Hi friends,
We’d be hard-pressed to find someone who didn’t enjoy tucking into a flaky, buttery hand pie for a cozy autumnal dinner or lunch. So if you’re in the mood to make a batch of tender short crust and a delicious chicken and vegetable filling, allow us to recommend early childhood nutritionist Talia Moore’s much-requested recipe for chicken and vegetable hand pies. (Talia is a friend and source of endless knowledge and inspiration when it comes to feeding kids. Check out the interview we did with her about cooking for babies and kids here.)
Or perhaps your whole family has been ravaged by a vicious case of Covid? Or walking pneumonia? Or you have a newborn? Or you have not yet managed to find your back-to-school groove? If any of these scenarios sound familiar, we’d like to recommend the recipe below for a chickpea, leek and spinach slab pie that uses gloriously store bought puff pastry and canned chickpeas and therefore comes together quickly and easily. You can’t go wrong either way.
Get your Covid booster + flu shots, please,
Greta + Fanny
Stats
Active time: 30 minutes, total time: 1 hour
Yields 4-6 servings, depending on appetite sizes
Ingredients
14 oz. store bought puff pastry (we used Dufour) ~or~ make your own short crust (see below)
1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
5oz. spinach
2 big leeks (or 3 medium sized), cut in half lengthwise, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces and washed thoroughly
5 sprigs of thyme, leaves removed
1 egg, beaten with a splash of water
A few tablespoons of crumbled feta or grated cheddar (optional)
Salt
The Method
Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and drizzle a tablespoon or so of olive oil on the parchment.
Heat a few glugs of olive oil over medium heat in a shallow, heavy-bottomed pan. When the oil starts to shimmer, add the leeks and thyme and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until the leeks are supple and just starting to turn golden brown.
Add the chickpeas, spinach and a splash of water and cover the pan with a tightly fitting lid for 3 minutes. Uncover the pan (the spinach will now be melted), stir in a big pinch of flaky salt and cook for another 5-10 minutes, until the flavors have started to marry. Take off the heat and salt to taste.
Unwrap the puff pastry on your prepared baking sheet—you’re aiming to have a 10” x 13” horizontal rectangle. If the puff pastry rectangle were a book, you’re going to add the chickpea filling on top of the right page, leaving a 1.5” margin all the way around. Top the filling with cheese, if using. (You might have a bit of extra filling. Don’t freak out! Just save it for lunch tomorrow.) Then fold the left page over the right to make a big ol’ Pop Tart-lookin’ thing.
Use the tines of a fork to press the edges together all the way around your proverbial Pop Tart, then use a sharp knife to poke holes in the center of the crust to let the steam escape. (Feel free to get creative here)
Brush the top with your egg wash and place it in the over for 30-35 minutes until it’s golden brown. (Check the bottom to make sure it’s browned, too!
“Making pastry dough is one of the simplest, most worthwhile tricks to have on hand in the kitchen. It is incredible how a little flour, fat and ice water can transform the simplest ingredients into an impressive, restaurant-worthy meal! When I’m making hand pies I use the humble chicken thigh and whatever vegetables have been languishing in my fridge the longest. And when your hand pies are done, serve them the Aussie way: with a big dollop of tomato sauce (ketchup) on the side. A match made in pastry heaven! Just for fun, I have used a cheddar shortcrust pastry for this recipe, because that’s the kind of mood I am in. But a basic shortcrust pastry will do absolutely perfectly here too.”
— Talia Moore
Stats
Active time: 30 minutes, total time: 90 minutes
Yields 4 hand pies
Ingredients
For the filling
2 lbs chicken thighs (skin on, bone-in)
20 fluid ounces of whole milk (possibly a little more)
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
1 large celery stalk, diced
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh oregano or rosemary
4 peppercorns
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 onions, diced
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
Sea salt
Pepper
1 egg, beaten with a teaspoon of water
For the shortcrust
2 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
7 oz chilled unsalted butter, cut into cubes
Pinch of sea salt
Ice water (approx ¼–½ cup)
The Method
Preheat your oven to 350F and make the pastry. Combine the flour, cheese and salt in a large bowl. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until it resembles the texture of breadcrumbs.
Drizzle in the ice water, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough just comes
together. Don’t overwork it at this point. Cut the dough into 4 and flatten into squares. Tightly wrap each individually in parchment paper and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Onto the filling! Poach the chicken: in a medium sized saucepan add the chicken, milk, peppercorns and 2 sprigs of thyme. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and poach gently for 15 minutes or until cooked through (if the meat isn’t totally submerged, turn the chicken over half way). With a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a bowl and allow to cool.
Once cool enough to handle, discard the skin and bones and shred or chop the chicken into small pieces. Strain the milk left in the saucepan and reserve for later (you will want about 13 ½ fluid ounces), so you may need to top up with additional milk).
In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and olive oil. Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, remaining fresh herbs, a good pinch of salt and a grind of pepper. Cook for 7–10 minutes until softened and starting to brown around the edges (the key is not to have your heat too high otherwise the garlic will burn). Stir in the mustard and then 1 tablespoon of flour. Mix well.
Pour in the reserved milk (you need about 13 ½ fluid ounces). Simmer the milk for
3–5 minutes until it has thickened. Mix in the reserved chicken and season to taste.
Remove the dough from the fridge and allow to sit for 10 minutes to soften. Line a baking tray (or two) with baking paper.
On a floured surface, remove one square of dough from the wrap and cut it
in half. Roll each piece into a circle approximately 12 inches round and 3–4 mm thick. You can keep it in a circle shape, or trim into rectangles approximately 10 inches x 5 inches. You should have 2 pieces (one hand pie).
Spoon ¼ cup worth of filling into the center of the pastry, leaving a 1½–2 inch border all the way around. Don’t overfill or the pastry will tear.
Brush the egg wash around the border and then drape the second piece of pastry over the top. Create a seal around the filling by pressing the heel of your hands along the outline of the filling. Trim any excess. Then use a fork to press a border around the edge of the pastry or crimp by pinching the edges to seal.
Poke a hole in the top of the pie with a small pairing knife, so steam can escape, then brush the egg wash all over the top of the pie. Repeat with the remaining dough. Leave enough space between hand pies in case there is any leakage.
Pop the pies in the oven and bake for 45–55 minutes until golden and cooked
through. Allow to cool, then add a generous dollop of tomato sauce (ketchup) on the side and dig in to a heavenly, buttery, delicious freshly made hand pie!
Hi there! Any tips for freezing the pies? Thanks!