Turkey & cranberry pie - wheat free recipe
This wheat free recipe for turkey & cranberry pie is a perfect use of all that leftover turkey from festive lunch. Serve this up and there won't be any groans of "not more turkey", they'll be asking for second helpings.
The tartness of the cranberries perfectly compliments the creamy sauce and turkey filling, we think that this is one of those recipes that you'll want to make anytime.
Adding xanthan gum to the pastry mix helps to bind it a little better, and therefore helps to slightly reduce the fragile nature of the wheat-free pastry.
dietary information: | |
| wheat free |
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| gluten free |
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| nut free |
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| dairy free |
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| vegetarian |
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| vegan |
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serves 2-4
pastry:
| 200 | g | gluten free flour |
| (alternative pastry mix: 100g brown rice flour, 100g gluten free flour) | ||
| 100 | g | butter or margarine |
| 1 | tsp | xanthan gum |
| water to mix | ||
| milk or egg to glaze the pastry |
filling:
| cold cooked turkey leftovers, chopped into chunks |
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| 1 | onion, chopped | |
| 1 | tbsp | oil |
| 6-10 | mushrooms, quartered | |
| 1 | carrot, chopped | |
| 1 | tbsp | cornflour |
| 250 | ml | milk, whole or semi-skimmed |
| 1 | tsp | thyme, dried |
| 100 | g | cranberries, fresh or defrosted |
| freshly ground black pepper |
Preheat oven: 200°C, fan 180°C, 400°F, Gas 6
| 1. | Put the oil in a saucepan with the chopped onion and gently fry the onion until softened and slightly coloured. Do not allow to burn. |
| 2. | Mix the cornflour with the milk then add it to the onion, continue to heat stirring continuously until the sauce begins to thicken. |
| 3. | Add the chopped mushrooms, carrot, thyme and freshly ground black pepper and continue stirring until the sauce does not thicken any further. If it gets too thick then it can be weaked slightly with a small amount of milk, but it's better to have it a bit thicker than too thin and watery. |
| 4. | Add the chopped turkey (use whatever quantity you think is required to feed the number of people it's being cooked for), and mix everything together well so that the turkey is thoroughly coated in the sauce. Add the cranberries, stirring them gently into the mix, making sure that they stay whole if possible. Pour into an oven proof dish. We used a fairly deep dish (approx. 20cm [8"] diameter). |
| 5. | Mix the flour, fat and xanthan gum until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add water until it binds into pastry. If you use a shallower but wider dish you may need to make additional pastry. |
| 6. | Roll out the pastry on a surface that has been sprinkled generously with wheat free or gluten free flour.
Roll the pastry until it is approximately the size of the pie dish top. To transfer the pastry to the pie dish the best way
is to carefully roll it around the rolling pin, then lift it over the dish and gently unroll it so that it drops over the filling.
The pastry may break as it will be quite fragile, however it is easy to patch up. We find that making a few pastry leaves and sticking them over the broken bits adds a nice look, and disguises the breaks. If possible you need to avoid leaving large open breaks in the pastry as the pastry will collapse and the filling sauce will bubble out of the top and soften the pastry. |
| 7. | Brush the pastry with either milk or beaten egg, then poke 3 or 4 small holes through the pastry, in the centre of the pie, to allow the steam to escape during cooking. |
| 8. | Place the pie in the oven for 30-40 minutes, depending on what size dish has been used. The filling should be bubbling hot when it is removed from the oven at the end of the cooking time. If not, leave it in the oven for a bit longer. |
| 9. | Serve the turkey & cranberry pie immediately with mashed or roast potatoes (or both), steamed vegetables, roast parsnips, gravy and cranberry sauce. |
| 10. | This recipe can of course be made with fresh, uncooked chicken or turkey. Just lightly fry the poultry, avoiding browning it. Then use as you would the cooked turkey. You will need to make sure that you don't leave the pie uncooked for any period of time, it should be oven cooked immediately to avoid any growth of harmful food poisoning bacteria from undercooked poultry. |
Warning:
If you are using cold, cooked turkey to make this recipe you must ensure that the turkey filling in the pie is heated
thoroughly as poorly reheated turkey can cause food poisoning/stomach upsets.
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