Diana Henry’s savory pies have such an unmistakable signature of comfort, flavor, and practicality. They are doable and luxurious, uncomplicated and lavish at the same time. Just tasty. And, considering the presentation, you’d never tell that often they are just an elegant way to clean up the leftovers.
This is a Russian chicken pie from Food for Plenty. What makes it Russian? Mushrooms, dill, and sour cream — exactly my grandma’s add-to-everything favorites. These flavors remind me of my summers with her in Shuklinka village in Kursk district. Dill growing along the side of the roads, back yard spilling into the woods where mushrooms could be picked daily, and our evening walks to a nearby cow owner for fresh milk still warm from the udder.
The bottom of this pie is par cooked rice that is there to absorb the creamy juices. The next layer is mushrooms sautéed with onions in butter. Cooked chicken mixed into milk soured with cream and lemon juice, flavored with dill tops it all. Covered with puff pastry, it is ready after 30 minutes in the oven. This is delicious when hot on the day of but equally appealing in the morning for breakfast — sorry, I love my dinner leftovers in the morning — or lunch.
WHAT WENT IN
— 3/4 cup rice, partially cooked
— 1 lb mushrooms roughly chopped
— 1 onion, chopped
— 2 oz butter
— 2 garlic cloves
— 1 1/2 oz flour
— 300 ml milk
— 1/2 lb cooked chicken meat, cut into bite size pieces
— juice of 1/2 lemon
— 150 ml sour cream
— 1/2 bunch of dill, tough stems removed, chopped
— about 3/4 lb puff pastry sheet
— egg or egg yolk, beaten, to brush the pastry
THE PROCESS
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Sauté mushrooms with onion in butter until they turn golden. Be patien: first, the mushrooms will give out a lot of liquid. Then, that liquid will evaporate. Then, they will start turning golden.
3. Season mushrooms with salt and pepper, add garlic and cook for a minute or so.
4. Stir in flour and cook for another minute.
5. Off heat and gradually add milk, mixing it in and put back on medium low heat. Bring to a boil and stir until the mixture thickens.
6 Add chicken, lemon juice, sour cream, and dill heating everything through.
7. Butter well the bottom of a baking dish. My oval baker in the picture measures 13”x9”x2”.
8. Spread the rice on the bottom of the dish and cover it with the chicken sauce. Let it cool slightly.
9. Roll out the pastry to a size a bit larger than your baking dish.
10, Wet the edges of the dish, cover the filling with a pastry pressing it to the dish edges. If you’re in the mood or need a presentation, make some decorations out of the dough scarps.
11. Trim the edges of the pastry, make a few slits for the steam to escape, and brush with egg yolk or the a whole beaten egg.
12. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Turn the oven down to 350°F and bake for another 25 minutes or so, until the pastry is golden.
