Farm-style Chicken & Tarragon Pie

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup plain flour

• Salt & freshly ground black pepper

• 1kg chicken thigh fillets, coarsely chopped

• 2 tbs Beerenberg Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• 1 brown onion, coarsely chopped

• 2 celery sticks, trimmed, coarsely chopped

• 2 carrots, peeled, coarsely chopped

• 1 tsp Beerenberg Crushed Garlic

• 2 cups water

• 1 chicken stock cube

• 250g cauliflower florets

• 2 tbs thin cream

• 1 tbs coarsely chopped fresh tarragon

• 1 sheet ready-rolled frozen puff pastry, thawed

Method:

1. Place flour in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Coat the chicken with flour and shake off any excess. Heat half the oil in a large suacepan over medium heat. Add one-third of the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until brown. Transfer to a heatproof bowl. Repeat, in 2 more batches, with the remaining chicken, reheating pan between batches.

2. Heat remaining oil in the same pan. Add onion, celery, carrot and garlic and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until onion softens. Add chicken, water and stock cube. Brig to the boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 1 hour or until chicken is tender. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes or until sauce thickens.

3. Add the cauliflower and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes or until cauliflower is tender. Remove from heat. Stir in the cream and tarragon. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 200C.

4. Spoon chicken mixture among two 4 cup capacity ovenproof dishes. Brush edges of dishes with water. Cut pastry in half. Top each pie with pastry and lightly press the edges to seal. Cut a small cross in the top of each pie.

5. Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden and puffed. Lay out the gingham tablecloth and enjoy.