rustic chicken and apricot pie

Ingredients

450g pack boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 medium onion, quartered

2 tsp coriander seeds, toasted

½ tsp ground coriander

¼ tsp ground cumin

¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

454g pack pork sausages, meat squeezed from the skins

200g pack bacon lardons

2 tbsp chopped parsley

12 ready-to-eat dried apricots

340g pack mini chicken breast fillets

For the hot water pastry

100g lard, plus extra for the tin

450g plain flour, plus extra for the tin

3 tbsp milk

1 egg, beaten, to seal and glaze

Method

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Brush a 23cm springform tin with melted lard and dust with a little flour.

Whizz the chicken thighs in a food processor to mince them. Add the onion and blitz again to chop it. Tip into a bowl. Add the spices, sausagemeat, lardons, parsley and some salt. Mix really well.

To make the pastry, melt the lard in a saucepan with 150ml water and the milk. When melted, remove from the heat, tip in the flour and beat well. Knead on a lightly floured work surface, then roll out and use two-thirds to line the tin.

Spoon in half the sausage mixture and top with the apricots and half the chicken breasts. Cover with the rest of the sausage mixture, then press the remaining chicken breasts on top.

Roll out the remaining pastry and use to cover the pie. Press firmly onto the filling, then bring the pastry from the sides over the top and seal. Make a hole in the top of the pie for steam to escape, and brush well with the egg. Bake for 30 mins, then reduce oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and bake for 1 hr more. Cool in the tin.

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

3 tbsp olive oil

2 onions, 1 roughly chopped, 1 sliced

100g tomatoes

100g ginger, roughly chopped

3 garlic cloves

1 tsp turmeric

1 tbsp each ground cumin, coriander and cinnamon

1 large butternut squash, deseeded and cut into big chunks

600ml chicken stock

2 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

100g dried cherries

To serve

1 small red onion, finely chopped

zest 1 lemon

handful mint leaves

100g feta cheese, crumbled

couscous and natural yogurt

Method

Season the chicken. Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a flameproof dish, then brown the chicken on all sides. Remove the chicken to a plate. Whizz the chopped onion, tomatoes, ginger and garlic into a rough paste. Fry the sliced onion in the remaining oil in the dish until softened, then add the spices and fry for 1 min more until fragrant. Add the paste and fry for another few mins to soften.

Return the chicken to the dish with the squash, stock, sugar and vinegar. Bring to a simmer, then cook for 30 mins until the chicken is cooked through. Lift the chicken out and stir in the cherries, then continue simmering the sauce to thicken while you shred the chicken into bite-sized chunks. Stir the chicken back into the sauce and season.

Mix the red onion, lemon zest, mint and feta. Scatter over the dish, then serve with some couscous and yogurt.

Chinese steamed bass with cabbage

Ingredients

2 sea bass, or other white fish fillets

1 green or red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

1 tsp fresh root ginger

300g green cabbages, finely shredded

2 tsp sunflower oil

1 tsp sesame oil

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 tsp low salt soy sauce

Method

Sprinkle the fish with the chilli, ginger and a little salt. Steam the cabbage for 5 mins. Lay fish on top of the cabbage and steam for a further 5 mins until cooked through.

Meanwhile, heat the oils in a small pan, add the garlic and quickly cook, stirring until lightly browned. Transfer the cabbage and fish to serving plates, sprinkle each with 1 tsp of soy sauce, then pour over the garlicky oil.