Leftover lovin’ – Quail, bacon and leek pie.

As previously mentioned, I am trying to divest my freezer of some of its contents in the hope that I will have some room for some ice cream (vanilla, and I have some marvellous ideas for how it can be jazzed up considerably. I’m doing this all for you, dear reader!)

I have some frozen leftover quail wrapped in bacon, which I had initially thought I should make some soup with. I need an excuse to make yet another pie! I also have a leek clogging up my kitchen which I need to use as well.

The pie was quite delicious, and could be made with leftover roast chicken if you have some of that lying around. Food Critic Andrew nodded his approval – this is definitely repertoire – or at least a great start to a repertoire kind of dish! I have seen some recipes that add extra things for flavour such as white wine, so I’m tempted to add that and a lot more pepper next time. I tend to think that I am a chronic under-seasoner – something I am trying to work on!

Ingredients:
1 quantity sour cream pastry
1 sheet pre-rolled puff pastry, thawed

2 (cooked) quails wrapped in bacon,
(Or – alternatively – 350 grm (approx) shredded cooked chicken pieces and 2 rashers cooked bacon). Remove any stuffing
1 leek, sliced
1 onion, sliced
1 tsp garlic, to taste
Oregano flakes, to taste
Salt and pepper

4 tbsp cornflour
½ cup chicken stock

Blind bake the shortcrust pastry
Whilst it is blind baking, sauté the leek and onion in a pan with garlic.
Add the quail/chicken and bacon and continue to cook for a few moments.
Add cornflour and stock, enough to ensure the mix is nice and moist. You may need to add more in the same ratio, if you prefer a more liquid-ey pie.
Add salt, pepper and oregano flakes to your taste.
After the shortcrust pastry has been blind baked, pour the mix into the base, and affix the puff pastry over the top. Press down on the sides to ensure no leakage.
Using a small sharp knife, cut a small ‘x’ in the top of the pastry

As a side note – the picture above is of one of the baby apple pies that I made with the leftover shortcrust pastry.

Mini apple pie filling –

1 peeled and cored apple, cut up then stewed with castor sugar makes enough for 2 mini pies.
Before adding the lid, (I used shortcrust for these lids) sprinkle over some cinnamon.
Cook at 180 degrees celcius for about 40 mins, or until pastry is nice and browned.

Serve with whipped cream. Oddly, we didn’t have any! But I’m assured by Food Critic Andrew that the apple pie was very lovely nevertheless.