This is one of my favourite things to do with cooked turkey, and so it is my first choice of using up a mix of light and dark meat. Enrobed with a rich creamy sauce of leeks, mushrooms and bacon, enlivened with Armagnac and encased in a buttery flaky pastry. Yummy. Originated from Delia Smith’s classic book Christmas

The recipe makes enough to feed 6, but I chose to only put enough for 4 in this pie, and have enough filling and pastry remaining to make 2 smaller turnovers, which I will freeze for another time.

First make the pastry:

• 225g wholemeal plain flour (semi-complet T80)
• 175g unsalted butter
• pinch sea salt
• water

Since I had tendonitis earlier this year, using my fingers to rub butter into flour is not a comfortable thing to do, so I just chop the butter into cubes and add to the flour, then let the K-Mix do the work, which is ideal as you really want to handle it as little as possible, and keep the ingredients cold. Add enough cold water to just bring the dough together, then wrap in cling film and put in the fridge while you make the filling.

Next make the sauce. If I had a lot of gammon, I would use that, but this year we had a tiny joint and there wasn’t much left, so I opted for some lean lardons instead. If you use lardons or bacon, start with them, otherwise add cooked gammon or ham once the onion and leek is softened. You can use all onion, or all leek, but I had half an onion left and one leek. I always buy mushrooms on my last shop before Christmas, but you could soak dried ones, or use them from the freezer if you don’t have any fresh. I haven’t yet made turkey stock, but I always make a huge quantity of gravy to go with our turkey, and this is a great way to use it up. I like to keep the ingredients simple, to appreciate the flavour of the turkey, but of course you could use other veg like celery, or add leftover cooked peas, carrots or parsnips to the cooked sauce.

• 150g bacon lardons (or chopped cooked gammon or ham)
• 15g butter
• 1 tsp olive oil
• ½ onion, chopped
• 1 leek, trimmed, halved lengthwise and then sliced
• 125g mushrooms, quartered or cut into chunks
• heaped tbsp plain flour
• 300ml leftover gravy or turkey stock
• 100ml cream, of any sort
• 2 tbsp Armagnac or brandy
• sea salt and black pepper
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley
• 300g cooked turkey meat, a mix of dark and light, roughly chopped

In a large frying pan, sauté the lardons over medium heat until just starting to turn brown around the edges. Add the onion and leeks, and cook gently until soften, stirring often. Then add the mushrooms and cook for another couple of minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and mix well to gather up all the lovely flavours in the pan. Slowly add the gravy or stock, stirring well after each addition to keep it smooth and free from lumps. Then add the cream and armagnac, and turn off the heat. Check the seasoning, add the chopped parsley and then leave to cool while you roll out the pastry. Preheat the oven to 200c (fan).

Roll out the dough large enough to make a 30cm square, but not too thick, about 3mm. There should be plenty of pastry left over. Cut the pastry and lay it onto a lined baking sheet. Heap the filling in the centre, into a diamond shape, allowing for the fact that the corners are going to be brought together to make a parcel. Brush all round the edges with beaten egg, then bring the corners up and crimp together. Brush all over with beaten egg, and add decorative trimmings if you like, brushing them with egg also. Remaining filling and pastry can be wrapped in cling film and stored in the fridge for a day or so. You could use ready-made puff (feuilleté) pastry instead, in which case, if it is in a circle, make a pasty shape instead.

Bake in the oven at 200c for about 25 minutes, until beautifully golden.

Serves 4. I served it with air-fryed roasted potatoes and sprouts, cranberry sauce and a crisp mixed red and green salad.

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Turkey, Leek and Mushroom Pie

This is one of my favourite things to do with cooked turkey, and so it is my first choice of using up a mix of light and dark meat. Enrobed with a rich creamy sauce of leeks, mushrooms and bacon, enlivened with Armagnac and encased in a buttery flaky pastry. Yummy. Originated from Delia Smith’s Christmas

Course Main Course

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Calories 546kcal

Ingredients

for the pastry

• 225 g wholemeal plain flour (semi complet T80)
• 175 g unsalted butter well chilled
• 1 pinch salt
• water as needed
• 1 egg beaten (for sealing and glazing)

for the sauce

• 100 g lardons or lean bacon, or cooked gammon or ham
• 1/2 onion chopped
• 1 leek trimmed, halved lengthwise and chopped
• 125 g mushrooms quarted or cut in chunks
• 1 tbsp plain flour heaped
• 300 ml gravy or turkey stock
• 100 ml cream any sort
• 2 tbsp armagnac or brandy
• sea salt
• black pepper
• 1 tbsp parsley finely chopped
• 300 g cooked turkey light and dark, roughly chopped

Instructions

to make the pastry

• Add salt to the flour.
• Chop the butter into cubes and add to the flour if using a mixer, or grate the butter into the flour if doing it by hand.
• When the butter is well mixed in to the flour, add enough water to just bring the dough together.
• Wrap in cling film and put in the fridge.

to make the filling

• In a large frying pan, sauté the lardons over medium heat until just starting to turn brown around the edges.
• Add the butter and olive oil, then the onion and leeks, and cook gently until softened, stirring often.
• Then add the mushrooms and cook for another couple of minutes.
• Sprinkle in the flour and mix well to gather up all the lovely flavours in the pan.
• Slowly add the gravy or stock, stirring well after each addition to keep it smooth and free from lumps, until you have a nice thick sauce.
• Then add the cream and armagnac, and turn off the heat.
• Check the seasoning, add the chopped parsley and then leave to cool while you roll out the pastry.
• Preheat the oven to 200c (fan).

To make the pie

• Roll out the dough large enough to make a 30cm square, but not too thick, about 3mm (there should be plenty of pastry left over).
• Cut the pastry into a 30cm square and lay it onto a lined baking sheet.
• Heap the filling in the centre, into a diamond shape, allowing for the fact that the corners are going to be brought together to make a parcel ( you may not want to use all the filling, I only used 2/3).
• Brush all round the edges with beaten egg, then bring the corners up and crimp together.
• Brush all over with beaten egg, and add decorative trimmings if you like, brushing them with egg also.
• Bake in the oven at 200c for about 25 minutes, until beautifully golden.

Notes

Remaining filling and pastry can be wrapped in cling film and stored in the fridge for a day or so. I will make two individual patties with them.

Serve with a crisp side salad, and maybe some sautéed potatoes and sprouts with a dollop of mayonnaise. Use up any remaining cranberry sauce too.

If I had a lot of gammon, I would use that, but this year we had a tiny joint and there wasn’t much left, so I opted for some lean lardons instead. If you use lardons or bacon, start with them, otherwise add cooked gammon or ham once the onion and leek is softened. You can use all onion, or all leek, but I had half an onion left and one leek. I always buy mushrooms on my last shop before Christmas, but you could soak dried ones, or use them from the freezer if you don’t have any fresh. I haven’t yet made turkey stock, but I always make a huge quantity of gravy to go with our turkey, and this is a great way to use it upI like to keep the ingredients simple, to appreciate the flavour of the turkey, but of course you could use other veg like celery, or add leftover cooked peas, carrots or parsnips to the cooked sauce.