Chicken Pie Recipe

A golden shortcrust and puff pastry case encloses tender pieces of chicken in a creamy bacon and white wine sauce.

We use a medium leek in this recipe.

Makes 3 single-serve pies.

We use a 20ml tablespoon and 250ml measuring cup for all of our recipes.

1 tablespoon (20ml) oil
400g skinless chicken breast or thigh fillets, chopped into bite-sized chunks
100g shortcut bacon, finely diced
90g (3/4 cup, lightly packed) finely chopped leek
1 medium clove garlic, peeled and crushed
20g (1 tablespoon) butter
1 tablespoon (12g) plain flour
1/3 cup (84ml) chicken stock
1/3 cup (84ml) white wine
1/3 cup (84ml) cream (35 to 40 percent fat)
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
20g (1/3 cup, loosely packed) grated tasty cheddar cheese
1-2 sheets puff pastry, thawed
2-3 sheets shortcrust pastry, thawed (if preferred, puff pastry can be used instead of shortcrust)

Heat oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan or frying pan over high heat. Add chicken, and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 6-7 minutes, or until lightly browned. If necessary, cook the chicken in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Add bacon, leek, and garlic to saucepan, and cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes, or until leek has softened and bacon is cooked. Set mixture aside with chicken. © exclusivelyfood.com.au

Over medium-low heat, add butter to saucepan and allow butter to melt. Add flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute (mixture should bubble but not brown).

Add stock, wine, and cream, stirring continuously. Increase heat to medium-high and bring mixture to boil, stirring continuously. Reduce heat to low and simmer for two minutes. Stir in salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and remove from heat.

Add chicken, bacon, leek, garlic, and cheese to saucepan. Stir to combine then set aside to cool for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius (180 degrees Celsius fan-forced). If you are not using a fan-forced oven, adjust the oven rack to the lowest position; the pastry base will brown and crisp better if it is close to the bottom element.

Grease three non-stick individual pie tins. We use pie tins that are about 3cm deep, about 7.5cm across the base, and about 12.5cm across the top (including the rim).

Invert pie tins on puff pastry and cut around the tins to form the lids of the pies. Set lids aside.

Invert pie tins on shortcrust (or puff) pastry and cut circles about 1.5cm from the edges of the tins.

Ease shortcrust pastry circles into pie tins, making sure there are no air bubbles under the pastry. Trim overhanging pastry with a sharp knife.

Divide chicken mixture evenly among pastry bases.

Brush edges of shortcrust and puff pastry with water and cover pies with puff pastry lids. Firmly press edges of pastry together with a fork.

Using a sharp knife, cut a small cross in the top of each pie.

Place pies on a baking tray (the tray makes it easy to remove pies from the oven and will catch any sauce that may overflow). Bake pies for about 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve hot. © www.exclusivelyfood.com.au

Layered Vegetable Cob Loaf Recipe

This crusty cob loaf is filled with layers of tender vegetables and two kinds of cheese. This recipe is suitable for vegetarians; if you will only be serving meat-eaters, layers of cooked chicken or ham could be added to the cob. We like to serve this cob warm but it is also nice cold or at room temperature.

You will need about half a medium butternut pumpkin, two large zucchini and a large capsicum for this recipe.

Serves 8.

270g red capsicum
550g peeled butternut pumpkin
2 tablespoons oil
350g zucchini, ends removed
250g mushrooms
1 round cob loaf, unsliced (about 20cm in diameter)
50g baby spinach leaves
150g feta cheese, crumbled or sliced
44g (1/2 cup) parmesan cheese, grated or shaved
2-3 tablespoons pesto (we used sundried tomato pesto)
Salt and pepper

Cut capsicum into quarters and remove seeds and membrane. Place under a very hot grill, skin side up, until most of the skin has blackened. Remove from grill, place in a small bowl, cover and allow to cool.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. © exclusivelyfood.com.au

Cut pumpkin into 1/2cm slices. Place on a baking tray, toss with 1 tablespoon of the oil, season with salt and pepper and bake for about 30 minutes, or until tender. Turn the pumpkin once during the cooking time. Set pumpkin aside to cool.

