Belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone.
The week between Christmas and New Year's tends to be a particularly lazy one. Exercise regimes are taking a hiatus and many of us are taking a short break from entertaining and socializing until the weekend and are instead taking to roaring fires, box sets and boxes of celebrations. For those of us who manage to roll off the couch to make something for dinner, we want something that's easy with little preparation, provides maximum efficacy on use of leftovers so we can get our fridge back but also something that's suitably indulgent and comforting as that's what we've become accustomed to over the past week - after all we're allowed something a little bold at Christmas. This pie will tick every box and is a guaranteed hit with everyone. Lazy tip: Try doubling the quantities below if you have a large enough dish and make an extra big helping - what's left tonight will keep overnight in the fridge a save you from having to roll off the couch to go cooking again tomorrow.
This pie is very closely based on Rachel Allen's Turkey and Ham Pot Pie except I had to make some adjustments based on what we had on the pantry. Dill had to serve as a good substitution for Tarragon as and I'd add anything up to 3 times the quantity of stock, We were really looking to use up what was in the fridge and cook as little as possible, and as we didn't have quite enough mashed potato left, I ended up using puff pastry (thank God for the emergency Jus-Roll in the freezer).
Ingredients
- 100g butter
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 350ml double cream
- 300ml chicken stock
- 1 packet of mushrooms
- 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh dill
- 1.5lb leftover turkey and ham, cut into 2cm chunks - brown turkey meat is perfect for this and a great way to use it so you can keep the turkey breast meat for sandwiches!!
- 1 pack on puff pastry
- 1 whipped egg
- 1tbsp milk
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/360°F/Gas 4. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add finely chopped onion and cook until very soft but not brown. This takes approx 8 minutes over a medium heat.
3. Using a slatted spoon, remove the onions, leaving as much of the butter as possible. Add the mushrooms and fry off for 4-5 minutes until softened and golden brown. This may have to be done in 2 batches.
4. Once they are cooked, add back in all the onions, mushrooms and stock. Ensure there is enough stock to cover everything in the pan.
5. Add the cream and stir continuously until it is mixed through the mushrooms, onions and stock. Allow this mixture to simmer for about 5 minutes until it has reduced and thickened slightly.
6. Then add the Turkey and Ham chunks and the Dill to the mixture, stirring to ensure that all meat is coated. Remove the pan from the heat and transfer this mixture to a suitable sized oven proof, shallow, gratin dish. The mixture should fill the dish completely - there's no need to leave space for the topping.
7. On a well floured surface, roll the puff pastry to a the thickness of a euro coin and gently lay it over the pie. Cut the pastry to fit the dish, leaving a 1-2cm over hang. There really isn't a need to be too precise here as the puff pastry will change shape on cooking.
8. On the leftover pastry, cut out some leaves for decorating. combine the whipped egg and milk and apply this glaze all over the surface of the pie using a pastry brush.
9. Place in the oven for about 20-30 minutes until the pastry topping is golden brown and the filling is hot. This pie will go great with any leftover vegetables that may still be lurking in the fridge or if you're feeling more energetic than I am, it would also be beautiful with some homemade roast potatoes and honey roasted root vegetables.
Enjoy!!!
