Nigel Slater’s pie recipes – classic chicken and leek, and cauliflower cheese - MW

I sat in the kitchen early in the morning, turned on the radio, the steam condensed on the window, cooked for a long time in the afternoon. I have been baking. It's not just plain simple-made pies, but what you might call the right pies, with their tall, flimsy surfaces, a crispy, deep, delicious layer of pastry.

The first batch of cake is the butter version and the basic flour. The second is marinated with a savory, savory pecorino with flour and butter. I lined the tins and cakes with very, very carefully pieces of dough, so as not to tear or hole. I filled one with cauliflower cheese and the other with chicken, soft leek and prunes. A type of cock-a-leekie. They may have been all day, but I really don't care. A pair of proper, proud and golden pies, is what that day is for.

Cauliflower cheese cake
You will need a 20 cm loose tart or tin cake.
Serves 6-8

For cakes:
ordinary wheat flour 250g
butter 140g
Pecorino 40g, finely ground
ice

Meanwhile, make filling. Heat olive oil in a deep saucepan over medium heat, add the onions and let them cook for 15-20 minutes until dim. Break cauliflower into large flowers, trim and store young green leaves, then boil the flowers in deep, slightly salty water for 4-5 minutes until approaching. Add leaves for the last minute, then rinse them all in a colander.

Stir cooked cauliflower and leaves with the softened onions, then add pine nuts, salt and pepper and chopped parsley. Bake cheese, put onions and cauliflower, and season.

Set the oven to 200C / gas marker 6. Roll out two-thirds of pastries on a dough board. Use it to line the base and sides of the tin, pushing it down to the corners, making sure there are no holes or tears. If yes, the fill will leak out.

Transfer fill into tin boxes. Roll out cakes made specifically to form a lid. Brush the edge of the pastry in a tin with eggs and then the rim of the lid. Lower the lid into position and press the edges together to seal it. Brush the lid with eggs and then cut a hole in the top. Bake for 20 minutes then cool down to 180C / gas mark 4 and continue for another 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let stand. Sliced ​​and served.

Chicken, leek and trimmed bread

You will need a box of spring-shaped cakes or deep tart cakes with a diameter of 20 cm.
Serves 6-8

For filling:
Stewed chicken 1 liter
Chicken drumstick 900g, remove skin
2 sticks of celery, chopped
4 medium carrots, chopped
1 onion, peeled and chopped
5 tbsp olive oil
Leek 5, medium
Plum 12, stoned
thyme 10 branches
flour 4 heaps
Egg 1, beat
Dill seeds are 1 teaspoon to sprinkle

For cakes:
butter 150g
plain flour

Boil water in a large pot. Place the chicken drumsticks in the warehouse, cool down and let them boil for 25-30 minutes until soft.

Put celery, carrots and onions in a large saucepan with oil and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cut leeks into 2cm-thick pieces then rinse under running water. Add leeks, prunes and thyme to other vegetables and cook for 7-10 minutes. Sprinkle with flour and cook for 2 minutes until all are baked well.

Remove the chicken from the storage, and remove the meat from the bone. Cut each thigh into 4 pieces.

Pour the stock over vegetables and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Stir in chicken and let the sauce bubble for a few minutes until the sauce thickens. Check the spice. Remove from heat and let cool.

Meanwhile, for cakes, cut the butter into small pieces then rub into the dough with the tip of your finger. You can use a food processor if you like. Carefully introduce enough cold water to create a soft but rollable dough (about 3 tablespoons). Shape the pastry into a ball, wrap it in parchment and cool for 30 minutes.

Set the oven to 200C / bar 6. Place a baking sheet in the oven.

On a dough sheet, roll two-thirds of the pastry into a dish large enough to line the base and the edges of the box with a little protruding. Press the cake into the box carefully, carefully, it is not torn. Absolutely no holes or cracks. Transfer refrigerant into tin.

Roll out the remaining pastry to make the lid. Brush the edges of the pastry in a tin with beaten eggs, then lower the lid into place and press the edges together tightly to seal. Brush the surface with more eggs, spread evenly with fennel seeds, make a hole in the middle of the lid with a wooden spoon handle and bake for about 40 minutes until golden. Remove from the oven and let stand for 15 minutes before gently releasing the spring clip of the tin and serving.

MW