Slice zucchini lengthwise into pieces 1/2cm thick. Cut mushrooms into 1/2cm thick slices. Toss zucchini and mushroom with salt, pepper and remaining tablespoon of oil. Grill or pan fry until vegetables are golden and cooked through. Set aside to cool.

Remove charred skin from capsicum. Cut capsicum into strips.

Cut a ‘lid’ from the top of cob loaf and set aside. Remove most of the bread from inside the loaf, leaving a 2cm shell. Spread the inside of the loaf and lid with pesto.

Use about half of the pumpkin slices to line the base of the cob, pressing down firmly. Create layers with half of each of the remaining vegetables. Top with half the feta and parmesan.

Repeat the layers, pressing firmly, until all the ingredients have been used, or the cob is full. Replace the lid and tightly wrap the loaf in aluminium foil. Place cob on a large plate and top with an unturned plate. Place something heavy on the top plate to weigh the loaf down. Refrigerate for at least a few hours to allow the loaf to consolidate.

If serving the cob hot, heat the foil-wrapped loaf in a moderate oven (180 degrees Celsius) for 30 to 40 minutes.

If serving cold, remove the foil and place cob on an oven tray. Bake in a very hot oven (220 degrees Celsius) for 5 minutes to crisp the crust. Cut into wedges to serve. © www.exclusivelyfood.com.au

Chocolate Weet-Bix Slice Recipe

This quick and easy recipe makes a crunchy chocolate slice that is great for lunchboxes.

Makes about 18 pieces (each about 4.5cm by 6cm).

60g dark chocolate
110g butter
1 tablespoon (20ml) golden syrup
3 Weet-Bix (about 48g total)
100g (1 cup plus 2 tablespoons) desiccated coconut
110g (1/2 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar
75g (1/2 cup) plain flour
75g (1/2 cup) self-raising flour

Chocolate Icing
140g (1 cup) icing sugar
10g (1 tablespoon) cocoa powder
5g (1 teaspoon) butter, softened
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 tablespoons milk
6g (1 tablespoon) desiccated coconut, for sprinkling on top of slice

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (160 degrees Celsius fan-forced).

Lightly grease an 18cm by 28cm slice pan.

In a small saucepan, melt chocolate and butter together over very low heat, stirring frequently. When just melted, remove from heat and stir in golden syrup. © exclusivelyfood.com.au

Finely crush Weet-Bix by breaking them up with your fingers or using a food processor.

Stir coconut, brown sugar, Weet-Bix and flours together in a large bowl until well combined. Add chocolate mixture and stir to combine. Firmly press mixture into prepared pan using the back of a spoon.

Make chocolate icing while slice is baking. Bake slice for 15 minutes.

Remove slice from oven and set aside for one minute before spreading with icing. Sprinkle with extra tablespoon of coconut.

Allow slice to cool to room temperature before cutting into pieces to serve. Store slice in an airtight container. Suitable to freeze.

Chocolate Icing
Sift icing sugar and cocoa together into a medium bowl. Add butter and milk and stir until smooth. The icing should be quite thick at this stage; however, it will spread easily when placed on the hot slice. © www.exclusivelyfood.com.au

Potato Salad Recipe

The bacon can be omitted from this salad to make it suitable for vegetarians.

Serves 4-6 as a side dish.

550g small potatoes, washed
120g (about 4 pieces) short-cut bacon, finely diced
3 large eggs, hard-boiled and peeled (we use eggs with a minimum weight of 59g)
2-3 green onions (green shallots), finely chopped
188g (3/4 cup) good quality mayonnaise
Scant 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Place unpeeled potatoes in a large saucepan. Add enough water to cover potatoes. Cover saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to a medium boil and cook until potatoes are just tender (you should be able to pierce the potatoes with a knife and meet no resistance). Drain potatoes and cool to room temperature. © exclusivelyfood.com.au

In a small frying pan or saucepan, fry bacon over medium heat until cooked and lightly browned. Set aside to cool.

Remove skin from potatoes, if desired. Chop potatoes into bite sized pieces. Chop eggs.

