BBC Good Food - 04.2020

44 bbcgoodfood.com APRIL 2020

Shoot director PETER RUPSCHL

 Food stylist ESTHER CLARK

 Stylist MORAG FARQUHAR

Food editor Anna Glover solves your holiday

cooking dilemmas with new simple recipe ideas

photograph TOBY SCOTT

best value easter

anna’s simple solutions

the dilemma

Lamb is quite expensive –

is there anything else I can

serve for Easter lunch that’s

a bit cheaper?

the solution

A spring-inspired pot pie

will be just as pleasing as a

roast without having to cost

a lot. Make a pack of chicken

thighs feed six with a hearty,

crowd-pleasing pastry top.

You can still serve it with

roast potatoes if you just

can’t go without!

Spring chicken pot pie

SERVES 6 PREP15 mins

COOK1 hr 5 minsEASYGuncooked

4 6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs

1 tbsp olive oil

100g smoked bacon lardons

2 leeks, sliced

3 tbsp plain lour

100ml white wine (or extra stock)

200ml chicken stock

200g crème fraîche

100g frozen or fresh podded peas

1  tbsp Dijon mustard

small bunch of tarragon, chopped

1 egg, beaten

320g sheet pu pastry

1 Season the chicken thighs with

some salt and pepper. Heat the oil

I

think I prefer Easter to

Christmas – there’s the

chocolate and the groaning

dinner table, but a glut of new-

season vegetables as an added

bonus (and less of the chaos).

While lamb is traditional for

Easter lunch, seasonally speaking,

spring lamb isn’t available on

shelves until June, as the lambing

season begins in mid-March. Some

British lamb can be born in winter,

in barns, ready for the Easter peak,

but a lot is imported from New

Zealand to meet demand.

There’s no getting around it –

lamb is expensive, too. A leg for

roasting can set you back at least

£20, and that’s without sides. When

the budget is tight, a pie is great for

entertaining. Humble ingredients

are made something special with

a pastry lid to crack open and reveal

the season’s bounty.

The filling can be made in

advance, so you can get ahead. I’ve

made this one with chicken thighs,

which can take a lot more cooking

than chicken breasts, and they’re

cheaper, too. Leeks, peas and

tarragon make it fresh and zingy,

but with the creamy crème fraîche

base, it’s also comforting.

If you’re a traditionalist and want

lamb but need to make it go further,

try a lamb shank, pea and mint

pie or slow-cooked lamb shoulder

in a Middle Eastern-inspired

spiced pie – find the recipes

on bbcgoodfood.com.

in a heavy-based saucepan and fry

the chicken for 3-4 mins on each

side until lightly golden, then

transfer to a plate. Add the bacon

to the pan and fry for 5 mins until

golden. Tip in the leeks and fry

for another 5 mins.

2 Sprinkle the flour over the leeks

and bacon, and stir until combined.

Add the wine, if using, and bubble

for a few minutes, then add the

stock and stir well. Slice the

chicken and return it to the pan –

don’t worry if it’s not fully cooked

through at this point, it will finish

cooking in the oven.

3 Stir in the crème fraîche, peas,

1 tbsp mustard and the tarragon,

and bubble for a few minutes until

thick and saucy. Add a splash more

stock or water if it seems too thick.

Remove the pie filling from the

heat. Whisk the remaining^1 / 2 tbsp

mustard with the egg in a bowl.

4 Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/

gas 6. Spoon the filling into a pie

dish with a lip and use some of the

egg mix to brush the sides of the

dish. Unroll the pastry over the top

and crimp the edges against the

sides of the dish, then cut away any

excess with a knife. Will keep frozen,

well covered, for up to three months.

5 Brush the remaining egg glaze

over the pie and make a small steam

hole in the middle. Bake for 40 mins

until golden and pued. Serve with

buttered new potatoes and steamed

greens or carrots, if you like.

PER SERVING 577 kcals • fat 38g • saturates 18g •

carbs 30g • sugars 5g • ibre 5g • protein 23g •

salt 1.6g