SAVOURY PIES WEEK 1: Chicken pie with Kasseri cheese and leeks in homemade pastry

Some of my favourite ingredients are involved in this recipe and the result is really delicious! Leeks, soft mellow Kasseri cheese and chicken work together so nicely creating a really filling meal. As with most Greek pies this one too can be served as a main meal if you want and if you think that making your own pastry is too much then an option for this kind of pie is the shortcrust pastry (two sheets) or four store-bought thick phyllo pastry sheets

Slightly adapted from a recipe of Eleni Psichouli

from a recipe leaflet of the Greek margarine "Vitam"

Ingredients (for 4-6 people)

For the filling:
1 whole medium chicken, cut in portions (or 6 medium chicken legs)
1 tsp of chicken spice mix (of your choice)
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and kept whole
1 tbsp of margarine
5 medium leeks, cut in rings (both white and green tender part)
5 Spring onions, finely chopped
1 small bunch of dill, finely snipped
1 small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 tsp of ground fennel seeds
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tbsp of single cream (optional)
1 1/2 tea-cup of Greek Kasseri cheese, grated (Mild yellow Cheddar is a good substitute)
salt
pepper

For the pastry sheets:
1 Kg of all-purpose flour
1 leveled tbsp of salt
1 tbsp of malt vinegar
½ tea-cup of margarine, melted
2-2 ½ tea-cups of lukewarm water
some extra flour for dusting
3/4 tea-cup of margarine, melted for brushing

Method:

In a large bowl mix the flour with the salt and open a small well on the centre. Pour in there the oil, the vinegar and some of the lukewarm water. Knead with your hands, gradually adding the rest of the water as you go along. When you end up with a soft dough that doesn't stick to your hands, form it into a ball, cover with a clean kitchen towel and leave aside to rest for 1 hour.

In the meantime, boil the chicken in a large pot along with the spice mix and the onion on medium heat until it is tender. Take out of the pot with a slotted spoon, allow to cool down and then de-bone, cutting the meat into small bites and discarding the skin.

Melt the 1 tbsp of margarine in a spacious frying pan on high heat, add the leeks and the ground fennel and season with salt and pepper. Sauté the leeks, stirring constantly with a wooden spatula until they wilt.

In the end add the chicken bites and continue to sauté for another 1-2 minutes. Take the pan off the heat, add the dill and the parsley and gently stir. Allow the filling to cool down and then add the eggs, the cheese, the cream (if used) and some extra pepper.

Preheat the oven to 180°C and brush with the extra margarine the bottom and the sides of a medium size oven pan.

Divide the dough into four smaller balls of the size of a lemon. Dust with some flour a clean surface and using a rolling pin, roll each ball into a sheet (of medium thickness) - (always dusting the dough with some flour on both sides as you go along).

Lay at the bottom of the pan 2 of the pastry sheets in a rather uneven way, forming some type of pleats (this will make the pie more crunchy). Evenly scatter the filling over the pastry and then cover with the other two pastry sheets, again rather untidily.

Brush the pie with the melted margarine and gently score the surface with a sharp knife (without cutting through). Drizzle on top with a bit of water and put in the middle shelf of the oven.

Bake the pie for about 1 hour or until the phyllo is nicely golden and crispy.

Allow to cool down for 10 minutes before you cut in pieces and serve.