Dreaming of a pie in the sky....

I've been pretty busy at work lately. So busy that I can barely find time to read/get my daily dose of foodporn. When home, I'm busy trying to sort through my travel plans with a friend. I'm going on a big massive holiday in about 3 weeks.. if everything goes well! (travel visa still pending!...)

Stumbled on this whilst flickering through an old issue of Donna Hay magazine (Issue 16). I asked Alv if he would eat it, he said "mm Maybe". Good enough response. So I made it, just in time for this months Waiter, there's something in my... pie, hosted by Jeanne.

Chicken, potato and bacon pie
*slightly modified from Issue 16, Donna Hay Magazine

2 tbsp oil*
500g chicken thigh fillets, chopped
3 rashers of bacon, chopped (I used short cut bacon)
2 small sebago potatoes (or 1 large potato)
1/2 brown onion (or 1 small brown onion), chopped
1 tsp rosemary (I used dry herbs)
1 clove garlic
1.5 tbsp plain flour
40ml water
65ml chicken stock
65ml milk
1 sheet of shortcrust pastry
1 egg beaten

Preheat oven to 220 deg C.

Wash, peel and boil potatoes in a pot of salted water for about 10-12 min or until just tender. Drain, slice in to thin pieces and set aside to cool.

Heat a large saucepan with 1 tbsp oil and cook the bacon to your liking (in my case, crisp!), remove from pan and set aside. Add the remaining oil* and chicken and brown for about 3 - 4 mins and set aside. Add the onions, rosemary and garlic, cook for approx 3 - 4mins until fragrant. Return chicken to the pan and mix well.

Combine flour and water in a small bowl. Add the chicken stock, milk and flour/water mixture into the pan. Cook for approx 10mins, stirring until the sauce becomes thick. Remove chicken filling from pan and set aside to cool.

Roll out the pastry between two sheets of baking paper until approx 3mm thick. Place on a lightly greased tray. Place the cooled chicken filling in the middle of the pastry and top with slices of potatoes. Fold the pastry up around the filling. Baste with egg wash and bake for 15 - 20mins until the pastry is golden.

Serves 4.

*Note: If using middle bacon or other fatty bacon, reduce oil to 1tbsp.

The verdict:
I have to say, this is a easy pretty pie to make. What's more it's a free-form pie! Always wanted to make a free form pie. :)

Taste wise it's pretty well balanced considering there was no salt in the ingredients. The chicken stock made up for the salt I think. For good measures, I added some cracked pepper to taste and left it in the oven for an extra 5mins to get a nice crisp on the potatoes.

I had grand plans for this month's WTSIM-Pie.. apple crumble pie... plum pie... green curry pie... but in the end all I have to show is this little chicken and potato pie. Though I do like the crispy potato bits.

Talking about pies is making me crave for my favourite Green Curry Chicken pie from Pie in the Sky in Mount Dandenong. Tender pieces of chicken in a lightly spiced green curry sauce and crisp pastry mmm...*drools* They make some of the best pies in Melbourne. We use to go for a one hour drive on the weekend to Olinda just for their pies. Sigh...If only there is time..

Pie in the Sky ™
43 Olinda-Monbulk Rd
Olinda
Ph 03 9751 2128

You have Mail!

Have been immensely busy the whole week and had almost forgotten to blog about this.

But look what I came home to the other day! It's my blogger postcard all the way from Austria! I hadn't expected to receive it so soon, let alone from Gerda of Dinner for One.

How to explain? One day (about 1.5 weeks ago now), this little piggy was randomly browsing through the blogs listed on FPW and clicked on Gerda's blog (because it had an interesting name). Read her pondering about converting to becoming vegetarian and just so happen to leave a comment on the relevant post. This is all innocent mind you, I had no idea then that Gerda was actually my secret postcard partner.

Then last Tuesday (or was it Wednesday), I decided to go home for lunch (I live about 10mins drive from work) and saw the above postcard in the mail box. Didn't think much of it at first because I thought that it was from one of my girlfriends who is currently doing the 'working/travelling Europe' act in London.

Imagine the surprise on my face when I flipped the over the postcard to see the content and found that it was in fact my bpw postcard and it was from Gerda! I was standing at next to the mailbox and went "Oh My God! I just left a comment on her blog the other day!"

Gerda, Thank you for making my afternoon so much more bearable. I love the postcard that you sent. I hope you are not offended if I say that your postcard very much reminds me of the movie The Sound of Music. I love that movie, it's one of my favourite movies from my childhood. The green grass, the choir and the mountains reminds me of the famous opening scene where Julie Andrews runs across the field singing.. "The hills are alive... with the Sound of Music..."

Gerda also shared her favourite poem called "What it is" by Erich Fried. It goes like this:

What it is - Erich Fried

It is nonsense
says reason
It is what it is
says love

It is misfortune
says calculation
It is nothing but pain
says fear

It is hopeless
says insight
It is what it is
says love

It is ridiculous
says pride
It is careless
says caution

It is impossible
says experience
It is what it is
says love

<>

It is a very beautiful poem Gerda. Thank you for sharing it with me. It's certainly perfect for Valentine's day.

Happy Valentine's day to you too my new friend. Hope yours will be a memorable and great day.

Thank you Meeta for once again organising such a wonderful event.