Chicken, Leek & Kale Pie
Food
Main Courses
Preparation time: 30 minutes, plus 40 minutes resting Cooking time: 30 minutes
4 Servings
Ingredients
SPELT ROUGH PASTRY
500g refined spelt flour
500g cold butter, diced
2 tsp sea salt
100g wholemeal spelt flour, for dusting
1 tbsp cold water
FILLING
2 chicken thighs
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 chicken breasts, cut into chunks
55g unsalted butter
60g refined spelt flour
500ml chicken stock
2 tbsp parsley, chopped
Splash dry sherry (fino or manzanilla) (optional)
2 large leeks, cut into 2cm slices
2 large kale sprigs, spines removed, finely chopped
To glaze milk or beaten egg
To season sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 Agen pitted prunes
Method
- SPELT ROUGH PASTRY
- Mix together flour, butter and salt and gradually start to add water and knead
- Shape dough into a rectangle about 2cm/1/2in thick, wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes
- Once rested, roll out in one direction on a lightly-floured surface into a long rectangle. Fold the bottom up two-thirds and the top down one-third to meet it. Fold over exactly in half. Give the dough a 90-degree turn and repeat the process. Wrap in cling film and rest in the fridge for 20 more minutes, before rolling it out into a sheet or circle or any other appropriate shape for a lid
- Keep trimmings for other pastry items or pie decorations
- FILLING
- Remove bones and skin from the thighs and pulse meat in a blender with the prunes, 1 tsp of mustard, salt and pepper
- When chopped enough to form into small dumplings, shape and set aside
- Preheat oven to 180°C
-
Melt butter over a low heat. Add flour and cook for 1 minute, then slowly whisk in chicken stock
- Add remaining mustard and chopped parsley, then season to taste with salt and pepper
- A splash of sherry or other white fortified wine is also a good addition
- Add leeks to sauce and simmer for a few minutes until starting to soften. The sauce should be reasonably thick but not gloopy. Add kale and stir again
- Add pieces of breast and thigh dumplings to sauce and put into an ovenproof dish to which a pastry lid can easily be attached
- TO ASSEMBLE
- Lay rolled out pastry on top of dish and decorate
- Brush with a little milk or beaten egg and bake for 30 minutes, or until the pastry is flaky and looks golden brown
