Pie eyed

all puffed up straight from the oven

I make a pie and it turns out it's British Pie Week (7-13 March).  Although I aim for the things I cook to beautifully synchronise with the seasons or current events, it's rare I achieve such perfect planning.  Truthfully I had no clue that it was Pie Week, I wasn't aware that we as a nation even celebrated such a dish.  The hankerings started last week thanks to a few Facebook friends both of whom cooked pies and displayed their efforts online (maybe they knew it was Pie Week coming up....hmm?), so instead of risotto or pasta, which are my usual vehicles for left over roast chicken, I attempted a pie.

Now that I am a lady of leisure, I still don't have time to make pastry from scratch, least of all puff pastry, so mine came out of the freezer.  Lazy pastry at hand, it doesn't get very complicated from here on in.  Prepare the filling in the morning or day before and keep it chilling in the fridge and when you are ready to eat just top it with pastry and bake it.  The only forward planning required is remembering to thaw out the pastry a couple of hours prior. 

Ingredients
50g plain flour
50g butter
650mls chicken stock from a cube or powder
3 tbsps milk or cream
left over roast chicken (you can bulk this out with cooked ham or bacon if you like)
2-3 leeks washed and sliced
2-3 carrots peeled and chopped into bitesize chunks
salt & pepper
fresh tarragon or thyme

Start by prepping the veg, heat some olive oil in a pan and add the carrots for 5 minutes or so, then add the leeks and cook for another 5 minutes.  Season with salt & pepper and set aside.

Make the sauce by melting the butter on a low-medium heat and then add the flour and cook it out for about 2-3 minutes stirring to avoid it burning.  Add the stock  little by little and keep stirring until you have a smooth sauce with a custard thickness.  Finish with the milk or cream and add some chopped fresh herbs if you have them to hand; tarragon or thyme work well.

To assemble the pie add the chicken and vegetables to the sauce, mix well and transfer to a pie dish.  Roll out the puff pastry on a floured board and lay it on top of the filling.  Brush with beaten egg and bake in the oven at 200c/400F for approx 25-30 minutes until the pastry is golden brown.