Daniel Pfyl, hospitality management lecturer at Otago Polytechnic, shares some professional techniques to make your cooking easier. This month he shows us how to make chicken and leek pot pie with rice pilaf.
Chicken and leek pot pie
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
1 leek, halved, washed and sliced
½ onion, diced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
6 chicken thighs, deboned and skinless, diced
30g butter
10ml oil
4 Tbsp flour
75ml white wine
100ml chicken stock
90ml cream
½ lemon, zest and juice
2 puff pastry sheets
1 egg, lightly beaten
salt and pepper to season
Method
1) Preheat oven to 180degC.
Heat the butter and oil in a heavy-based pan with lid, add the onion and garlic and saute for two minutes.
2) Add the leek and continue to saute until they soften (about five minutes).
3) Add the chicken and continue to saute until the chicken turns white.
4) Deglaze the pan with the white wine and reduce down to about 30ml.
Stir in the flour and mix in well.
Top up with the stock and bring to a simmer.
Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes until chicken is cooked.
5) Add cream and lemon zest and juice and cook until the mixture is thick.
Correct seasoning and set aside to cool.
6) Fill your pot pie dishes (or one large dish) with cooled filling.
Use egg to wash the rim of the dishes.
7) Cut pastry to fit the dishes with about 1cm overhang. Cover dishes.
Egg-wash the top and bake for 30min.
Serve with rice pilaf (see recipe below).
Pilaf rice with peas
Serves 6 (as side dish)
Ingredients
½ onion, diced
75g butter
250ml parboiled rice
315ml chicken stock
90g peas
salt and pepper to taste
Method
Preheat oven to 200degC.
Gently sweat the onion in half the butter, then add the rice and sweat for another two to three minutes.
Add the stock and peas, season and bring to the boil.
Take off heat, cover with lid and place in the pre-heated oven for 18 minutes.
Stir remaining butter through the rice with a fork and adjust seasoning.
If you would like to request a particular technique we haven't already shown, please let us know. Write to Cooking 101, Editorial Features, Otago Daily Times, PO Box 181, Dunedin or email odt.features@odt.co.nz with cooking 101 in the subject line.
• To check earlier Cooking 101 columns visit: www.odt.co.nz and search for ''cooking 101''. More information on cooking from Otago Polytechnic can be found on www.otagocookeryl4.blogspot.com