This deep–dish pie has an Italian–style filling of succulent chunks of chicken, sliced capsicums, mushrooms and black olives in a tomato sauce, and is topped with fresh rosemary scone wedges. A crunchy raw vegetable salad would be a good accompaniment to complete the meal.
Ingredients
1 chicken, about 1 kg
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
1 onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 green capsicums, seeded and thickly sliced
175 g button mushrooms, quartered
2 cans chopped tomatoes, 400 g each
2 tablespoons medium dry sherry (optional)
1 cup (125 g) pitted black olives
pepper
Rosemary scone topping
⅔ cup (100 g) self–raising white flour
⅔ cup (100 g) self–raising wholemeal flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
1½ tablespoons (30 g) butter
100 mI low–fat milk
Put the chicken in a large saucepan with the rosemary sprigs and bay leaf.
Preparation
Cover with water and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour or until tender.
Remove the chicken from the liquid.
When cool enough to handle, take the meat from the carcass, discarding all the skin.
Cut the meat into bite–sized chunks and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan.
Add the onion, garlic, capsicums and mushrooms, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is beginning to brown.
Stir in the canned tomatoes with their juice, the sherry and olives, and season with pepper.
Remove from the heat and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 230°C.
To make the scone topping, put the white and wholemeal flours, salt, baking powder, chopped rosemary and pepper to taste in a bowl.
Mix together, then rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.
Make a well in the centre and add the milk.
Mix to make a fairly soft, but not sticky, dough, adding more milk if necessary.
Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead briefly, then roll out to a round about 1 cm thick and 18 cm in diameter.
Cut into 6 wedges.
Add the chunks of chicken to the vegetable mixture.
Put the saucepan back on the heat and bring to the boil, then simmer for 2–3 minutes to reheat, stirring occasionally.
Transfer to a 2 litre deep pie dish.
Arrange the rosemary scone wedges on top of the chicken filling and brush them with a little extra milk, if wished.
Bake for 10–15 minutes or until the scone wedges are risen and golden brown.
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