Ingredients
| FOR THE FILLING | |
| 1 tablespoon olive oil | |
| 400g chicken thighs, cut into 3cm dice | |
| 1 red onion, chopped | |
| 1 red capsicum, cut into 1cm dice | |
| 1 green capsicum, cut into 1cm dice | |
| 2 cloves garlic, chopped | |
| ½ teaspoon ground cumin | |
| FOR THE PASTRY | |
| 350g flour | |
| ½ teaspoon salt | |
| ½ teaspoon sweet smoked paprika | |
| 150g chilled butter, cubed | |
| 2 eggs, lightly beaten | |
| ¼ cup chilled water | |
| AVOCADO DRESSING | |
| 2 avocados | |
| ½ bunch coriander, stems and leaves | |
| 2 tablespoons olive oil | |
| zest and juice 1 lemon | |
| pinch of chilli flakes | |
| salt to taste |
These hand-held pies make for a delicious sizeable snack and are perfect for making a day or so ahead. If you make them larger they’ll make for an excellent dinner. Rather than rolling out the dough, I used a tortilla press to make the rounds – if you have one it’s much faster than rolling.
Instructions
| 1. | FOR THE FILLING |
| 2. | Heat the oil in a wide pan, add the chicken and brown. Set aside. |
| 3. | Add the onion and capsicums to the pan, add some salt and cook until softened. Add the garlic, cumin and sweet smoked paprika and fry for a few minutes. |
| 4. | Add the tomato paste and potato and cook for a minute, then add the chicken back to the pan along with the chicken stock. |
| 5. | Cover and cook gently for 15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through, the potatoes are tender and most of the liquid is gone. |
| 6. | Set aside to cool before using. Add the olives to the mix when cold. |
| 7. | FOR THE PASTRY |
| 8. | In a food processor blitz together the flour, salt and smoked paprika. |
| 9. | Add the butter and blitz to a fine crumb. Add the eggs and enough of the water to bring it together. |
| 10. | Tip out onto a clean bench and knead to form a dough. Wrap and set aside for an hour. |
| 11. | Divide the dough into 15 pieces (approx 40g each) and roll each one out on a floured surface to 2-3mm thickness. |
| 12. | Put a large spoonful of filling in each round, fold in half and crimp the edges. Put onto a tray lined with baking paper. If you wish these can be made a day or two ahead and kept in the fridge until required. |
| 13. | Preheat the oven to 180°C. |
| 14. | Prick the tops with a fork to allow steam to escape and bake for 30-35 minutes until golden. |
| 15. | Allow to cool slightly before serving with the avocado dressing. |
| 16. | AVOCADO DRESSING |
| 17. | Put all the ingredients together in a blender, adding enough water to make a smooth sauce. |
Recipes & food styling Ginny Grant / Photography Aaron McLean / Styling Ellen J Hemmings
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