Chicken Samosa Pie and some really nice kitchen kit!

I don't know about you, but I am right in love with the Joseph Joseph line of cooking and baking utensil products. They are always such fun and in such brilliant colours! I could spend hours looking at all of the line which is available at our local Garden centre, and often do to Todd's chagrin, but then . . . I don't complain when he spends hours looking at man stuff . . . ok . . . so maybe I do a little bit . . .

I have a huge wish list of wants from Joseph Joseph so when I was recently contacted and asked would I like to try out their new 4 piece baking set, I jumped at the chance! It was like all of my Christmas's Birthdays, Anniversaries had come at once! Lucky moi!

This brightly coloured set comprises four highly practical baking items from Joseph Joseph’s award-winning kitchen utensil range. Finished in a striking pink and aubergine colourway, the set comes presented in a stylish gift box.

Included in the set are a very uniquely elevated pastry brush and spatula, which have weighted handles and really cool integrated tool rests, which help to keep the mess up off the table.

There is also an unusually shaped one hour baking timer, in bright pink, which I found really easy to use.

The thing I loved the most though, is this fabulous rolling pin. Made of beech it is adjustable, with three sets of removable discs which allow you to roll out your pastries, biscuits and other doughs to three different heights, with the measurements showing in both inches and millimeters!

This allows you to roll things out to an exactness which removes any guesswork! I found the discs really easy to change as they are quite simply held in place with a kind of screw thingie. As easy to use as nuts and bolts!

Of course I could not wait to put it all to good use.

I just adore Samosas. When my oldest son was at Uni, I often would stop at the local market on a Saturday morning and pick up some samosas for us to share. He loves them too. I would ring the doorbell to his flat and when he answered the intercom, I would reply . . . "Speedy Samosa Delivery!" He never failed to let me in. Samosas are Indian snack food/appetisers . . . kind of like little curry turnovers. You can get veggie ones, or lamb ones. (My friend Joy makes fabulous lamb ones!) Most usually they are fried. Beautifully spiced and flavoured.

It isn't much of a stretch really to incorporate those flavours into a tasty pie. I had some leftover roasted chicken that needed using up and I thought a chicken pie would be nice . . . and then I thought, why not a Samosa pie. Win/win!

The crust is just lightly spiced with a bit of cumin and uses butter, so it's rich and beautifully coloured. Sturdy enough to stand up to the hearty filling, and yet flake, flake, flaky!

The filling contains the most usual samosa fillings . . . tender pieces of potato and onion, garlic, some cooked carrot, baby peas . . . cooked chicken . . .

Beautifully flavoured with a tasty mix of aromatics and spice . . . coriander, ginger, fennel, cumin, mustard, fenugreek, tumeric (for colour) and cayenne for some heat, this tasty pie pleases on many levels, both sight, smell and taste . . . and with picnic season having arrived it would make a great pie to take on a picnic. I served it simply . . . with some salad and mango chutney on the side. Deeeeeeeee-licious!

*Chicken Samosa Pie*

Serves 8

Your favourite Indian snack in a dinner pie! Couldn't be easier or tastier!

• 2 large potatoes, peeled and diced (2 large)
• 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
• 1 TBS vegetable oil
• 2 cups of chopped cooked chicken
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp brown or black mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp ground tumeric
• 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
• 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 TBS grated fresh ginger root
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 TBS chopped fresh coriander leaves
• 2 TBS fresh lemon juice
• For the pastry:
• 250g of plain flour (2 1/2 cups)
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 150g cold butter, cubed (2/3 cup)
• 160ml of milk (2/3 cup)
• 1 egg beaten, to glaze the pie with
• First
• make the pastry. Sift the flour into a bowl. Whisk in the salt and
• cumin seed. Drop in the butter. Rub it in with a pastry blender or
• your finger tips until it resembles fine bread crumbs. Add the milk
• and stir with a fork to form a dough. Divide in two and shape each into
• a round flat disc. Wrap in plastic cling film and chill while you are
• making the filling.
• Place the potato and carrot into a
• pot of lightly salted water. Bring to the boil and cook until tender,
• about 10 minutes. