Chicken, mushroom & black garlic puff pastry slices - it's British Pie Week!

Now you all know, I'm sure, what a big fan I am of comfort food.  Well, when Jus-Rol (the ready made/ready rolled pastry people) got in touch with me and suggested I might like to create something to honour British Pie Week (which is their very own confection and hooray to them for it), of course I said a big "yes please!".

If you're still in the dark as to what British Pie Week is all about (not that it's likely, but just in case), Jus-Rol have a web page to answer all your questions at http://jusrol.co.uk/british-pie-week/.

I'm quite proud to say that I have been getting along quite well with making my own pastry just lately, however, there's no way on this earth I shall ever be making my own puff pastry.  It just seems like a strange kind of torture, when Jus-Rol make such a good ready made version!  It rises beautifully into deliciously light, crisp and airy flakes of golden loveliness, I am quite sure I couldn't compete - so I don't - and that is why I chose to use puff pastry for my chicken, mushroom & black garlic slices.  The choice honours both British Pie Week and Jus-Rol's reliability where both quality and flavour are concerned.

Of course, you know what I'm like by now and making a simple pie was out of the question.  Far too predictable.  I tossed various recipe ideas around in my head, but kept on coming back to the savoury slice that was the first idea to surface.  They're basically hand held (well you can try!) savoury filled, small (well they were supposed to be small) pies that aren't pasties.  The pastry flakes so much, that I would suggest when eating al fresco that you make sure you're near a duck pond, as I am positive the ducks would very much enjoy the flaky fallout - which will be fairly considerable.  Oh - and don't attempt to eat one in a high wind or you may be left with a handful of filling as your pastry flies off into the wide blue yonder.  Jus-Rol's puff pastry is REALLY puffy!

I would anticipate that just about everyone is familiar with the chicken & mushroom savoury slice.  Many have been consumed in moments of random onset hunger and they are one of the staples of supermarket pie & pastry sections.  However, you know what I'm like for wanting to give a bit of added value to my recipes and as Balsajo's black garlic is one of my new favourite things - and of course, it would be luscious with chicken and mushroom - I couldn't resist including it and hence the new chicken, mushroom & black garlic savoury slice was born.

Now if you haven't sampled black garlic, hie thee hence to your local supermarket and put that right.  Black garlic is ordinary garlic that has been aged by the use of heat and humidity until it becomes thoroughly blackened, incredibly sweet and balsamicky (is that a word?) and not like ordinary raw garlic at all.  It's just lovely and I have to resist eating it straight from the bulb, whenever I'm cooking with it.  Oh and interestingly, it doesn't set of my garlic sensitivity - which is great.

The filling for the slices might seem a bit of a faff to prepare, but in reality it couldn't be any easier.  It's simply a matter of a bit of a-chopping and a-peeling, heating up some stock and away we go with the frying pan.

It is very worthwhile making the filling several hours before you require it, so that it can cool right down.  Trying to fill puff pastry rectangles as they dissolve under a hot filling is nothing short of guaranteed disaster.  I know, I've tried it.  So don't do that - make it early and chill it down.  It's so much easier.

Also, please don't be put off at the thought of making the slices.  That doesn't get any easier either when you are using Jus-Rol's ready rolled puff pastry sheets.  Buy two, cut them into quarters and all the hard work has been done by the factory.  You can sit back and accept the admiration and appreciation of your audience, without ever having broken a sweat.  Perfect.

Now, I have a few Cook's Tips for you - it's been a while since any of those turned up, hasn't it!

Firstly, don't be tempted to add more vegetables than you need.  The slices are intended to be primarily chicken, not vegetable.  For instance, where the carrot is concerned, I say to use one small carrot, but in fact I used one third of a big donkey carrot as they have such a big carroty flavour.  However, it's entirely up to you, just keep it small.

If you have a bunch of celery to hand, dig out the small sticks from the centre of the bunch.  They are way more tender and sweet.

Now I know I've gone on rather about the black garlic, but in case you don't have any to hand, regular garlic will do just as nicely.  Finely chop one clove and add it along with the onions and bacon etc.   It will require more cooking than the black version.

Everyone might know this tip, but it's worth passing on just in case.  Whenever you are cutting puff pastry, make sure to cut directly vertically downwards.  Lift your knife and make the second cut and so on.  When you draw a knife through the pastry, it bends the layers and can make the rise uneven.

Lastly, when egg washing, remember to paint liberally with your egg wash and THEN cut the steam holes.  This prevents the holes from becoming clogged by cooked egg, which can make your slices burst at the seams.

I was so very pleased with the flavours.  The chicken is right up there - as it should be - and softly tender.  The mushroom has a definite presence, with the remainder of the vegetables acting as a harmonious choir in the background.  The black garlic is subtly sweet and adds delicious umami to the whole.  The pastry is light, crispy and tastes just great.  I'm only pleased that there's just three in this family and there are four slices. That's lunch tomorrow sorted, then.

So there you are.  No need to wait until next British Pie Week - get your slice on!

CHICKEN, MUSHROOM & BLACK GARLIC SLICES    (serves 4)

Ingredients :

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 Knorr chicken stock pot
200ml hot water
1 tbsp olive oil
10g salted butter
half a medium onion, chopped finely
2 rashers of smoked streaky bacon, chopped finely
1 small carrot, diced finely
3" stick of celery, diced finely
half a tsp dried rosemary
sea salt & black pepper
1 mushroom, chopped finely plus 4 mushrooms, sliced
3 cloves of black garlic, chopped
1 heaped tbsp of plain flour
1 tbsp single cream
2 320g packs of Jus-Rol Puff pastry
1 beaten egg.

Method :

To make the filling, cut the two chicken breasts in half along their length, in order to reduce their thickness.

In a medium sized saucepan, add the water and chicken stock pot and heat until the stock pot has melted.  Add the chicken and poach until just done.  Remove the chicken to a bowl and reserve the stock.

In a frying pan, add the olive oil and butter and heat until the butter is melted.

Add the onion, bacon, carrot, celery and chopped mushroom and fry over a moderate heat until softened but not coloured.   Add the rosemary and season with a pinch each of sea salt & black pepper.  Add the sliced mushrooms and black garlic and continue to fry until the mushrooms have softened slightly.

Sprinkle over the plain flour and stir in.  Reduce the heat under the pan, then add the reserved stock in small increments, stirring well in between each addition.  You are looking for a thick sauce that coats the vegetables to a dropping consistency, but not runny, so you may well have unused stock left over.

Take each piece of chicken and, with two forks, shred the meat.  Make sure to leave some of the chicken in small chunks, for texture.  Add them to the pan with the vegetables as you go.

Stir the chicken into the sauce and add the single cream.  Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.

Decant the filling into a bowl and refrigerate until perfectly cool.

Taking the two sheets of pastry, cut each into four equal sized rectangles.

Place two rectangles each onto baking trays that have been lined with greaseproof paper or baking parchment.  

Paint the edges of the four pastry rectangles with beaten egg, then pile a quarter of the chicken mixture into each of these rectangles, taking care to spread the filling evenly across each piece.

Take an unfilled rectangle of pastry and place it over the chicken mix, making sure that the edges meet evenly.  Press down lightly around the edges.  You may wish to just trim off the corners, to give a rounded appearance.  Crimp the edges together, or seal by pressing a fork into the pastry to leave a nice pattern.

Egg wash the tops of the four slices and don't forget to cut two little holes in the top to let the steam escape.  Decorate the tops with a light sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper.

Place into a pre-heated oven at 180degC/350degF/gas 4 for 40-45 minutes, until the pastry is risen and evenly golden brown.

Serve with baby potatoes, vegetables of your choice and a yummy chicken gravy.

