When working in a hotel in the South coast I had to provide meals for the guests going to Glyndebourne
Concerts, well known for their sumptuous picnics on the lawns of the famous House.
The recipe below is a modest (but still interesting) version of the Pique-Nique I prepared for a well known actor I am not at liberty to name!
CHICKEN AND HAM PIE
Ingredients
For The Pastry (also available ready made in
supermarkets)
300g self-raising flour
120g butter
30ml olive oil
100ml (approx.) water
5g salt
For The Filling
300g cooked chicken meat, chopped in into 2cm
cubes
100g cooked ham, similarly chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 stick of celery, finely chopped
4 large mushrooms, finely sliced
3 cloves of crushed garlic, chopped with a little salt
30m olive oil
120ml good stock
1 tbp chopped tarragon and parsley
Some thickening chicken agent (Bisto)
Salt and pepper mill
1 egg, beaten in a little milk
Preparation
For The Filling
1. On a suitable non stick pan, heat the oil and add the onion, celery, and garlic
2. Fry until golden brown then add the mushrooms, chicken, and ham
3. Stir well and add the stock and herbs
4. Bring to the boil, thickening and adjusting the seasoning
5. Simmer for a further 10 minutes and let cool for one hour
For The Pastry
1. On a suitable bowl, place the flour and rub in the butter
2. Add the oil, salt, and the water
3. Mix to make a paste
4. Roll it into a ball, cover and leave to rest for half an hour
5. Take an 18x5cm deep baking tin with a loose bottom and grease well
6. On a clean and floured surface, roll the pastry 5mm thick
7. Line the tin, cutting off the surplus pastry and keeping for later
8. Pour in the cooked filling & moisten the pastry edges with the egg/milk mix
9. Roll the surplus pastry, covering the tin and pressing the edges with the back of a fork
10. Moisten the pastry top with the egg/milk mix and leave to rest for 15 minutes
11. Bake in an hot oven at 160ºC for 40 minutes and let it cool on a rack
12. When cool enough to handle, de-mould and then let it cool down completely
13. Store in the fridge until needed
THE SALAD
Ingredients
1 packet of mixed leaves
1 orange, segmented (removing the thinly cut zest
to use on the dressing)
1 apple, cut into thin slices
1 carrot, grated
8 spring onions, cut to make a small palm
Parsley, roughly cut
Salt and pepper mill
Preparation
1. Place all the ingredients in a largish salad bowl
2. Just before serving, pour the dressing in and
toss the salad well
For The Dressing
Optional quantities of the following:
Olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and the orange zest, mixed together with the addition of a little sugar (optional). Then whisked the ingredients together to form a compact mixture.
The word syllabub comes from the name Sille, an
area in the Champagne region of France that made
the eponymously named wine, and the word bub, an
Elizabethan slang word meaning a bubbling drink,
hence Sille bub – wine mixed with a frothy cream.
‘Everlasting syllabub’ is so called because it keeps
well for several hours before serving.
Ingredients
200ml medium sweet white wine
50ml of brandy
2 small lemons, juiced, finely chopped and zested
100g castor sugar
350ml double cream
Preparation
1. Place the wine, brandy, juice and zest of the lemons in a bowl and leave to rest overnight
2. Drain and dissolve the sugar in the liquid
3. Pour in the cream and whisk until it ribbons
4. Add the zest and mix gently with a metal spoon A.N Shortbread biscuits are an ideal accompaniment with this dish
“Find a nice quiet spot in the country and enjoy the meal with the right company” – Giovanni Fontebasso
A.N: There are other dishes I did not have space to list but would highly recommend such as Insalata di Riso alla Mediterranea – (Mediterranean rice salad), and Torta di carne e verdure – (meat and vegetable cake). If anyone would be interested in the recipes then please contact me through my email:
