PASTRY
60g/¼ cup butter
120g/1 cup - 1½tbsp plain/all-purpose flour
1 egg yolk
FILLING
1tbsp butter
1tbsp groundnut oil
2 banana shallots, finely sliced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
300g/10oz leftover scraps of chicken, pulled off the bone
6 spring onions/scallions, sliced
2tbsp plain/all-purpose flour
3tbsp Marsala
500ml/2 cups chicken stock
1tsp English mustard
Salt and black pepper
120g/1 cup frozen peas
TOPPING
1 egg
A sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry
EQUIPMENT
23cm/9in pie dish
Leftovers are the best part of wedding catering. One time, as I carved eight large chickens, I put the backs – the oysters, and the scraps – in a little box to take home and turn into a pie the next day. I admit: this recipe is not at all summery. But sometimes, in the midst of the warmest months, when I’m exhausted, or poorly, I want to draw the curtains, turn on a fan, bake a pie, and pretend it’s winter.
Serves 4, or just a couple of you with leftovers
1. First, make the pastry. Rub the cold butter into the flour, and bring together with an egg yolk. Try to work it as little as possible, then wrap and chill for half an hour.
2. To make the filling, warm the butter and oil in a pan. Add the shallots and fry over a moderate heat for 5 minutes until softened. Stir in the garlic, and cook until fragrant.
3. Add the chicken, and then the spring onions. Cook for a couple of minutes, then sprinkle over the flour. Stir until the flour is coating the chicken, and then add the Marsala. Once it has bubbled away for a minute, add the stock, and simmer until the sauce is thick. Season with the mustard, salt, and pepper, then add the peas and turn off the heat. Transfer to a bowl and put in the fridge to cool completely.
4. Preheat the oven to 180C fan/400F/gas 6. In a bid to make your life as easy as possible (this is supposed to be lazy-day leftovers, after all, and we’re already on Step 4), put a baking tray in the oven to heat up. I’m not going to suggest you blind bake the shortcrust pastry, so the heat from the hot tray will ensure that the bottom of the pie cooks evenly. Roll out the pastry to a coin-thick disc, and line a pie dish with it. Prick it all over with a fork and put it back in the fridge for half an hour.
5. Spoon the chilled filling into the pastry, paint the edge of the base with beaten egg, cover with a sheet of puff pastry, and crimp (or use a fork) to seal. Paint the top with more beaten egg, and transfer to the oven, on top of the tray. Bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and golden brown.