Italian Meat - Pork, Ham and Sausage Recipes - Ham and Chicken in Pastry (Pasticcio di Prosciutto e Pollo) Recipe

Ingredients

Pastry (paste):

• 150 g/5 oz/1 1/4 cups plain (all-purpose) flour

• 75 g/3 oz/1/3 cup unsalted (sweet) butter

• 5 ml/1 tsp lemon juice

• 15 ml/1 tbsp water

Filling:

• 25 g/1 oz/2 tbsp margarine

• 15 g/1/2 oz/2 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour

• 300 ml/1 1/4 cups chicken stock

• 100 g/4 oz/1 cup cooked chicken, chopped

• 100 g/4 oz ham, finely chopped

• 30 ml/2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

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Method:

1. Put the flour into a bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

2. Add the lemon juice and water and blend to make a stiff dough. Wrap the pastry in Clingfilm (plastic wrap) and chill for 30 minutes.

3. Heat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6. Grease small tartlet tins (patty pans). Roll out the dough thinly and line the tins.

4. Lay buttered paper in each of the pastry cases and pour in baking beans. Bake blind for 8-10 minutes, until the pastry cases are a pale biscuit color.

5. Remove the paper and the beans and return the cases briefly to the oven to dry out.

6. Place the margarine in a saucepan with the flour and cook for 1 minute. Gradually stir in the chicken stock and cook until the sauce thickens.

7. Blend in the cooked, chopped chicken and the ham. Season well with the oregano, salt and pepper.

8. Fill the pastry cases with the chicken and ham mixture and heap into peaks.