Chicken, Leek, and Mushroom Mini Pies

Chicken, Leek, and Mushroom Mini Pies

by Victoria Challancin

Tomorrow is Mexico's Independence Day.  Usually, we have a three-day weekend, or puente ("bridge") filled with parades, barbecues, chiles en nogada (stuffed poblano chiles with meat and fruit covered in a walnut-cream sauce with pomegranate seeds), El Grito, and fireworks--lots of fireworks.  Living in the "Cradle of Independence," (i.e. the towns/cities of Dolores Hidalgo, San Miguel de Allende, and Guanajuato) where the first battles were fought and where independence was born, this celebration, like all Mexican celebrations, is particularly festive, colorful, and full of life.  This year, however, the festivities have been dampened by rain.  Rain, rain, and more rain.  Much-needed rain, perhaps, but rain nevertheless.

With Tropical Storm Manuel battering Acapulco and the West Coast and Hurricane Ingrid blasting Veracruz and the East, massive amounts of rain are flooding most of the republic, with San Miguel caught in the middle.  Far enough away to be safe from the winds, we nevertheless are experiencing extensive rain.  And severely dampened spirits--and trust me, it is hard to dampen the Mexican sense of joy and celebration.  Even my dogs have a case of the mulligrubs.

Hunkered down inside, dry and warm, my thoughts are turning toward comfort food, a blog post, and a recipe I made recently in a cooking class for Mexican students...Chicken Pot Pies.  Alright, they have been re-invented and renamed Chicken, Leek, and Mushroom Mini Pies and have been given a whiff of Frenchness, a soupçon of sophistication, but Chicken Pot Pies they are.  Nothing will disguise that.  Chicken Pot Pies filled with a wine-enhanced, cream-enriched melange of vegetables enveloped in a crust of puff pastry, made mini size in a muffin tin.  Yum.

It's almost embarrassing for a "professional" cook to admit to a love for chicken pot pies, but I do. Even the less than stellar frozen versions from childhood still hold a certain appeal.  Yep, it is embarrassing.  But to me, chicken pot pies will always be comfort food.  And this recipe is lovely--and perfect for such weather.

For a real Mexican treat, try my recipe for Chiles en Nogada, the National Dish of Mexico.  The green of the pepper, the white of the walnut-cream sauce, and the red of the pomegranate seeds lovingly represent the three colors of the Mexican flag.  The filling is made with a picadillo, or ground meat mixture that includes dried and fresh fruit--with candied cactus being the magic ingredient!

 The leek and mushroom filling

 In the muffin tin

Cook's Notes:  This recipe is perfect as written.  I added a bit more garlic...well, because I am half-Italian after all and just can't help myself.  Note that this dish can be used as a main dish or an appetizer.  Use a regular muffin tin, as I did, or mini-muffin size, just make certain to chop all ingredients even smaller.

Recipe:  Chicken, Leek, and Mushroom Mini Pies
(Recipe from The Illustrated Quick Cook, iVillage.com)
Makes 12 regular muffin-sized pies or 24 mini-muffin sized pies

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup butter

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 small carrot, finely chopped

1 celery rib, finely chopped

1 leek, finely chopped (2 1/2 - 3 cups, white and green parts)

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

8 oz (225g) mushrooms, coarsely chopped

1 to 1/14 lb (500g) skinless boneless chicken breasts, diced

1 tablespoon chopped thyme leaves

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 cup heavy whipping cream

3 sheets read-rolled puff pastry

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Mixed green leaves and herbs, for serving

Tomato relish, for serving (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400F (200C).  Brush a 24-cup mini muffin pan with olive oil (or use a regular 12-cup muffin tin).  Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and the butter in a saucepan over low heat.  Add the onion, carrot, and celery, and cook for 5 minutes.  Add the leek, and cook until wilted.  Add the garlic, and cook for 30 seconds.  Add the mushrooms, and coon for another 5 minutes.

Increase the heat to medium.  Stir in the diced chicken, thyme, lemon zest, and wine.  Cook for 15-20 minutes, until cooked through.  Add the cream, and season with salt and pepper.  Continue to cook for 5 minutes, until the mixture starts to thicken.

For mini-muffin sized pies, cut 24 21/2-inch circles (6 cm) from the puff pastry.  Line each muffin cup with a pastry circle, and spoon in the chicken mixture.  Top each cup with a 2-Inch (5cm) circle cut from the remaining puff pastry.  Use large circles for regular a muffin pan.  Brush the tops with the egg, and slit with a knife.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown.  Invert the pans onto a wire rack.  To serve, scatter some mixed leaves and/or herb leaves over the top.  Serve with a tomato relish, if desired.  Serve immediately.

