Home Made: Good, honest food made easy. Tana Ramsay

and black pepper

      

      Serves: 4

      Prep time: 50 minutes

      Cooking time: about 50 minutes

      WHY NOT TRY …

      

       You can make the filling in advance and leave in the pie dishes in the fridge. You will need to cook the pies for slightly longer to make sure the filling is thoroughly heated through, and you may need to cover the tops with foil to prevent them getting too brown.

       Serve with a large side dish of steamed broccoli and delicious new potatoes.

      1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/GM4.

      2 Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large frying pan and brown the chicken pieces on all sides. Take out and put to one side.

      3 Add the remaining oil to the pan, then add the onions and garlic and cook until softened. Add the mushrooms and tarragon and cook until the mushrooms are tender and lightly coloured. Pour in the wine and simmer until almost evaporated, then add the stock and simmer until reduced by half.

      4 Add the cream and simmer for a couple of minutes, until the sauce is slightly thickened, then add the parsley and season with salt and pepper. Leave to cool.

      5 Stir the chicken into the thickened sauce. Divide the mixture between four ovenproof bowls, each about 300ml/10fl oz capacity; the mixture should reach about 1cm/1/2 inch from the top (see Why Not Try …).

      6 Divide the sheet of pastry into four and cut a strip from each piece about 1cm/1/2 inch wide. Brush the rim of each pie dish with the beaten egg, then gently press the pastry strips around each rim. Next, take the pastry squares and lay them over the top of the pie, trimming off any excess pastry. Using your thumb and forefinger, pinch around the rim of each pie at 2cm/3/4 inch intervals to seal. Make a small hole in the centre of each one.

      7 Lightly brush the tops with beaten egg and add a light sprinkling of salt. If you are feeling artistic, use the pastry trimmings to decorate the tops with cut-out pastry shapes and stick them on with beaten egg.

      8 Place the pies onto an oven tray and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until piping hot in the centre and golden brown on the top.

Indian-style chicken kebabs

      This recipe is a wonderful summer barbeque dish, but can equally be made for a quick and simple evening supper, served with rice and salad. The longer the chicken marinates the better, so ideally it would sit in the marinade in the fridge for a day or overnight, but I have also made the whole dish from scratch in an evening and it tasted delicious. The results are definitely best and easiest to achieve if you use a microplane grater.

      

      2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2cm/³/₄ inch cubes

      1 lemon, cut into wedges to serve

      

       FOR THE MARINADE

      1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed

      5cm/2 inch piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and grated

      3 plump garlic cloves, peeled and grated

      1 red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced

      2 tsp garam masala

      2 tbsp Greek yoghurt

      zest and juice of 1 lemon

      

       FOR THE YOGHURT DRESSING

      1 small onion, peeled and grated to produce about 1 dspn of onion gloop

      2 heaped tbsp Greek yoghurt

      2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander

      1 tbsp chopped fresh mint

      squeeze of lemon juice

      salt and pepper

      

      Serves: 2

      Prep time: 30 minutes plus marinating

      Cooking time: 15-20 minutes

      1 Start by making the marinade. Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and add the chopped chicken. Stir well, making sure the chicken is well coated. Cover and leave in the fridge for as long as possible, ideally overnight.

      2 When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/GM6. Soak 4 × 30.5cm/12 inch wooden skewers in cold water for 30 minutes.

      3 Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and divide evenly between the skewers. Cook in the oven for 15-20 minutes or, if you prefer, barbeque for about 15 minutes (making sure they are cooked through). Halfway through the cooking, turn the kebabs and baste them with the remaining marinade.

      4 The yoghurt dressing can be made a little in advance, but is easy enough to prepare while the chicken is cooking. Mix the grated onion with the yoghurt and chopped herbs and season with a squeeze of lemon juice and salt and pepper.