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and stir gently to combine. If you like, you can reserve some of the bacon or green onions to sprinkle over the salad before serving.

The salad can be served immediately, or refrigerated until cold. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator.


How to hard-boil eggs

Place eggs in a small saucepan and cover with cold water. Cover saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 8 minutes. Remove from heat, drain eggs and cover with cold water to stop further cooking of the eggs. © www.exclusivelyfood.com.au

Chunky Chocolate Biscuit Recipe

These slightly crumbly chocolate cookies contain raisins, milk and white chocolate chips, and toasted macadamia nuts.

Makes about 24 cookies.

75g (1/2 cup) coarsely chopped macadamia nuts
150g butter, softened (if using unsalted butter, add 1/4 teaspoon salt)
160g (2/3 cup, very firmly packed) brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (1 teaspoon natural vanilla essence)
1 large egg (we use eggs with a minimum weight of 59g)
30g (1/4 cup) cocoa powder
40g (1/4 cup) cornflour (cornstarch)
200g (1 1/3 cups) plain flour
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
75g (1/2 cup) coarsely chopped white chocolate
90g (1/2 cup) raisins
50g (1/4 cup) milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (160 degrees Celsius fan-forced). Line 2 large trays with non-stick baking paper.

Place macadamia nuts in a single layer on a baking tray and bake for about 5-7 minutes, until a light golden colour. Set aside to cool.

Using an electric mixer or electric hand-held beaters, beat butter, brown sugar and vanilla on medium speed until light and creamy. During mixing, stop the machine occasionally and use a spatula to scrape down the side and base of the bowl. Add egg and beat until well combined. © exclusivelyfood.com.au

Sift cocoa, cornflour, plain flour and bicarbonate of soda together into a large bowl, or directly into the bowl with the butter mixture. Stir dry ingredients into the butter mixture until just combined. Stir in white chocolate, macadamia nuts, raisins and choc chips.

Roll rounded tablespoons of mixture into balls and place about 5 centimetres apart on prepared trays. Flatten balls slightly using the palm of your hand.

Bake for about 15-17 minutes. Fifteen minutes baking time produces a softer cookie; 17 minutes baking time produces a crunchier cookie. If you are baking two trays of biscuits at a time and are not using a fan-forced oven, swap the positions of the trays halfway through the baking time. Transfer biscuits to a wire rack and allow to cool. Store biscuits in an airtight container. © www.exclusivelyfood.com.au

Sweet Potato Salad Recipe

Soft, roasted sweet potato, tender green beans and caramelised onion are coated with a sweet chilli, balsamic vinegar and garlic dressing.

Serves 4-6 as a side dish.

500g peeled sweet potato (about one large sweet potato)
30ml (1 1/2 tablespoons) oil
Salt and pepper
1 large (about 190g) red onion, peeled and cut into about 10 wedges
4 medium garlic cloves, unpeeled
80g (about a handful) of topped and tailed green beans
20ml (1 tablespoon) balsamic vinegar
40ml (2 tablespoons) mild sweet chilli sauce

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius (180 degrees Celsius fan-forced).

Cut sweet potato into 3/4 centimetre slices. Cut slices into bite-sized pieces.

Place sweet potato slices in a single layer on a large baking tray. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the oil and toss to coat potato with oil. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes. © exclusivelyfood.com.au

Add onion and garlic to the tray with the sweet potato. Add remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil and toss everything together. Return tray to oven and cook for a further 20-30 minutes, or until vegetables are tender and onion has lightly caramelised. Turn vegetables once during cooking.

Half fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to the boil. Add beans to saucepan and boil for about 3 minutes, until beans are tender but still a bit crisp. Remove from heat and drain. Place beans in a bowl of cold water for 10 seconds to stop the cooking process. Drain and cut into 4 centimetre lengths.

Squeeze roasted garlic from its skin and place in a small bowl. Mash garlic using a fork. Add balsamic vinegar and chilli sauce to garlic and stir to combine.

Toss dressing, beans, sweet potato and onion together in a large bowl. Serve salad hot or cold. Store any leftover salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator. © www.exclusivelyfood.com.au