Mild Sweet Curry Chicken Pies

This recipe began as a way to use up my leftovers of mild chicken curry and has ended up as a family favourite! This quantity will make you enough for two meals, curry for the family one night and then enough leftovers to make the homemade pies later in the week!

makes curry for 6, plus 6 meal-size pies or 12 mini pies
what you need
2 cups (500ml) chicken stock
50ml extra virgin olive oil
2 onions, diced
1 carrot, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 kg chicken thigh or breast, roughly chopped
2 tbsp mild curry powder
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/3 cup (50g) plain flour
400g sweet potato, finely diced
½ cup peas (fresh or frozen)
1 tbsp roughly chopped coriander
steamed basmati or brown rice, to serve

for the pies:
4 1/2 sheets of frozen butter puff
1 tbsp olive oil for greasing pastry cases
¼ cup of milk
1 tbsp sesame or cumin seeds

what to do
to make curry
1. To make the curry, heat the stock in a small saucepan. Heat the oil in a large saucepan, and cook the onion, carrot and celery for 5 minutes. Add the chicken and cook a further 5 minutes, until lightly coloured, stirring occasionally.
2. Add the curry powder and garlic, and cook, stirring, for one minute. Sprinkle the flour over and cook, stirring, for one minute.
3. Add the hot stock a little at a time, stirring until smooth after each addition, until all the stock has been added and a smooth thick sauce has formed.
4. Add the sweet potato, reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the peas and cook for a further 10 minutes, then stir in the coriander.
5. Serve half the curry with basmati or brown rice. Cool the remaining curry, and refrigerate until required.
6. To make the pies, preheat the oven to 180 deg C (160 deg C fan forced). Grease six pie dishes or mini springform tins (one cup capacity). Cut the whole pastry sheets into quarters, and half pastry sheet into half. Use 6 of the pieces to line the bases of the tins. Cut 6 of the pieces each into 3 strips, and use to line the sides of the tins, pressing gently to seal the joins to each other and to the base. Refrigerate remaining quarters until needed.
7. To ‘bake blind’ the pastry cases, place the crumpled pieces of non-stick baking paper over the pastry in the tins, and fill with dried rice or beans. This will stop the pastry rising as it cooks. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove the paper and rice and bake a further 10 minutes.
8. Increase oven to 200 deg C (180 deg fan forced). Fill the pastry cases with curry. Top with the remaining pastry quarters, press to seal, folding over any excess pastry. Brush with milk. Bake for 30 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is heated through. Stand in the tins for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the pies to loosen before releasing the sides.

Note: The pastry is easiest to work with if still quite cold when thawed. Keep in the fridge until needed, so it doesn’t become too soft.
Variation: You could make smaller pies in muffin tins. You will only need 3 sheets of pastry. Grease trim and line each one with ¼ of a pastry sheet for each. Fill with curry and fold the overhanging pastry over to enclose the filling. Brush with milk and bake for 15 minutes.

GF option: Use gluten-free pastry. Substitute rice flour for the plain flour.

© Jane Grover - NAKED FOOD - the way food was meant to be

Pickled Onions

PICKLED ONIONS
When we pack to leave on a road trip we always make room in the car for at least half a dozen jars of my homemade pickled onions. They make the perfect easy sandwich filling with vintage cheese, or popped on a simple cheese platter or ploughman’s plate with an afternoon glass of wine. I’ve been known to gift, sell and trade jars of my pickled onions Australia-wide.

