Category: savoury

March 21, 2016

Easy Peasy Pizza

Anyone who knows me, knows I am a bit of a pizza fiend. It’s probably the only savoury thing I would choose over sweet dishes. Rich and I decided to get stuck in and make our own pizzas last night, and you know what? They were delicious! I just had to share the recipe here. It could not be easier! Definitely one you could do with kids with the Easter holidays coming up and what’s more, you can make the dough now, freeze it, and simply defrost the day before you want to get your pizza on.

Ingredients

This recipe is enough to make about 4 medium-large pizzas

500g strong white flour
7g easy bake yeast (I use Allinsons)
1 tsp granulated or caster sugar
2 teaspoons salt
300ml warm water
50ml olive oil
Plus, whatever toppings you decide. We went for:

Mozzarella, sliced and grated
Passata
Red onions
Red pepper
Pesto
Chorizo
Pancetta
Mushrooms
Oregano and rosemary

Method

Put your flour in a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Put your yeast, sugar and salt in the well.
Mix the water and the olive oil together and with a cutlery knife, stir the water and oil combination into the dry flour ingredients.
Once all the ingredients are combined into a sticky dough, lightly flour your work surface and knead the dough for approximately 10 minutes. Make sure to keep flipping the dough over so you cover all areas.
Lightly oil the large bowl and put your dough back in and cover with a clean tea towel. Leave in a warm place to prove for approximately 1 hour or until your dough has doubled in size.
Preheat your oven to 240C or 220C for fan ovens.
There is no need to knock your dough back. Simply divide the dough into 4 equal portions and roll out on a lightly floured surface, then shape.
Lightly flour your baking tray before putting your base on. Spread the passata up to the edges of your base and cover generously with whatever toppings you’ve chosen! I really liked the mix of sliced and grated mozzarella and the pesto was a great addition.
Bake in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes and bingo, you’re done! Slice up and serve.

Enjoy!

Harriet x

November 27, 2015

Chicken and Leek Pie

Friday feeling! I’m off to Brighton again this weekend for some loving from my best friends, but not before baking this delicious Chicken and Leek Pie for some friends of the family last night. I’ve been meaning to get my savoury baking on for some time now, so why not start here!

This pie really is the ultimate in comfort food, stuffed full with chicken, leeks and a creamy sauce, all you need to do is cook up a few veg to go on the side and you’ve got an evening meal to die for. Allow plenty of time for preparation, this pie is delicious and worth the wait! This is a recipe I waited a long time to try, coming from Rachel Allen and her book, Bake.

Ingredients

1 whole chicken- 2kg, cut into portions on the bone
600ml chicken stock
200ml white wine
2 large sprigs of thyme
Salt and pepper to season
25g butter
350g chopped leeks
1 tablespoon water
1 generous tablespoon plain flour
350ml double cream
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons chopped thyme
450g puff pastry (this can be shop bought or homemade)
1 egg, beaten

Method

Preheat oven to 230°C- I preheated to 210C as I have a fan oven.
Place the chicken portions in a large heavy pan, along with 600ml chicken stock, 200ml white wine, the 2 sprigs of thyme and salt and pepper to season. Bring to the boil and then continue to simmer for 20-25 minutes until the chicken is cooked.
Meanwhile, in another pan, melt the butter in a pan. Add in sliced leeks and water. Season, cover, and cook gently until the leeks have softened. When they are cooked, remove them from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.
With the remaining buttery leek juices left over, add plain flour to make a roux.
When it is cooked, remove the chicken from the heat and set aside. Bring the poaching liquid to a boil again and add the double cream, bring to the boil and cook uncovered for about 5 minutes. Whisk in the roux, followed by 1 tsp Dijon mustard add the chopped thyme and season to taste.
Pull the chicken off the bones and add it to the sauce along with the leeks. Taste and season again if necessary.
Prepare your ovenproof dish. Pour the filling into an ovenproof dish, and cover with a sheet of puff pastry slightly larger than the dish. Before placing the cover on top, you want to line the top edges of the dish with beaten egg and puff pastry the width of the top edges. Cover with beaten egg again and place your puff pastry cover over the filling.
You can decorate the top with different shapes cut out of any remaining puff pastry. I put a couple of stars on top. Brush the pie with beaten egg and cook for 10 minutes at 230° and then a further 20-25 minutes at 200° (190 in a fan oven).