Printable version

British Pie Week : Steak & Kidney Pie

When I knew that British Pie Week was trotting up towards us, it didn't take me long to decide which pie to make.

After all, I'd already devised a recipe for Steak & Kidney Pie but hadn't cooked it as of yet - well, not for the blog.  In fact, I still haven't cooked that precise pie because I got waylaid by the idea of the suet pastry that was involved with the Jamie Oliver Kate & Wills Wedding Pie.

This pie, I started cooking on the Saturday lunchtime, prior to when we were due to eat it on the Sunday evening.  I cooked the beef shin in the slow cooker, you see.  Being beef shin, it takes a lot of slow cooking to bring the meat to the point of being tender enough for our old teeth to cope with.  I'm afraid my days of wanting to gnaw my way through tough beef are long gone.  I just can't see why I should have to, when I've got a slow cooker!  I was hoping that - as with a lot of things - if I cooked the beef the day before, it would have had time to let the flavours develop before using it in the pie.

The other great thing about beef shin is that it contains a large amount of connective tissue - the greater part of which I trim off before cooking, but what is left slowly dissolves over the cooking process and renders the gravy so glossy and rich.  You just don't get that with the more expensive cuts of beef.

Mind you, I say "more expensive" cuts, but our (just under) 1kg of beef shin cost just short of £6!  I can remember - not so long ago, either -  it would have cost just under £5.  Just that relatively small rise of a pound is making me think whether we can afford to use it in future.  It may be more economical to buy 800g of beef brisket (which is slightly more expensive) but not have to trim so much away.


One mistake I made with this pie is to forget to soak the kidneys in milk before including them in the pot.  I have done this in the past and can confirm that it isn't an old wife's tale, but it does leave the kidneys with a gentler flavour.  For all that these were lamb's kidneys, they were mighty powerful - so powerful, in fact, that they were a bit too strong for hubby's taste.  If I'm honest, I'll admit that I liked them - in fact they were the best bit of the pie, for me!


Son & heir absolutely loves the pastry - so much so that I was begged to make something with the offcuts of the raw pastry, that he could take to school to eat in his break times!

Looks good!

I pan fried the kidney until just rare, before adding it to the meat mixture and baking.  However, hubby found this pie disappointing, because the pieces of kidney were too large for his palate and the gravy didn't taste particularly of kidney.  He prefers a more overall flavour of kidney, whereas I prefer to trip over a flavour shot of kidney by finding a larger piece in amongst the steak.  He was also disappointed that the can of Mackeson's that I'd used to slow cook the shin - he said - had disappeared.  So far as I was concerned, I could still taste it but that was largely because I'd been tasting the beef mixture all the way along - and I knew how it tasted before the Mackeson's was added!  It wasn't one of the prime flavours, but then it wasn't supposed to be.  This was, after all, a Steak & Kidney pie rather than a Steak & Ale pie.

Still, I enjoyed the pie very much - as did son & heir.  If I was to make another, I would ensure that the kidneys were cut into smaller pieces and perhaps some kidney was cooked with the beef, to ensure the gravy carried the kidney flavour along with everything else.  The pastry?  Well, I wouldn't change a thing.



STEAK & KIDNEY PIE (slow cooker version)     Feeds 4

Ingredients :

1 tbsp olive oil
a knob of butter
1 onion, halved then each half cut into sixths
a sprig of fresh rosemary, leaves removed and finely chopped
fresh thyme, leaves removed, to make approx 1 tsp
700g beef shin, trimmed and diced (start with 800g untrimmed)
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp tomato puree
200ml gentle smooth stout
1 heaped tbsp plain flour
500ml beef stock
1 tsp English mustard

1 tbsp Mushroom ketchup (or Worcestershire sauce), to taste

4 lamb's kidneys, cored and diced small.

For the pastry :

150g plain flour

50g Atora shredded suet (I use vegetable suet)

50g butter

sea salt

an egg yolk, for brushing.

