As the weather warms up and new shoots appear, we’re excited to get cooking with the best produce of the season
recipes GOOD FOOD TEAM photographs KAREN THOMAS
Wild garlic, chicken & leek pie
Fragrant wild garlic transforms this chicken pie into something really special. For ease, the filling and pastry can be made ahead.Barney Desmazery
SERVES 6 PREP 30 mins plus chilling COOK 1 hr 20 mins MORE EFFORT
75g butter
150g wild garlic leaves, any stalks
reserved (see tip, below)
1 leek, halved lengthways, then
finely sliced
8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs,
cut into chunks
3 tbsp plain flour
100ml white wine or dry sherry
300ml chicken stock (made with
1 stock cube or stock pot)
100ml crème fraîche or
double cream
For the pastry
150g cold butter, cut into cubes,
plus extra for the tin
400g plain flour, plus extra
for dusting
1 egg, beaten
1 Heat 25g of the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat until sizzling, add the wild garlic leaves, season with salt and cook for 5 mins until completely wilted and soft. Leave to cool, then tip onto a board, roughly chop and set aside.
2 Melt the rest of butter in a frying pan over a medium heat. Tip in the leeks and chicken, season and cook for 10-12 mins until the chicken is just cooked and the leeks have softened. Stir in the flour and cook for 3 mins until the mix resembles a sandy paste. Pour in the wine and bubble for 1-2 mins until reduced by half, then add the stock and crème fraîche, bring to a simmer and cook for 10 mins more until the chicken is cooked through. Stir through the cooked wild garlic and simmer for another 2-3 mins until thick and creamy. Season to taste, remove from the heat and, if you have any wild garlic stalks, finely slice them and stir through. Leave to cool completely, tip into a container and chill for 2 hrs, or overnight. Will keep chilled for up to two days.
3 To make the pastry, rub the butter into the flour with a large pinch of salt using your fingertips until completely combined. Add half the beaten egg and 3 tbsp ice-cold water, and bring together into a dough using your hands, adding a little more water, 1 tbsp at a time, until you have a dough that’s soft enough to work with. Knead for a minute so it completely comes together, then chill for 1 hr. Will keep chilled for two days.
4 Butter a 23cm pie tin. Remove the pastry from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature, then divide into three. On a floured surface, roll out two-thirds of the pastry until it’s the thickness of a £1 coin and large enough to line the tin with some overhanging. Use it to line
