The Spanish Chicken Pie
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100g prepared suet
200g self-raising flour
4 tbsp white wine
8 chicken thighs on the bone
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
knob of butter
2 small red onions, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 red capsicums, cored, deseeded and sliced
1 fennel bulb, sliced
8 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
good pinch of saffron
2 tsp paprika
1 large glass red wine, about 300ml
1 × 400g can plum tomatoes
1 egg, beaten, for egg wash
1. Make the pastry by mixing the suet or margarine, flour, white wine and salt together in a large bowl until a soft dough forms.
2. Add a little more flour if the dough is sticky, or wine if it is too dry. Knead the dough for a couple of minutes until it becomes smooth and a little elastic.
3. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to chill in the refrigerator.
4. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the chicken pieces until they are slightly brown.
5. Remove from the saucepan and set aside. Add the butter to the saucepan and stir in the onion, celery, capsicum and fennel. Leave them to stew gently for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally and checking that they do not burn or stick to the pan.
6. Mix in the garlic, saffron and paprika. After 2 minutes, pour in the red wine and tomatoes. Season with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper.
7. Return the chicken to the saucepan and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring from time to time to make sure it does not stick. Allow the mixture to cool, then take the chicken pieces out of the sauce.
8. Pull the chicken meat from the bones with your fingers, discarding the skin and bones. Cut the meat into bite-sized pieces and stir it back into the sauce.
9. Season the mixture to taste. Pour it into a pie dish and set aside to cool slightly.
10. Roll out the pastry so that it will cover the pie dish. Brush the rim of the dish with a little beaten egg and place the pastry over the pie. Trim the edges, putting aside any trimmings, and brush the top of the pastry with a little egg.
11. Press the edges down using the tines of a fork.
12. Cut pastry shapes from the extra pastry and decorate the top of the pie. Cut a hole in the top to let steam escape and brush all over with the rest of the egg.
13. Bake in a preheated 220°C oven for 40 minutes. Check after 15 minutes. If the pastry is turning golden, cover with aluminium foil and continue baking.