FOOD + DRINK
PICK OF THE PIES CONT .
Chicken Pasticcio ( Sicilian Chicken Pie )
Recipe by : Giovann Attard , executive head chef , Norma www . normalondon . com
Ingredients :
• 300g 00 flour , plus extra for dusting
• 70g sugar
• 100g butter , plus extra for greasing
• 50g lard ( or add extra butter if you prefer )
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp Marsala
For the filling
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1.2kg chicken thigh meat , diced
• 500ml hot chicken stock
• 50g pistachio nuts , peeled
• 50g almonds
• 100g one-day-old focaccia breadcrumbs , or other bread
• 2 eggs , lightly beaten
• 2-3 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1-2 tbsp drained capers , rinsed
• Juice and grated zest of 1 lemon
• Salt and pepper
Method :
To make the dough : 1 . Sift the flour into a mixing bowl .
2 . Add the sugar , butter , lard , 1 egg and the Marsala , and mix well to a smooth dough .
3 . Divide the dough into 2 pieces ; 1 large piece to be used for the bottom of the pie and 1 small piece to be used for the lid of the pie , and some decorations if you like .
4 . Leave the dough to rest for 30 mins outside .
5 . Preheat the oven to 175 ° C / gas mark 4 .
Making the filling first : 1 . Drizzle some olive oil in pan over a medium heat , add the diced chicken , turning occasionally for 10 minutes until lightly browned .
2 . Using 100ml of the stock , add some stock and simmer , adding more stock a little at a time , until the chicken is tender . This should take around 20 minutes .
3 . Remove the pan from the heat and let the chicken cool .
4 . Toast the pistachios and almonds in a small frying pan , stirring continuously for a few minutes until just golden . Remove from the heat and chop coarsely .
5 . Pour the remaining stock into a bowl and soak the breadcrumbs , then drain .
6 . Mix the breadcrumbs , eggs , parsley , capers , lemon juice and zest , chicken and chopped nuts in a bowl . Season to taste and stir gently .
7 . Line a 24cm round cake pan with greaseproof ( wax ) paper and grease with butter .
8 . Now start rolling out each piece of pastry into a round shape .
9 . Put the larger pastry round in the bottom of the pan , spread the filling over it and cover with the second round .
10 . Lightly beat the remaining egg .
11 . Decorate the top of the pie with pastry trimmings - you can try and turn the trimmings into leaves and then brush with the beaten egg .
12 . Bake for about 45 minutes until golden brown . Remove from the oven and let stand for around 15 minutes before serving .
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