Hi, this recipe is from the Guardian's 'Feast' magazine, issue 189, Saturday 28th August 2021 page 4, or find the original recipe online. It is written by Yotam Ottolenghi.
I didn't make the chermoula to go with this as I felt like it might be wasted in our family, because we don't tend to eat the leftovers of things like that very quickly. However, when eating the puff, I did feel like the freshness of a chermoula would be very pleasant, so next time, I will make it, just in a smaller quantity.
I enjoyed this pastry very much, it reminded me of a pasty, but with a twist, like the Ginsters Chicken Tikka Slice, and was thoroughly enjoyed. The spices are similar to those in a tikka, especially with the added cream, so if that's not your favourite curry, why not make a slightly different spice mix to add in, then you can have a (for yourself) nicer pastry? For my sister, who's not a fan of spices, I cooked the chicken, tomato puree, onion, garlic, pepper, lime juice, water and cream together with everyone else's. Then, separated 1/4 off into a tub, before adding the spices in at the end for the remaining 3/4's. This was a good compromise, for us all.
Enjoy!
Hazel x
*
*
Dietary Info:
-Unsuitable for Vegans
{In place of the chicken, use chunks of tofu, tinned chickpeas or lentils, vegan 'sausages' cut into chunks. For the double cream, use a dairy-free alternative e.g. Oatly or a dollop of dairy-free plain yogurt. Lastly, you can either make your own vegan pastry, or purchase one from a shop, the brand I used Jus'Rol is vegan friendly.}
-Unsuitable for Vegetarians
{See above.}
-Contains Dairy
{See above.}
-Contains Gluten
{Make your own G-F pastry, or buy one. If you can't find an alternative, use the filling as a curry.}
-No Nuts
-Main Meal
-Snack
*
*
Prep: 15 min
Chill: 20 min
Cook: 50 min
Makes: 4 pies
Ingredients:
For the puffs;
-2tbsp olive oil {I used extra virgin.}
-2 onions, peeled, halved and thinly sliced (200g net weight)
-4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
-1 red pepper, cut in half, stem, seeds and pith discarded, flesh chopped into 2cm pieces (120g net weight)
-350g skinless and boneless chicken thighs, cut into 2cm pieces {I used chicken breast.}
-1+1/2tsp cumin seeds {I used dried cumin powder, same quantity though.}
-1/2tsp chilli flakes {I used chilli powder in the same amount.}
-1tbsp tomato paste
-50ml double cream {I used two dollops of full-fat greek yogurt because we had some in the fridge and it achieves the same effect in small amounts, if I was making a big tikka then I would use cream, but for a few spoonful's, you can use yogurt.}
-1+1/2tsp lime juice (ie, from 1 lime) {I used lime juice from a bottle.}
-1 x 320g rectangular sheet all-butter puff pastry, cut into four equal pieces {I used a 375g pastry sheet.}
-1 egg, lightly beaten {I used whole milk, but any milk would do.}
-1tbsp nigella seeds {I used flax seeds.}
For the chermoula: {I can't comment on the chermoula as I didn't make it.}
-2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
-1 red chilli, finely chopped (remove the seeds and pith if you prefer less heat; 10g net weight)
-7+3/4tbsp (30g) coriander, roughly chopped
-7+3/4tbsp (30g) parsley, roughly chopped
-20g mint leaves
-1/2tsp cumin seeds, toasted and roughly crushed in a mortar
-1 tsp coriander seeds, toasted and roughly crushed in a mortar
-90ml olive oil
-60ml lime juice (ie, from about 3 limes)
-Salt and black pepper
Method:
1: Put the oil in a large saute pan {I used a wok.} set over a medium high heat and, once hot, add the onion, garlic and red pepper, and cook {Turn down the heat to low, if you are going for the full 8mins}, stirring occasionally, for about eight minutes, until lightly coloured. Add the chicken, cumin seeds, chilli flakes, tomato paste and a half-teaspoon of salt and cook, stirring regularly, for 15 minutes, until cooked through {Chicken chunks will be white through the centre.} and lightly coloured. Stir in the cream, lime juice and three tablespoons of water, cook for another five minutes, until the mixture is glossy and the chicken is well coated in the sauce, then take off the heat and leave to cool. {I made this around 10am on the day of cooking and left it to cool in the pan till around 5pm when I started to put the pies together.}
2: Heat the oven to 220℃/200℃ fan/425℉/gas 7. Lay out the four pieces of puff pastry on a clean work surface, and divide the cooled chicken filling between them, placing it in the middle of each rectangle. Lightly brush the exposed edges of the pastry with the beaten egg, then fold over the shorter ends to meet in the middle. Seal by firmly pinching together the edge to create a scalloped pattern similar to that of a pasty (alternatively, crimp the edges together). Transfer the puffs to a large oven tray lined with baking paper, brush with any remaining egg and sprinkle with the nigella seeds. Refrigerate for about 20 minutes (or longer, if time allows) {I did about 45mins - 1 hour}, and bake from cold for 20-25 minutes, until deeply golden and cooked through. {If the outsides start to colour too fast, cover with foil for the remaining cooking time, as the insides need to be hot also.}
3: Meanwhile, make the chermoula. Put all the ingredients in a food processor with a quarter-teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper, blitz smooth and transfer to a bowl.
4: Serve the chicken puffs warm or at room temperature with the chermoula on the side. {I also served with cous cous and a side salad.}
While you're here, I have a Pinterest for all my recipes where you can save them to boards for the future and categorise them into different types of recipe e.g Sunday Dinners, picnic ideas etc. My account is @hazellikestocook, or find the link below. Also, I have a whole blog post explaining this in more detail here and https://hazelscookingandbakingblog.blogspot.com/2021/02/pinterest.html.
https://pin.it/5xDvARk - my profile
This recipe :
https://pin.it/57eKmO0
Comments
Post a Comment