Good Intentions

My determination to re-start the diet yesterday was unfortunately thwarted by the fact that it was mine and C's one month wedding anniversary.  This naturally called for a celebration in the shape of sausage and mash, lovely Aspall's cider and the Strictly Ballroom DVD.

Food seemed to go down well at the weekend and the pie was (I think) a success.  For something I made up as I went along it seemed to work quite well.

Slow cooker chicken

1 Chicken
1 onion
1 carrot

chicken stock
1/2 bottle red wine
black pepper corns

Roughly chop the carrot and onion and use these to form a trivet in the bottom of the slow cooker - this prevents the chicken from sticking to the bottom and burning.  Place the chicken on top of the veg and pour over the wine.  Top up with the stock; how much will depend on the size of the slow cooker as you want to more or less cover the chicken in liquid.  Add the pepper corns and any other spices or herbs you fancy.  Cook on high for an hour and then low for 6.

Cooking the chicken in the way makes the cooked meat fall off the bone and getting all the bits out of the slow cooker can be a bit of a yucky job.  The easiest way I've found to get it all out is to fish out the largest bits out with a ladle then take out some of the stock - this makes a wonderful sauce if you're planning on using the chicken to make a pie.  I took about a litre of stock out of the slow cooker for the sauce.  Once the stock's been taken out of the slow cooker I use a colander in the sink to get the rest of the chicken out.

Once the chicken's cooled enough to be handled, shred it into bite size pieces.  Put the reserved stock in the fridge; this will make the stock separate into two parts, the bottom lovely, lush wine tinged chicken stock, the upper a solid lump of chicken fat - not very appetising but worth saving for cooking roasties in.


Slow cooker chicken and chorizo pie - serves 6

1 slow cooked chicken, shredded into bite size pieces
1 litre of chicken stock
45g butter
45g plain flour
Worcester sauce
balsamic vinegar
1 chorizo ring
1 red pepper
1 pack puff pastry

Melt the butter in a pan.  Once it's melted add the flour to form a roux.  Let this cook for a couple of minutes then begin gradually adding the stock.  I've found that a silicon whisk is an absolute Godsend when doing sauces, before I got one my sauces were always lumpy messes but now I have hardly any disasters!  Keep adding the stock until it's all incorporated then let it reduce down.  Add a couple of splashes of Worcester sauce and the same of balsamic vinegar.  I happened to have a glass or so of red wine left over so that got chucked in as well.


Chop the chorizo into slices approximately the same thickness as a pound coin.  Dry fry these in batches being careful not to crowd the pan.  This will release all the wonderful red, paprika spiced oil.

Quarter the red pepper and put on a baking tray with a drizzle of oil and balsamic vinegar.  Put under the grill for 10 minutes.

Once the sauce is finished stir in the shredded chicken, fried chorizo and oil and the grilled pepper.  Put into a pie dish and top with the rolled out puff pastry.  Put in a pre-heated oven at 200C/400F/gas mark 6 for 25-30 minutes.  When ready serve with whatever veggies you fancy.