Mmm pie….There are so many good things to say about it. Today I will talk to you about pies without pre-fixing with ‘who ate all the’ ….consider it maturity.

So this pie is a classic and everyone should have at least one pie up their sleeve. The techniques are basically the same for many pies so once you get this one you will find other recipes very straightforward. Yes even you.

Ingredients
3 rashers streaky bacon (cut into little strips) or pancetta if you are being posh
125 grams chestnut mushrooms chopped (1 pack chopped and washed)
1 leek , 1 clove of garlic
250 grams chicken breast or thigh fillet (cut into cubes)
25 grams plain flour ish
1 teaspoon dried or fresh thyme
1 tablespoon butter
300 – 500ml hot chicken stock
1 tablespoon Marsala
375 grams all-butter ready-rolled puff pastry sheet
1 egg

Greens
Green beans (1 pack)
1 Courgette
2 Large handfuls of frozen peas
1 Garlic clove

1 – Chop the leek, mushroom and garlic and add to a pan to soften with the butter Preheat the oven to 220°C/gas mark 7/425ºF. In a heavy-based frying pan, fry the streaky bacon strips in the oil until beginning to crisp, then add the sliced mushrooms and leek and soften them in the pan.

2 – Roll the chicken strips in the flour and thyme (you could toss them about in a freezer bag), add the floury chicken and all the flour left in the bag to the pan. Stir around with the streaky bacon and veg until the chicken begins to colour.

3 – Pour in the Marsala and allow to bubble (it is worth buying this although it seems like an expense – it will last for ages and really does improve this and other dishes like spag bol. White wine can substitute) once it has bubbled a bit add the hot stock and stir to form a sauce. Let this bubble away for about 5 mins.

3 – Dampen the edges of your pie dish with a little water to make the pastry stick or use beaten egg and pour in your pie mix. If you have too much make two – it keeps really well in the fridge or freezer at this point just don’t add pastry if you are storing. Lay your pastry sheet over the top of the dish and trim to fit – it should still be slightly bigger than the dish allowing you to fold over the edge. Seal with your fingers by pinching the pastry over the edge of the dish. Brush with beaten egg if you want the top to be shiny. Cook the pie for about 30 minutes. Once cooked, the pastry should be puffed up and golden.

4 – Once the pie is in the oven cook some greens – frozen peas and green beans in boiling water and then add to a warm frying pan with some sliced courgette. When everything is soft add chopped garlic and cook for a further minute. Just before serving season with butter, salt and pepper.

5 – Remove pie from the oven and serve onto warm plates with the greens. YUM. This is the basic pie recipe – meat coated in flour, veg, booze, stock, pastry – any combination can be tried. Whole books are dedicated to the combinations. The picture at the top comes from Stephen Reynaud’s Pies and Tarts – amazing, you can graduate to it one day. Enjoy.

Go forth and pastry like a boss.