the remaining one third of the pastry out onto a clean, floured work surface until it is a little bit larger than the diameter of the pie tin. Brush the rim of the cooked pastry case with some of the beaten egg and place the pastry lid on top of the pie. Trim off any excess pastry. Seal the pastry lid to the pastry case by crimping the edges of the pastry lid with a fork. With a knife, make two small holes in the centre of the pastry lid to allow steam to escape. Brush the pastry lid with the remaining beaten egg, then transfer to the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until golden-brown.

CHICKEN, LEEK & MUSHROOM PIES

Steps:

• Heat the butter in a shallow pan and gently cook the leeks with the thyme for 8 mins, or until soft. Add both types of mushrooms and cook for 5 mins more, then turn up the heat a little, add the chicken and stir until the chicken starts to brown. Scatter over the flour and stir to make a paste and continue to cook for 2 mins.
• Splash in the wine, if using, and sizzle for 1 min, stirring, then pour in the stock, cream and lemon juice, season and simmer for 10 mins until the chicken is cooked through. Leave to cool, then pop in the fridge to chill. Can be made up to two days ahead. Assemble the pies as directed in Tom's pie pastry recipe, decorating the tops with any trimmings, if you like.

LEEK AND MUSHROOM COTTAGE PIE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Put butter in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to color, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Add leeks, a little more salt and stir to combine. Cook mixture for about 5 minutes more, until leeks have lost their crunch, but are still green. Turn off heat.
• Cook the mushrooms separately (work in batches if necessary): Put olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is wavy, add both kinds of mushrooms and sauté 2 to 3 minutes, until lightly browned. Season with salt and pepper. Turn off heat and stir in thyme, garlic and parsley, and toss to coat.
• Add mushrooms to onion-leek mixture, and turn heat to medium-high. Add miso and milk, and bring to a simmer. Stir cornstarch and water, add to mixture and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring, until sauce thickens. Transfer mixture to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, and leave at room temperature.
• Meanwhile, boil potatoes in salted water until very soft, about 15 minutes. Drain potatoes and mash with 4 tablespoons butter, then stir in cream and beat until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
• Spread mashed potatoes evenly over surface of vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and dot with remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Bake for 45 minutes, until bubbling and nicely browned.

CHICKEN, LEEK & MUSHROOM PIE

Steps:

• Put the chicken in a large pan with the bay, half the thyme sprigs, the parsley stalks, onions, garlic, stock and seasoning. Pour the milk over the chicken and, if you need to, top up with water to make sure the chicken is covered. Bring the chicken to the boil, then turn down and simmer for 15 mins. Lift from the liquid and leave to cool.
• Drain the poaching liquid through a sieve into a large jug - you need 650ml to make the sauce for your pie.
• Meanwhile, heat the butter in a saucepan over a low-medium heat. Add the leeks and the mushrooms, and cook for 5-10 mins until soft, then season well. Add the flour and stir to coat the vegetables. Slowly add the poaching liquid, stirring until you have a thick sauce.
• Using two forks, pull the chicken apart into thumb-sized chunks rather than chopping it - I feel you get a far better pie this way. Chop the parsley leaves, then stir into the leeks with the thyme leaves, crème frâiche and chicken. Check the seasoning, then spoon the mixture into your pie dish (or dishes) to cool slightly.
• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Roll out the pastry on a lightly dusted work surface to the thickness of a £1 coin. Cut thin strips from the edges and use a little water to stick these around the lip of the pie dish, then wet the top of the pastry strip. Lift the pastry on top of the pie, trim the edges and crimp them with your fingers or a fork. Brush the top with milk and cut a steam hole in the middle.
• Put the dish on a baking sheet and cook in the oven for 20-25 mins until the pastry is risen and golden. Some of the filling will have bubbled up through the steam hole. Have a bottle of tomato ketchup on hand to serve, if you like - and be careful, the pie will be hot.