Method :

1.  On day one, in a frying pan on a medium heat, place the olive oil and butter.  Add the onions and fry until they are just beginning to colour and have softened.  Add them to the slow cooker, switch it on to low and replace the lid.

2.  Increase the heat to high and add the diced beef, frying without stirring until browned and the cubes have caramelised on at least two sides - but don't let them burn!  Add the chopped herbs and the meat from one of the kidneys.  Cook until the kidney has browned, then add the lot to the slow cooker and replace the lid.

3.  To the frying pan, add the flour and tomato puree and stir until the flour has lightly toasted.  Then add the stout and stir, then gradually add the stock, stirring in between each addition to break down any lumps that might have appeared.  Add the mustard and the mushroom ketchup. The object of the exercise is to have a smooth thickened gravy by the end of it.  Pour into the slow cooker and give everything a good stir to settle it into one even layer.  Replace the lid and leave it to chuckle for a minimum of 4 hours.

4.  Cool and place in the refrigerator until the following day.

5.  On day two, make the pastry by putting the flour, suet and butter into a bowl with a good pinch of salt.  Using your thumbs and forefingers, rub the butter in to the flour until you have something resembling a crumb mixture.  Stir in 60ml of cold water (or thereabouts) and use your hands to pat and push the mix together to form a rough dough.  Ignore the urge to mix or knead, as you don't want to overwork the flour and have your pastry become tough.  Wrap the pastry in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until needed.

6. Pre-heat your oven to 180deg C/350deg F/gas 4.  Get the frying pan back out and add a little olive oil, over a medium heat.  Add the remainder of the kidney and fry until browned but still rare.  Decant into a deep pie dish.

7.  Spoon the meat mixture into the frying pan, leaving the gravy in the bowl, and heat it through.  Decant into the deep pie dish and give a stir, to distribute the kidney well.

8.  Add the gravy to the frying pan and simmer to reduce.  You're looking for a good thickish consistency that will coat the back of a spoon.  Once you have that, decant into the pie dish.

9.  Roll out the pastry to fit the top of the dish.  Run a little beaten egg around the edge of the dish and place the pastry over.  Trim to fit and cut a little hole in the top, to let the steam out.

10.  Brush beaten egg over the top of the pie and place in the oven to cook for around 45 minutes or until the pastry is golden and looking lovely.

11.  Serve.

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Leftover lovelies - this week's meal plan plus news of a competition!

Can't .. be .. bothered .. to get up!

Well, last week's plans couldn't have gone any more awry if they tried.  I put it down to a large cloud of ennui (also known as "I can't be bothered") that seemed to settle over the entire place.  I think we must be suffering from the end-of-winter-blues, or something fairly catastrophic, as we're not normally this lackadaisical about our menu!

I won't go into the details of what we didn't cook and what we did cook instead - suffice to say that three meals stayed the same, the remaining four got thrown up in the air and came down in a totally different order, with different ingredients and very differing results.

So, this week we're going to have another go at it and hope to do better.

Here's what's on the menu :

Tues : Maple pear, bacon & blue cheese tart with walnut salad

Weds : Chicken enchiladas with salad

Thurs : Bockwurst and bean pasties with potato wedges

Fri : Turkey pesto meatballs in tomato sauce, with mashed potatoes, carrots & peas

Sat : Chickerone soup with cheesy pitta breads

Sun : Steak & kidney pie with carrots, swede & broccoli

Mon : Fish fingers and potato wedges.

Now, the theme that pulls every dish (excepting Sunday's pie) together is that they each contain something that has been left over from a dish we thought we'd make, but didn't.

So, to kick us off, we've got one of my great loves - a tart.  This is using up a leftover piece of puff pastry that's been roosting in the freezer, looking for a home.  I'm quite excited about this recipe - which we dreamed up in successive car trips.  It involves caramelising some sliced pear in bacon fat and a drizzle of maple syrup.  The tart filling will comprise the sliced pear, cooked bacon and crumbled stilton - all served with a mixed salad that's dressed in a walnut vinaigrette.

