Welcome to another edition of the Celiac Scientist and today I share my recipe for this delicious and flavour-filled pie. It’s proper comfort food and ideal as Spring here in the UK is starting to feel decidedly Arctic!
This recipe is very robust and forgiving so don’t worry too much about the amounts of the ingredients and you can also substitute out anything you don’t like or cram more vegetables in if you wish.
If you don’t want to use cream this can be left out, but it does add a glorious creamy dimension to the dish.
It is a seriously indulgent pie and I usually serve it simply with steamed baby potatoes and some tender-stem broccoli or greens.
Why not give it a try? It is very easy to make and doesn’t take long at all.
Ingredients
For the pie filling
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 leeks, trimmed and finely sliced or chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon garlic powder
100g Spanish chorizo sausage (mild type), diced
2 chicken breasts, roasted and shredded (can use skinless raw thighs instead)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried coriander leaf
200ml dry white wine
400ml water
2 Knorr vegetable stockpot jellies
4 tablespoons double (heavy) cream
100g frozen sweetcorn
100g frozen peas
2 tablespoons cornflour, mixed to a paste with cold water
Salt and pepper to taste
For the shortcrust pastry
200g plain gluten-free flour (I use Dove’s Farm)
100g unsalted butter
1 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 teaspoon xanthum gum (optional) (You can leave this out, but it does help stop the pastry crumbling and becoming difficult to handle)
8 tablespoons cold water
1 large egg yolk, beaten
Method
For the pie filling
*Pre-heat oven to 180C*
In a large pan, fry off the leek and onion on a medium heat until just turning translucent and tender. Then add the garlic powder and fry for a further minute.
Add the diced chorizo and continue to fry for 2 minutes.
Add the chicken, wine, and herbs and bring to a boil and simmer until the liquid has reduced.
Add the water and stock cubes/jellies and mix well. Bring to the boil and then allow to simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the cream and stir in.
Add the frozen sweetcorn and peas and mix in. Allow the pan to come back to a simmer and simmer for 10 minutes.
If the mixture becomes too thick, add more water as needed to loosen it up.
Add the cornflour paste and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Finally, transfer the mixture to a large pie dish that has been brushed around the edges with butter or oil.
Cover with the shortcrust pastry topping (see below) and decorate as you wish before applying an egg yolk glaze.
For the shortcrust pastry
Combine the flour, salt and xanthum gum in a large bowl and mix well.
Add cold water slowly and mix with the flour mixture until it comes together as a rough dough.
Knead the dough until it forms a slightly sticky and cohesive dough.
Dust a work surface with GF plain flour and roll out the pastry to a thickness of about 2-3mm. Ensure you dust the surface of the pastry too to stop it sticking to your rolling pin.
Carefully lift the pastry over the rolling pin and lift from the surface and transfer over the top of your filled pie dish.
Crimp and seal the edges and cut off any excess pastry (you can use this to create patterns to decorate your pie).
Brush the surface of the pastry with the egg yolk to form a glaze.
Make two small holes or slits in the pie lid to allow steam to escape when cooking.
As ever, if you make this dish let me know how you get on in the comments.
Until next time!
The Celiac Scientist
I have recently 'discovered' tapioca starch. A small proportion with the flour binds everything without using xanthan gum. I am still experimenting. Too much tapioca starch makes it unworkable (gloopy). By chance, I have a poached chicken breast, a small amount of chorizo and leeks to use up. Also purple sprouting. Very opportune.
I love this type of pie!! I don't think I can get the stockpot jellies here - would unflavored gelatin be a good substitute?