These warming and hearty pot pies are filled with succulent chicken, chestnut mushrooms and artichokes in a delicious creamy sauce flavoured with mustard,” says Tom Kerridge.
“The filling takes a bit of time, but it’s well worth it once you break into that crispy pastry topping and see all your efforts inside!”
Chicken and mushroom pot pies
These pies are well worth the effort— (Cristian Barnett/PA)
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
750g chicken thigh fillets
500ml chicken stock
5 black peppercorns
4 sprigs of thyme
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp olive oil
200g baby chestnut mushrooms, halved
2 banana shallots, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
150g chargrilled artichoke hearts, quartered
50g butter
50g plain flour, plus extra to dust
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp wholegrain mustard
1 tbsp tarragon, finely chopped
100ml crème fraîche
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
500g packet ready-made puff pastry
1 large free-range egg, lightly beaten with a pinch of salt
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Method:
1. To cook the chicken thigh fillets, put the chicken stock, peppercorns, thyme and bay leaves into a medium saucepan over a high heat and bring to a simmer. Add the chicken thighs, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is tender.
2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a frying pan, add the mushrooms and cook for two minutes. Add the shallots and garlic, stir and cook for three to four minutes or until softened. Remove from the heat, stir in the artichokes and set aside. Remove the chicken thighs from the stock and set aside on a tray. Strain the stock. Leave both to cool slightly.
3. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour and cook for two minutes. Now gradually whisk in the chicken stock and continue to whisk over a medium heat until the sauce thickens. Stir in both mustards, the chopped tarragon, crème fraîche and sherry vinegar, then the mushroom mix.
4. Cut the poached chicken into bite-sized pieces and fold through the sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste and leave to cool slightly. Divide the pie filling between four individual pie dishes and place in the fridge to chill.
5. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to a 5mm thickness. Cut out four rounds, two centimetres wider than your pie dishes. Brush the edges with egg, then lay a pastry round, egg-washed edge down, over each pie dish. Brush the tops with egg wash and rest in the fridge for 20 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Cut a couple of slits in the top of each pastry lid, to let steam escape during cooking. Bake the pies for 30 minutes or until the pastry is crisp and deep golden brown. Let stand for a few minutes before serving, with a green veg and mash on the side if you like.
Paneer and pea fritters
Kerridge’s take on South Asian street food— (Cristian Barnett/PA)
“These spicy, rustic-looking nibbles are my take on South Asian fried street food,” says Kerridge.
“Flavoured with chaat masala (a slightly tangy spice blend), the fritters are made with protein-rich paneer and gram (chickpea) flour, which adds a nutty, earthy flavour. They need little else other than mango chutney for dipping, and a cold drink to wash them down!”
Makes: about 24
Ingredients:
Vegetable oil, to fry
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 onion, finely chopped
150g frozen peas, defrosted
1 green chilli, deseeded and finely sliced
175g gram flour
1 tsp chaat masala
3 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves
250g paneer, coarsely grated
Salt and freshly ground pepper
To serve:
Mango chutney
Method:
1. Heat two tablespoons of oil in a small frying pan then add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle for a few seconds before adding the onion. Cook for five to seven minutes until the onion is softened, then remove from the heat and leave to cool. Preheat the oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2.
2. Once cooled, tip the onion and cumin mix into a bowl and add the peas, chilli, gram flour, chaat masala and chopped coriander. Stir to combine and season well with salt and pepper. Pour in 200 millilitres of water and mix well. Add the grated paneer and stir through gently.
3. You will need to cook the fritters in three or four batches. Heat a 4-5cm depth of oil in a sauté pan to 180C (check with a thermometer). When it is hot, drop spoonfuls of the mixture into the hot oil, spacing them apart. Cook for two to three minutes on each side or until golden and crispy.
4. Remove the fritters from the pan with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Keep warm in the low oven while you cook the rest.
5. Once they are all cooked, season the fritters with a little extra salt and serve with mango chutney and lime wedges on the side.
Sticky date and banana pudding
An indulgent pub classic— (Cristian Barnett/PA)
“This naughty, boozy pud is one of our pub classics,” says Kerridge.
“Sticky, caramelised bananas shine alongside a sweet date pudding, and the easy-to-make toffee sauce served alongside takes it to another level of indulgence.”
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
1 tbsp softened butter, to grease the dishes
100g plain white flour, plus 1 tbsp to dust
100ml dark rum
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
150g pitted dates, chopped
85g vegetable suet
85g soft dark brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large free-range eggs
For the toffee sauce:
200ml double cream
100g soft dark brown sugar
75g butter
A small pinch of salt
To finish:
2 small bananas
2 tbsp demerara sugar
Method:
1. Brush four individual ovenproof dishes (250 millilitre capacity) with the softened butter and dust lightly with flour, shaking out any excess.
Kerridge’s new book reflects just how much the pub landscape has changed over the past decade— (Bloomsbury Absolute/PA)
2. Pour the rum and 100 millilitres of water into a saucepan and bring to the boil, then take off the heat and add the bicarbonate of soda and dates. Pop a lid on the pan and leave to stand for 10–15 minutes to allow the dates to soak up the liquid and cool down.
3. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
4. Tip the dates and liquid into a large bowl and add the flour, suet, brown sugar, vanilla extract and eggs. Beat until evenly combined. Spoon the mixture into the prepared dishes and bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes until golden brown.
5. Meanwhile, to make the toffee sauce, pour the cream into a saucepan and add the brown sugar, butter and salt. Place over a low heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved, then bring to the boil. Simmer for two to three minutes, then remove from the heat.
6. Peel and thinly slice the bananas. Once you’ve removed the puddings from the oven, arrange the banana slices, overlapping, around the edge of each dish. Sprinkle the banana slices liberally with demerara sugar and run a cook’s blowtorch over them to caramelise the sugar.
7. Serve the date and banana puddings with the toffee sauce in a jug on the side.
‘Pub Kitchen’ by Tom Kerridge (Bloomsbury Absolute, £27).
