Those that know me well also know that I love good food but most of all I love it to prepare food. When I cook I tend to cook quite basic and I am always looking for texture. A while back my wife phoned me and said that she will be working late and I must get us something for dinner. For a moment I scanned through the various Take Away options but nothing really appealed to me that afternoon and I decided that I will rather cook something for us.
I popped into the local Spar and browsed through the shelves ... this is another really bad habit I have ... I cannot go to a supermarket and get what is needed ... I slowly trawl all the shelves and look at all the things on offer.
This is what I ended up with ...
All of this was stuff that I needed to make us some Pot Pies.
From left to right ... sort of
1. Spicy Chutney Cook in Sauce.
2. Puff Pastry.
3. Chicken Stew Mix.
4. Cole Slaw.
5. Cream.
6. Mince Meat.
7. Shredded Mixed Veggies.
8. Chopped Onions.
First of all I sweated the onions in a hot pan with some vegetable oil and a bit of butter. Once the onions were soft I placed it in a small bowl. This left me with a well oiled pan.
Place the pan back onto the stove, I cook with gas, and heat it up to a point where the pan actually start to smoke. Now I need to explain something about the mince I use. My wife is NO FAT freak so she always buys topside mince. I actually hate it because it usually end up in grey mushy sludge that tastes like whatever was used for seasoning with no or very little taste that resembles meat. So when I use mince I buy the normal mince and it goes into that smoking hot pan.
Flatten the mince out over the surface of the pan and don't be tempted to stir too soon. Let the meat really fry. You can test it gently with a spatula ... as long as the meat is still sticking to the pan don't stir it. Once caramelization has reached a point where the meat becomes loose from the pan then you must stir it. I use a spatula to turn the meat before stirring it. Now you can add some salt to taste and some other dry spices like curry powder or chilly powder, barbecue spices ... anything that you like. Just remember that you will be adding some sauce to the pot pie and that will have a lot of flavor so do not over do it on the meat. Add in the cooked onions. Allow the mince to brown properly and remove from the pan. You need this pan for the veggies too.
Depending on the quantity of fat in the pan you can add some veggie oil and heat that pan up again to smoking temperature. Now add the shredded veggies and stir fry. Be careful not to burn it because the pan is really hot. This should only take 2 minutes or so. You just want some colour on the veggies and not want it too soft. When done remove from the pan.
Frying the onions ...
Preparing the mince ...
The fried veggies ...Now you have all the ingredients except the sauce. Take a small pot and add 500ml of water to it. Boil the water and add the Stew mixture into it. Add some of the Chutney sauce mixture in and stir slowly on a low heat. Once you are happy that the sauce is done, take off the heat and now you add a good portion of thick cream to it while you stir it slowly. How much cream will be dictated by your sense of self preservation
Now we start assembly of the actual Pot Pies.
I used some big soup mugs and ovenproof small dishes. The idea is to use a container that will be a good portion for one person. I have found that my wife prefers the soup mug but for the guys the oven proof dishes are better.
It is important to think carefully as you begin to layer the dishes. Do not make the layers too thick and don't be tempted to add too much meat. I found some leftover pumpkin, broccoli and green beans in the fridge and used that too.
When you get close to the top it is time to stop. You need space for the pastry and the gravy. As you make the layers don't compress them too much so that you have room for the sauce to seep into. Ladle the sauce over the top slowly and allow it soak down. Don't make this mixture too dry.
Once that is done you need to cut "lids" for all the containers from the puff pastry. Make sure to cut a nice breathing hole in the center of the pastry to allow the steam to come out once you place this in the oven. I paint the pastry with egg wash.
Now after you made the lids there is usually pieces of pastry left over. You can toss this away or spend a bit of energy and use it. Cut the off cut pastry into ribbons around 12mm wide an 100mm long. Brush them with egg wash and now dust it with some barbecue spices, chilly powder and Parmesan cheese powder. Place on a baking tray and keep ready for when the pies go into the oven.
Preheat the oven to between 180 and 200 Centigrade. Place the pies into the oven and keep an eye on them. Everything except the pastry is cooked already. After around twenty minutes you can check if the crust is browning ... if not I usually flip the oven onto grill and stand and watch ... when the crust begins to brown switch off the oven and open the door slightly. I let it sit like this for around 5 minutes and then remove the pies and let them sit on heat proof surface for another 10 minutes to cool down a bit.
That's it ... make some salad and let's eat.
PS ... this recipe is open to modifications as you please and whatever is on hand. Fish, Chicken, Pork or Vegetarian. I find it a good way to use leftovers. You can prepare the pies up to crust stage and then shrink wrap and freeze for preparation later. A handy way to have a good meal on hand, already portioned and full goodness.
ENJOY !!!!
