Nigel Slater’s recipes for festive main courses

A pie, or most likely a big golden tart, introduced proudly to the desk in its dish, always feels like a celebration. I find these kinds of recipes invaluable at this time of 12 months, for foods that need a thing “festive-but-not-turkey”. So it’s straight down to business with a rooster and prune pie wrapped in crackling filo and a sweet potato and spinach tart that is effective as each a principal dish and on the aspect.

Table of Contents

Chicken, leek and prune pie

I have used filo pastry for its crispness, but you could use puff pastry if you favor. Serves 4-6

olive oil 2 tbsp
hen breasts 750g
leeks 350g
curry powder 2 tsp
prunes 12
curry leaves 10
parsley a great handful, chopped
black peppercorns 8
gentle stock or drinking water 600ml
milk 500ml
butter 50g
simple flour 50g

butter 80g, melted
filo pastry 300g

You will also will need a spherical 28cm baking tin

Heat the oil in a deep-sided pan, incorporate the chicken and enable it frivolously brown on equally sides, turning it when or twice to guarantee an even colour. As soon as the outside the house is golden brown, eliminate the hen and enable it rest on a plate.

Trim the leeks, discarding the darkest eco-friendly ends of the leaves, slice them into rounds 1-2cm thick, then clean them carefully in a colander less than chilly working drinking water. Shake the leeks dry, insert them to the pan in which you browned the rooster and let them cook in excess of a small to moderate warmth, lid on, for 10-15 minutes until eventually they have softened a small. Stir occasionally to avert them from browning.

Stir in the curry powder and keep on cooking for a few of minutes, then incorporate the prunes, curry leaves, chopped parsley and peppercorns, lightly cracked – use a pestle or large pounds, but don’t grind them to a wonderful powder – then pour in the drinking water or stock and bring to the boil. Decrease the heat, add the rooster and depart to simmer for 35 minutes.

Heat the milk just about to boiling place in a smaller pan then remove from the heat. In a separate pan, melt the butter, increase the flour and stir about a reasonable warmth for a few of minutes right until pale biscuit- colored. Add the milk in small quantities, stirring until finally sleek with a wooden spoon – I use a whisk to defeat out any troublesome lumps – then stir in a few of ladles of the inventory from the rooster pan.

Take away the chicken and slice it into strips, then include it to the sauce. Merge with the leeks and aromatics and check the seasoning: it will will need salt. The consistency really should be thick and creamy. If not, then enable it simmer right up until it is.

Established the oven at 200C/gasoline mark 6. Spot a large baking sheet in the oven to get sizzling. (It will help your tart to produce a crisp foundation.) Brush the foundation of the baking tin with a tiny of the melted butter. Generously butter 2 leaves of pastry, then area them in the tin, allowing them hold above the sides. Repeat, inserting the pastry at a slight angle to the some others, all over again permitting their extra size cling more than the edges. Carry on buttering and layering right until you have applied up all the pastry.

Spoon the hen filling into the dish then fold the buttered overhanging pastry in excess of the best to produce a crust. (They won’t rather protect the leading of the pie, leaving a gap in the centre, which is fine.) Area the dish on the scorching baking sheet in the oven and bake for 35-45 minutes until eventually the pastry is deep brown and crisp.

Sweet potato and spinach tart

Allow the tart settle for 20 minutes or so ahead of slicing and serving it. It is great eaten chilly, also. Serves 6

For the pastry:
simple flour 200g
butter 100g
parmesan 2 tbsp, grated

For the filling:
sweet potatoes 600g
spring onions 4
eggs 3
product 375ml
spinach 100g
parmesan a tiny to finish

You will also need to have a rectangular tart tin measuring 30 x 20cm

Set the flour and butter into a foodstuff processor and lessen to fantastic crumbs. If you like, rub the butter, slice into little parts, into the flour with your fingertips. Increase the grated parmesan and plenty of drinking water (about 1-2 tbsp) to make a firm dough. Wrap in kitchen paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Make the filling: place a deep pan of drinking water on to boil and place a steamer basket around the best. (I frequently use a colander rather.) Peel the sweet potatoes, then slice them into thick rounds. Steam the sweet potato slices for about 7 minutes until finally tender to the position of a knife.

Meanwhile, finely slice the spring onions. Split the eggs into a large bowl or jug and beat them briefly, then mix in the product, season with salt and black pepper. Wash the spinach, remove any hard stems, then cook the nonetheless wet leaves briefly in a lidded pan until eventually they start off to wilt. Drain and carefully squeeze dry.

Established the oven at 200C/gasoline mark 6.

Roll out the pastry and line the tart case, trimming the edges as required. Line with baking parchment and baking beans and bake for 15 minutes. Very carefully clear away the paper and beans and return to the oven for a even more 8 minutes or till the pastry is dry to the touch. Decrease the heat to 180C/fuel mark 4.

Put the sweet potato slices in the tart tin. Tuck the spinach among the them and scatter the spring onions, then pour in the custard. Sprinkle with parmesan and bake for 25 minutes until eventually lightly set.

Observe Nigel on Twitter @NigelSlater