Chicken and sausage pie
Instructions:
- For the pastry
- 150g/5oz butter, plus extra for greasing
- 450g/1lb plain flour
- 1 tablespoon dried mixed herbs
- salt and freshly ground
- black pepper
- 1 egg, beaten
- For the filling
- 450g/1lb spinach
- freshly grated nutmeg
- 450g/1lb skinless chicken breast fillet, cubed
- 225g/8oz sausage meat
- 1 bunch of spring onions, chopped
- 25g/1oz chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 4 fresh apricots, stoned and chopped
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 1 egg, beaten
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas mark 6. Grease a 23cm/9in round loose-bottomed cake tin with butter.
- For the pastry, mix together the flour and herbs, and season with salt and pepper. Melt the butter in a pan with 250ml/9fl oz water, then bring to the boil. Quickly stir in the flour mixture, mixing to form a soft dough. Cool slightly, then turn out and knead briefly on a lightly floured work surface. Wrap in cling film and leave to cool.
- To make the filling, wash the spinach, then place in a large pan with no water and cook, covered, for 5 minutes until the spinach is wilted and tender. Drain well, pressing out any excess liquid. Chop, then season to taste with nutmeg, salt and pepper.
- Put the chicken in a bowl with the sausage meat, spring onions, parsley, apricots, lemon zest and egg. Combine thoroughly with your hands. Add the spinach, season with salt and pepper, and mix well.
- Roll out two-thirds of the pastry and use to line the prepared cake tin. Fill the pastry with the chicken mixture.
- Dampen the pastry edges, then roll out the remaining pastry to cover the pie, pinching the edges together to seal.
- Bake in the oven for 1–11â„4 hours until golden. Leave to cool in the tin for 20 minutes, then remove and cool completely before serving.