Tuesday 3 April 2012

chicken spinach and feta cheese pie


This is a recipe is from Penny Oliver's book 'beach, bach, boat, bbq'. We had it for our lunch on Sunday.  The book is down at the beach so I have tried to do it from memory.  I have adapted a bit as she uses chicken breast, but I like to use a whole chicken that has been jointed and slow cooked.

For this recipe I used - This makes 2 pies


  • 1 whole chicken jointed
  • 2 cans of whole tomatoes in juice
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 big bag of spinach - washed and stalks removed
  • 1 block of feta cheese
  • 1 pack puff pastry sheets
  • 1 egg for egg wash
  • salt and pepper



Cut the chicken into its pieces and gentle fry skin side down in a thick based pan with some olive oil until the skin is golden.
You are not cooking the chicken as such but trying to render some of the flavour from the fat.
Once the skin is golden and some fat has been released, remove from the pan and put aside to cool.  When cooled remove all the skin from the chicken.
Next add the onions and garlic and soften.  Now put back the chicken pieces minus its skin back into the pan along with the 2 cans of tomatoes.   Add the sugar, some salt and pepper and cook gently uncovered for about 2 hours until the chicken falls off the bone and the liquid has reduced.
Keep an eye on it and add water if you need to so it does not scorch on the bottom of the pan.
Once it is at your desired consistency, remove the bones and taste and tweet for seasoning.


Wash and remove the stalks from the spinach, steam and then squeeze out the water so you are left with a green ball the sized of a tennis ball.


Assemble the pies, starting with the first layer of pastry.  Add the chicken, evenly divided  between the 2 pies.  Break up the spinach and layer next and finish with the crumbled feta.

 
With the top layer of pastry,  slice with a knife in lines to what ever thickness you like.


Place the top layer of pastry on the filling.  Brush with some egg wash.


Fold over the bottom layer of pastry and pressed down with your fingers to seal.
 Put in the middle of the oven for about 1/2 and hour at 180C.
Don't bake it on baking paper as I did, as it didn't cook all that well on the bottom.
Serve with a green salad.




2 comments:

  1. Yum i love this pie. I havent made it for ages.Thanks for reminding me. It never lasts long in our house.

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