makes 6 x 500ml jars
V GF
what you need
2kg small pickling onions
¼ cup (60g) sea salt or pickling salt
600ml apple cider vinegar
400ml filtered water
½ cup raw sugar
½ cup (125ml) honey
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cloves
1 tbsp white peppercorns
1 tsp dill seeds
2 dried red chillies, seeds removed, finely sliced
sprigs of thyme

what you do
1. Place the onions in a large heatproof bowl and pour over boiling water to cover. Leave to cool. Once cool, trim ends from the onions and peel.
2. Combine the salt and 2 litres of water in a large bowl. Stir until salt dissolves. Add the peeled onions to the salted water. Weigh them down gently with a plate that fits inside the bowl. They must be kept submerged. Cover. Stand at room temperature overnight.
3. Preheat the oven to 160°C (140°C fan forced). To sterilise jars, place clean jars onto a tray into the oven for 15 minutes, to dry and heat.
4. In a large pot place the vinegar, filtered water, sugar and honey. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 5 minutes until all the sugar has dissolved.
5. Drain the onions and rinse twice with cold water to remove the salty water.
6. Remove the jars from the oven. Place the onions and an even amount of coriander seeds, cloves, peppercorns, dill seeds, chilli and a sprig of thyme into the warmed jars.
7. Pour the hot pickling liquid into the jars, leaving a 2cm gap between top of the liquid and the lid. Wipe the jars with a clean, moist paper towel to remove any spillage, and seal with a lid.
8. You can refrigerate at this point and consume the pickled onions for up to 1 month. To preserve for a longer period of time, you will require preserving jars with proper two-piece vacuum caps (consisting of a lid and a band). The jars should then be processed in a hot water bath. Place the jars into a large pot filled with simmering water, covering the jars with 2cm of water. Place a lid on the pot and bring the water to a rolling boil, where it should be held for the entire processing time of 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and remove lid. Let sit for 5 minutes then carefully remove the jars (using a jar lifter for safety). Cool for 12 hours.

Note: Test the lids to determine if the jars are vacuum-sealed. Press the centre of the lid to determine if it is concave. Remove the band. Gently try to remove the lid with your fingertips. If the lid is concave and cannot be removed with your fingertips, the jar is vacuum-sealed.

Storage: For vacuum-sealed jars, store in a cool, dark place for at least 2 - 4 weeks before opening, allowing for the flavour to develop. Unopened jars will keep for up to 12 months in the pantry. Once jars are opened or if the jars have not sealed effectively store in the fridge for up to 1 month.

©Jane Grover - Our Delicious Adventure – Recipes and Stories of Food and Travel

A Taste of Bergen, Norway

A visit to Norway means magnificent scenery; I’m talking “super fjords” as far as the eye can see and hair-raisingly narrow mountain roads to navigate. There’s sensational seafood to eat and a fiercely patriotic and affable Norwegian people to share it all with.

We began our two week Norwegian adventure in the capital city, Oslo, taking the early morning train on The Bergen Railway from east to west across the Norwegian countryside. The Bergen Railway is considered to be one of the world’s most scenic train rides, a seven-hour journey which brings you across one of Europe’s highest mountain plateaus, carrying you through spectacular and varied nature. The journey is a wonderful introduction to the Norwegian landscape and being on a train means you can sit back, relax and soak it all in. (Traveler's Tip: for the best views out the window, reserve seats in Comfort class on the left hand side of the train, choosing seats facing in the direction the train is headed.)

Bergen is Norway’s second largest city, and lies clambering up the mountainsides, overlooking the sea, embracing you. You can roam through living history in this modern city, before continuing on to explore the wildest and loveliest fjords of Norway. On a Norwegian scale, Bergen is a large city, but one with a small-town charm and atmosphere. Its passionately patriotic inhabitants are proud of their many-sided city and its history and cultural traditions.
- visitnorway.com -