Parting Shots:  Berber "Figs"

 Called "Berber Figs" in Morocco, cactus fruit is often sold from carts on the streets.

In Mexico, both the cactus paddle (penca) and the fruit (tuna) are eaten throughout the country, but in Morocco, only the fruit is commonly consumed.  This display is from a vender's cart in Marrakech to show that the fruits are actually from a cactus and not a fig tree!  Can you tell I am gearing up to send out my newest Moroccan itinerary?

©Victoria Challancin.  All Rights Reserved.

Please ask permission before using photos or text.  Thanks!

Osso Buco-Style Chicken

 Osso Buco-Style Chicken

              Osso Buco-Style Chicken

by Victoria Challancin

Thirty years later I can still remember the first time I prepared Osso Buco.  It was for a dinner party comprised of the loveliest group of international friends and colleagues who taught with me at university in Bahrain.  Crossing fingers, I prepared the dish with love and gusto (the only way!), pleased to see it disappear with a round of oohs and aahs, the sound every cook listens for in her heart.  The crowning touch was when I saw my dear friend Naz, the loveliest, most gentle, friend imaginable, eyeing the veal bone, denuded and lonely on my plate at the end of the main meal.  "Vicki," she gently asked, "do you think I could have your bone?"  Did I hear right?  Naz, the most refined and cultured of women, asking for the picked-over bone on my plate????  She then explained how when she was a child in the newly formed Pakistan, her grandmother would sit her on her knee and feed her, using a specially designed long silver spoon to coax the delectable marrow from the inside of cooked bones.  I was touched.  It wasn't the mangled corpse of a bone Naz was after, it was the untouched marrow I had callously overlooked.  Well, I can tell you, I don't overlook it anymore!

Ossobuco, a Milanese specialty, actually comes from the Italian osso buco, which means "bone with a hole" or "hollow bone."  Traditionally, it is served with gremolata, a chopped condiment of parsley, lemon zest, and garlic, as well as with a Milanese-style risotto.  The bone in question is a cross cut veal shank, which leaves the marrow exposed and easily accessible to discerning diners.  Cheap and flavorful, the veal shanks are braised with tomatoes and wine and garnished with fresh, sharp gremolata. 

Mexico, too, has its favorite dishes featuring bone marrow, which is called tuétano.  Here, bones are often roasted for their marrow, which is then spread on tortillas for delicious tacos or tostadas.

This recipe from the versatile and creative chef Rick Rodgers [you can check out his blog for epicurious.com here].  Rodgers uses chicken to give a flavorful, but very simple dish that is ultimately much easier to prepare than its namesake made with veal shanks.  In his original recipe, Rodgers uses only chicken thighs.  I adapted the recipe slightly to include legs and large chunks of boneless chicken breasts as well.

Note: If the idea of this delightful herb condiment appeals to you, check out the grapefruit gremolata that I wrote about here.

Osso Buco-Style Chicken

 (Adapted slightly from a recipe by Chef Rick Rodgers for Cooking LIght)

Makes 4 servings

Serve over polenta or rice, along with a steamed green vegetable, such as green beans. 

4 teaspoons olive oil, divided

8 chicken thighs (and/or drumsticks)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium carrot, cut into 1/2-inch dice

1 large celery rib, cut into 1/2-inch dice

2 garlic cloves, minced

3/4 cup dry white wine

1 1-inch strip of orange rind

1 bay leaf

½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice

Gremolata

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Grated zest of 1 lemon

1 garlic clove, minced

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with the salt and pepper. In batches without crowding, add skin-side down to the saucepan. Cook until the skin is browned, about 3 minutes, Turn the chicken and brown the other side, about 3 minutes. Transfer to the platter.

Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat in the pan. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and bring to a boil, scraping up the bits in pan. Add the orange rind and bay leaf.  Stir in the tomatoes with their juice, and the thyme, rosemary and basil. Return the chicken to the pan, nestling the pieces in the sauce, and bring to a boil.

Cover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer until the chicken show no sign of pink when pierced at the bone with the tip of a sharp knife, about 40 minutes. During the last 5 minutes, uncover the pan to help reduce the juices.

Just before serving, make the gremolata by mixing the parsley, zest, and garlic. Serve chicken and sauce, sprinkling each serving with gremolata.

Enjoy!

 Osso Buco-Style Chicken

I am submitting this post to Ivonne, of the delightful Cream Puffs in Venice for her blog event Magazine Mondays.  Thank you, Ivonne!