Maggie Beer inspired Chicken pot pie

For me,a pot pie is the ultimate comfort food.What's so comforting about a humble little pie?Is it the flaky,buttery pastry or the rich,creamy filling or the wonderfully melt-in-your-mouth combination of the two?Or could it be all that butter??The big slab of butter that you throw into a pie?

Yes,of course a pie has butter...a good lot of butter.A friend had once asked me if she could make a pie without butter and without refined flour.I suggested that she better not make a pie at all and have porridge instead.Because a pie is a pie is a pie!It is awfully unhealthy and totally tasty.It is an absolute no-no for size zero aspirants,fitness freaks and other poor souls on diet.But there is nothing like a warm pot pie for a tired,exhausted momma like me who does not mind a few extra pounds being added to her already jiggling belly!
This pie recipe is however not my favourite though it is a really,really good one.My favourite pie is my Amma's pot pie which I grew up eating.I guess you'll have to wait for a while for that recipe.But for now,here is one inspired by Maggie Beer's pheasant pie which was featured on one of the episodes of Masterchef Australia.I've adapted her extremely forgiving sour cream pastry recipe which is too good for words.And I've used chicken and mushrooms in a rich, creamy sauce for the filling.How comforting is that?

CHICKEN POT PIE

For the sour cream pastry(adapted from Maggie Beer's pheasant pie recipe)

200g Unsalted butter, chilled
250g Plain flour
125ml Sour Cream

Method:
Pulse the butter and flour in a food processor until it looks like breadcrumbs.
Add the sour cream and continue to pulse until the dough starts to incorporate into a ball.
Wrap in plastic film and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Roll the pastry to desired thickness and cut 2 circles, 1 bigger for the base of your pie dish and 1 smaller for the lid.
Keep refrigerated while you make the filling.

For the filling

3 boneless chicken breasts(cut into small cubes)
1 packet button mushrooms(halved)
1 onion (cut into fairly big cubes)
1/4 cup plain flour
1-2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup fresh cream
Good sprinkle of parsley
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

Method:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Rub chicken pieces with salt,pepper and olive oil.Spread on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes or until almost cooked.
Heat olive oil in a pan and saute onions until just translucent.
Add mushrooms and saute till mushrooms reduce to half the size and all the water evaporates.
Add flour and cook for a while.(It should not turn brown)
Add stock and stir to remove lumps.
Add cooked chicken cubes and fresh cream and cook till thick.The sauce should be creamy but not clumpy.Add more stock if needed.
Season with parsley,salt and pepper.
Keep aside till it cools.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Carefully transfer the bigger circle of the pastry to the base of the pie dish and gently press down and the sides,making sure there is a little extra pastry around the sides.
Spoon the filling into the base.
Cover with the smaller circle of the pastry and crimp the edges to seal.
Score a cross pattern on top of the pie.
Give the top an egg wash.
Bake at 180 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour,till the crust is nice and brown.

Chinese rice and beef dish

The Chinese have probably not heard of this!

Pardon me China,for taking your name in vain.But that is the title given for this recipe in my Amma's old,torn and tattered,yellow pages almost falling apart,yet a million dollar worth recipe book.And she is going to state in her will that this book,along with the other precious recipe books(the dark blue binder and the orange german note book)has to be rightfully handed down to her first born and favorite daughter...;p Did the other daughter get the message clear?
Well,I'm assuming that some old grand aunt of mine would have cooked up this dish in her Indian kitchen and since it uses a few Chinese ingredients,she called it 'The Chinese rice and beef dish'.But it is so yum that I don't think the Chinese will ever complain!
For me it is pure comfort food.Perfect for the weather.Enjoy it piping hot on a cold,rainy day.Bliss!!

CHINESE RICE AND BEEF DISH

Rice 2 cups
Beef 500 gms(cut into small chunks)
Cornflour 2 tbsp + enough to thicken gravy
Onion 1(cut into fairly big cubes)
Green chillies 2(finely chopped)
Garlic 4 cloves(finely chopped)
Capsicum 1/2(cut into big cubes)
Pepper
Salt
Soy sauce 1 tbsp or more
Salad oil
Spring onion(finely chopped)

Method:
Cook the rice and keep aside.
Pressure cook beef with enough salt and pepper till just tender.Separate the stock and the meat.
Mix cornflour with cooked beef and leave aside for sometime.
Fry the beef in salad oil until nice and brown.Do not over cook.
In a pan,heat salad oil and fry the garlic and green chillies for 30 secs.
Add onion and stir fry until just translucent.
Add the fried beef and stir well.
Add soy sauce and enough pepper and salt.
Now mix enough cornflour(I added a tsp)into the stock and pour it into the pan.
Wait for it to boil and thicken.The gravy should be nice and thick not runny.So pour the stock accordingly.
Put some rice in a plate and pour the beef gravy generously over the rice.
Garnish with spring onion and serve hot.