The next leftover to be used up is a bag containing two chicken breasts.  Our butcher sells 5 chicken breasts for £5, so we often wind up with two leftover.  So to make the two stretch around three people, I thought I'd include them in an Enchilada recipe.  This recipe was supposed to have been cooked a couple of weeks ago - so we still have the corn wraps and chilli beans in the cupboard.  Add to that the salsa that we bought for the chicken kebabs (that didn't happen) and we're all set for Enchiladas.

Thursday has a variation on a Bockwurst theme.  We bought quite a few jars of these (once we found them) and so I indulged in a glorious lunch of Bockwurst with baked beans.  This sparked off hubby's imagination and between us, we dreamed up a recipe for the Bockwurst & Bean Pasties.  It remains to be seen how they turn out - but I'm hoping that as it contains Bockwurst, it can't be bad!  Oh, and do pasties qualify for Pie Week?  Maybe?  If you close one eye and concentrate on the pastry?

Yay!  You knew we couldn't get through a week without a meatball recipe, now didn't you?  Well, you were right.  This time, I'm using up the turkey mince that we bought for the Enchilada recipe, plus three quarters of a jar of pesto.  I'm also soothing son & heir's terrible mashed potato drought, which I hope will take his mind off of the carrots and peas that will accompany it.

Sort of like this ...

Saturday is another "created at home" recipe, which is a main course soup based upon a Minestrone recipe.  In this one, I'm using up another bag of two chicken breasts that we found lurking in the freezer - hence Chickerone.  I'll also be using up a bag of pitta breads that we bought as part of the chicken kebab idea that didn't happen.  I'll split them into triangles, cover with grated cheese and bake in the oven until melted and crispy.  Mmmmn, gorgeously perfect dipping material!

For all that the Steak & Kidney Pie is booked in for Sunday, I'll actually cook the steak & kidney on the Saturday, using the slow cooker.  I find that the flavours develop overnight and, with a similar pastry to the Kate & Wills Wedding Pie, it should be a cracking pie to honour British Pie Week.

Good old Monday hoves into view and we're slumming it.  I always think of Monday as being a "catch your breath after the week" day, when we want a super-easy meal that (preferably) uses up something that's leftover from the week prior.  Well, we'll have leftover potato wedges and we've two boxes of Fish Fingers that we picked up because they were on special offer.  I might even butter some bread and have a fish finger & wedge sandwich - ooooooh, the decadence!

So that's the planned meals.  Where extra cooking projects are concerned, I've just bought a whole shedload of peanuts with which to make my own peanut butter.  The recipe is incredibly simple and promises that if you can master the plain peanut butter, then the recipe for chocolate peanut butter will be a natural progression.  Sounds good to me!

I still haven't made the Dorset Apple Cake.  ~hangs head in shame~  I know, I don't deserve to exist.  There's six lovely Bramley apples waiting to have something done with them in our kitchen and I.Really.Must.Bake!

You could win one of these - although I doubt it will be full!

As for what's planned for Rhubarb & Ginger here, well, exciting news!  I'll be hosting a competition which will launch in the next few days, sponsored by Crock Pot U.K., in which the first prize will be a beautiful new Crock Pot (or slow cooker).  You must keep an eye out for further details, because if I didn't already have an almost brand-new slow cooker, I'd be busting to enter!

Oh, and just before I go, two items of lovely news which made my respective days - firstly, I won £25-worth of Takeaway curry from our local curry house - the Heart of India.  With hubby's birthday coming up - 14th March, if you want to send him congratulations - I know when we'll be using our vouchers!

Secondly, I won the Family Friendly Fridays competition on Ren Behan's gorgeous "Fabulicious Food" blog.  I entered my Turkey & Chorizo Meatballs on Pesto Spaghetti recipe and was absolutely chuffed to little tiny pieces to win.  Thanks Ren!