Christmas Meat Pie - Cook Ahead and Freeze

Name: Christmas Meat Pie - Cook Ahead and Freeze
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h 35 min
Total time: 2 h 5 min
Yield: 10-12 slices
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil; butter; 1 onion, finely chopped; 500 g sausage meat or 500 g skinned sausages; 1 lemon, zest of, grated; 100 g fresh white breadcrumbs; 85 g ready-to-eat dried apricots, chopped; 50 g chestnuts, chopped (canned or vacuum packed); 2 teaspoons fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme, chopped; 100 g cranberries (fresh or frozen); 500 g boneless skinless chicken breasts; 500 g ready-made shortcrust pastry; beaten egg, to glaze

Submitted by Tina and Dave

"Found on the BBC Good Food site.Made this for the family at Christmas and everyone LOVED it! I'm not going to wait 12 months before making another (minus the holly leaves!) The time stated excludes cooling."

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photo by Tina and Dave

Ready In:: 2hrs 5mins
Ingredients:: 13
Yields:: 10-12 slices

ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
butter
1 onion, finely chopped
500 g sausage meat or 500 g skinned sausages
1 lemon, zest of, grated
100 g fresh white breadcrumbs
85 g ready-to-eat dried apricots, chopped
50 g chestnuts, chopped (canned or vacuum packed)
2 teaspoons fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme, chopped
100 g cranberries (fresh or frozen)
500 g boneless skinless chicken breasts
500 g ready-made shortcrust pastry
beaten egg, to glaze

directions

Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Heat 1 tbsp oil and the butter in a frying pan, then add the onion and fry for 5 mins until softened. Cool slightly. Tip the sausagemeat, lemon zest, breadcrumbs, apricots, chestnuts and thyme into a bowl. Add the onion and cranberries, and mix everything together with your hands, adding plenty of pepper and a little salt.
Cut each chicken breast into three fillets lengthwise and season all over with salt and pepper. Heat the remaining oil in the frying pan, and fry the chicken fillets quickly until browned, about 6-8 minutes.
Roll out two-thirds of the pastry to line a 20-23cm springform or deep loose-based tart tin. Press in half the sausage mix and spread to level. Then add the chicken pieces in one layer and cover with the rest of the sausage. Press down lightly.
Roll out the remaining pastry. Brush the edges of the pastry with beaten egg and cover with the pastry lid. Pinch the edges to seal, then trim. Brush the top of the pie with egg, then roll out the trimmings to make holly leaf shapes and berries. Decorate the pie and brush again with egg.
Set the tin on a baking sheet and bake for 50-60 mins, then cool in the tin for 15 minutes Remove and leave to cool completely. Serve with a winter salad and pickles.

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Reviews

Loved this recipe from BBC.......thanks, discovered it here as I was about to post this same recipe

Wild Thyme Flour
Made this for Pac Spring '08. Because the chicken and cranberries I used were frozen and defrosted, I didn't freeze the pie. Also, this time of year chestnuts are impossible to find, so I used walnuts, whiich was ok, but chestnuts would definitely be better. I think this will be a great Christmas Eve dish, served with a red cabbage cole slaw. Very good Tina and Dave! Thanks for sharing it.

Ppaperdoll