Left Over Roast Chicken Pie made with vegetable oil pastry

If you're not sure what to do with Sunday's left over roast chicken, this pie is a delicious mid-week meal. The next time you feel the need for a roast, it's worth buying an extra large size, so you can make pie with the leftovers. On this occasion we were running short of butter; I couldn't be bothered running to the supermarket, so for a change I made the pastry using just vegetable oil. The oil makes the pastry very short and crunchy. It's hard to handle, but worth the effort if your looking for a lower cholesterol vegetable fat option.

Left Over Roast Chicken Pie, made with vegetable oil pastry

The left over meat from half a large roast chicken
1 red pepper
2 tablespoons oil
1 red onion
2 tablespoons flour
4 rashers bacon or a few slices of pancetta
left over chicken gravy, topped up with water or stock to make 2 cups of liquid
salt and pepper to taste

Vegetable Oil Pastry

290g plain flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon lemon oil
sufficient water to stick the dough together and form it into a ball
a beaten egg to glaze

First make the pastry by sifting the flour and salt into a large bowl. Pour in the oil and mix together using your fingertips. Pour in the lemon juice and a splash of water. Use your hands to work the dough into a ball. Add more water if required, and briefly knead together. Chill for half an hour while making the filling. 

Preheat the oven to 200deg. C

To make the filling: 
Pull the left over meat from the bones and roughly chop it into chunks. 

Slice up the red pepper and set both aside in a bowl. 

Finely slice the onion and cut the bacon or pancetta into lardons. 

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the onion and bacon until the bacon starts to crisp and the onion has softened. 

Add the 2 tablespoons of flour and stir until it starts to froth. 

Take from the heat and add about a third of the gravy mixture. Stir until a smooth paste is formed, return to the heat and stir constantly until it starts to bubble, add another third of the liquid and repeat the process. Finally add the last portion of gravy and continue to stir constantly to avoid any lumps forming. 





If you do have some lumps, swap the spoon for a whisk and beat the sauce vigorously to break them up. Allow the sauce to boil for a few minutes. Taste for seasoning and adjust as required. 

Add the chicken and red pepper to the sauce and bring back to the boil. 

Place the filling into a large oven proof dish. Set aside to cool a little while you roll out the pastry.

The pastry is quite brittle to work with; lay it between a sheet of baking paper and a layer of plastic wrap, and roll out to about a 4mm thickness. 

Peel off the top layer of plastic and using the remaining layer of wrap, lift the pastry onto the pie. Trim around the edges. 

Cut a few leaves from the pastry scraps and decorate the pie top. 

Brush with the beaten egg to glaze and bake until the pastry is golden brown and crispy, and the pie filling is bubbling. 

This pie is fine served on its own for a quick supper or with some mashed potato and a few steamed vegetables.   

Apple tArt on A dAy

Fridays are Funky Phonome days at Little Miss 4's preschool. For tomorrow all the children have been instructed to bring something beginning with 'A' that they can tell a story about. As food is such an important feature of our family life, Amelia chose to bring an 'A' treat. Having made it together, she will have plenty to tell her little buddies at sharing time.

Apple Tart

Pastry
4oz butter
4oz caster sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

Filling 
4 apples
juice of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons caster sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons jam - I used gooseberry, but apricot would be just as good

Preheat the oven to 175deg. C.

Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the egg and beat again. Fold in the sifted flour and baking powder.
Wrap the pastry and chill while you prepare the apples.

Peel, core and slice the apples.
The Man-of-the-House taught LM4 how to cut things up with a chef's knife.

Put the slices into a bowl of water and lemon juice so they don't brown during preparation time.










Take the pastry from the fridge and roll it onto a sheet of baking paper with plastic wrap on top of the pastry. This will stop it sticking to the bench and rolling pin.












Once rolled to the correct size, remove the plastic wrap and gently press the pastry and baking paper into the tin.

Once the pastry is rolled, dry the apples in a tea towel and combine with the extra caster sugar and cinnamon.


Arrange the apples into the pastry shell and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the pastry and apples are golden brown.






Check the pastry is cooked in the centre as you don't want a soggy bottom.

Let the tart cool a little. Sieve the jam and liberally spread it over the tart top to give it a lovely glossy finish.









The best parts of all - sampling the mixture and licking the spoon.

LM4 just loves taking tasty treats to share with her buddies.

I Spy Plum Pie

"Each peach pear plum, I spy Tom Thumb..."
Little Miss 3 just loves this book; and as autumn is nearing and all the joys of late summer fruit are upon us it's time for one our favourite seasonal treats: Plum Pie. Part of the attraction is the opportunity to take the pie and the book to Preschool to share with her buddies. She was so excited and just couldn't wait to get out the door with her pie.

I adapted this pie from a recipe I found on-line at www.thekitchin.com

End of Summer Plum Pie

1 recipe of sweet pastry (previously blogged here - just leave the walnuts out)
20 Black Doris Plums
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter

Preheat the oven to 200 deg. C.
Roll out the pastry between two sheets of plastic food wrap.

Peel off the top layer and lay the pastry into the tin. Once in place peel off the second sheet of plastic wrap and place the lined tin into the fridge to chill.










Mix the dry ingredients together in a small bowl. Sprinkle a 1/4 of the dry mix over the bottom of the pie. Lay the plums into the pie, cut side down.









Sprinkle the remaining dry ingredients over top of the plums, letting it settle in between the plums. Dot the butter over the top of the pie.










Bake for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 180deg. C for approximately 30 minutes until fruit is bubbling and the pastry is golden brown.

Serve warm or cold. It makes a lovely lunch box filler too.

All ready to go.
At preschool they read Each Peach Pear Plum at story time and shared the pie.
Happy little girl.