How to Make Those Deep Dish Pies (Use this Recipe)

There used to be a very French Patisserie in downtown Johannesburg, which ran for many years. It was a firm, favourite venue for a lot of company's social clubs, advance booking was essential, we at our company used to go there at least once a year and that was how I got to know about them.

There menu was extensive and you guessed it pies of all descriptions and all excellent culinary master pieces

Amongst their most renowned pies was, Duck and Cherry, Steak And Kidneys, Chicken Mushroom, Guinness Beef Pie, Lamb Pie, Pork and Port. The list goes on, and as the saying goes, 'All to Die For'.

The magic of a deep dish pie.

This is a pie that comes to your table setting in its own dish, it is crammed fill of the desired filling with its accomapanying juices within the bowl and is covered by a lid of pastry, this was about a half an inch thick, golden brown and very tasty, not your usual heartburn delight.

This is a quick pie with very little hassle, an ideal lunch for an individual and could be stretched for two, if you so desire, only use a larger bowl.

The pie that I made for lunch on Tuesday was, so that I could use up a lone chicken breast, and needed to feed two of us, so a nice pie was called for.

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Not any too far off from the high standards set, but a great pie never the less.

So here is my Chicken Potato and Onion Deep Dish Pie

Ingredients

• 1 chicken breast (cooked or raw)
• 1 large potato
• ¼ of an onion
• a small pack of fresh garden peas in shells
• a half a large carrot
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 teaspoons fresh Herbs
• oil for frying
• Pastry
• ½ cup of flour
• ¼ cup of butter
• ¼ cup ice cold water
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 fresh lemon
• 1 egg for brushing

Method

Cube the chicken breast into small pieces.

Dice the onions into tiny cubes

Peal and slice the potato into thin slices

Shell the peas

Peel the carrot and cut into thin rings

Bring a pot with a little oil to fry the onions herbs until golden brown

If you are using fresh chicken

Add the chicken pieces into the mix and cook until tender

Add the potatoes, peas and carrots

Add a little water and cook till the potatoes and carrots are done

Keep the mixture moist but not too runny

If using left over chicken

Cook the potatoes, peas and carrots with a bit of water with the onions

When the potatoes and carrots are cooked

Add the chopped chicken pieces

Set aside and let the mixture cool down

Take the flower and place it in a mixing bowl

Add the cubed butter to the flour

Add a pinch of salt

Break up the butter into tiny bits coating it with the flower, keep working the butter and flour with your finger tips until they resemble fine breadcrumbs.

Add the tiniest bit of water and mix it into the dough, work the dough adding small quantities until it is a nice firm dough which has stopped sticking to your fingers.

Add a light squeeze of fresh lemon juice and give it a final kneading.

Place on a floured surface and roll the dough out so that it is sufficiently large enough to cover the Pyrex or ovenproof dish that you are making the pie in.

Fold over in half, give the pastry a turn and roll out again, the finished Pastry should be about a quaerter to a half inch thick.

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius

Place the cooled down pie mix into the dish

Cover the mixture with the pastry dough

Take a fork and give the topping a couple of jabs with the fork to allow air to escape.

Mix the egg and brush the top of pastry.

Place in the oven and cook for ten minutes, reduce the temperature to 200Degree Celsius, and cook for a furher twenty minutes or until the pastry is an even golden brown.

Serve with a fresh garden salad or some homemade chips.