We adored our three days exploring Bergen, walking and eating our way around this vibrant city. Absolutely determined to eat like Norwegians rather than tourists, we took some helpful advice from a local chef on where to go for the best Norwegian fare and then cobbled together our very own little food tour of Bergen. As we walked the cobblestone streets, it was like a step back in time, weaving our way from our hotel Zander K, located near the central train station, down intimate laneways to the harbour and the wharf area, known as Bryggen. There the landscape is a fanciful array of colourful old buildings, housing cafes, restaurants, hotels and little shops selling mink fur coats and leather goods. We visited the out-door fish market, a collection of stalls located on the waterfront, where we tasted hot smoked salmon with fragrant spices, and smoked whale meat was also on offer. The Fisketorget (the indoor fish market) which is somewhat more upmarket and pricey to match, was a joy for Mr G to browse, seeing varieties such as monk fish, halibut, place, salmon, mackerel, sweet shrimp, crayfish and king crabs. Across the road, another seafood stop worth visiting was Strandkien Fisk, where we headed to grab a couple of the much talked about Norwegian fish cakes; lightly fried, fluffy on the inside and crisp on the outside.

To really see this city, it’s best to see it from high up. Bergen is surrounded by seven mountains and it’s worthwhile heading up one of them to capture the view. The Flobanien, a funicular that runs from behind Bryggen, will conveniently have you up high on Mount Floyen in fifteen minutes. However, we decided to get some exercise doing the forty five minute walk to the top, filling up on fresh air instead. The panorama of the surrounding city and waterways, was more and more spectacular the higher we went and there’s nothing better than a brisk uphill climb to stoke the appetite, particularly when you have planned to lunch at one of Norway’s finest restaurants, Lysverket.

Lysverket is such a beautiful light filled space, the food so well executed and the service from a young French girl, currently studying in Bergen, was warm and friendly. The restaurant is located in the art museum KODE 4 at the Grieghallen, overlooking a fountain-laced park, in the heart of Bergen. All the ingredients here are foraged or locally sourced by Norwegian native and head chef Christopher Haatuft (ex Per se chef in New York). Mr G opted for the famed Fiskesuppe (Bergen Fish Soup), here they serve a modern take on the traditional Bergen fish chowder, presenting a creamy soup with large pieces of fish and root vegetables, finished with a drizzle of leek oil and pickled celeriac - served with sourdough bread and organic butter. I chose to get messy with the Fried Fish Burger, a succulent piece of cod, enclosed in a crunchy crumb, with kimchi and yoghurt dressing served on a seeded brioche bun. The food was simple and delicious and a true taste of local Norway.

For our second panoramic experience of this picturesque city, we took the Ulriken643 cable car to the very top of the highest mountain in Bergen, Ulriken. It’s not for the faint hearted, another hair-raising ride with exceptional views as you go, and in early Spring there was still a little snow on the ground at the top. You can also hike this mountain and many were, however we opted for the cable car and it was a whole lot of fun.

For our final night in Bergen, we dined at Pingvinen, a relaxed eatery/bar said to be serving up the ‘real deal’ in Norwegian fare. Tucked in a little cobblestone side street, this homely little pub on a corner was the epitome of “no frills”, except for the lace curtains on the front window. The place was packed with locals and tourists eating and drinking, enjoying the locally brewed beers. I had my first taste of Norwegian meatballs served with mushy peas, potatoes, gravy and lingonberry jam, while Mr G had the wild deer (locally caught in Flam) stewed with mash potatoes. We felt like apprentice Vikings gobbling into such hearty fare!

One thing Norway certainly is not, is a bargain holiday destination. We found it expensive to eat out and get around,* however it was often only a small gap in pricing between eating westernised “rubbish” tourist food and seeking out the finer dining or local out of the way places to dine. It was really worth the research and a few extra dollars invested, to eat the Norwegian fare and get a real taste of Bergen, Norway.

*Another Traveler's Tip: It is particularly expensive if you hire a car to get around, high fuel costs, unavoidable toll roads and car ferries to pay for. However, being that we are not fans of the organised bus tour and cruise ships, where one is subject to another’s timetable and agenda and at the mercy of the habits of unknown traveling companions, we chose the self-drive option for the next ten days we spent exploring more of Norway. This afforded us the luxury and freedom of thoroughly traversing the countryside, crossing the tapestry of fjords it boasts and stopping for fjord side picnics and magical photo opportunities anywhere along the way we felt inclined.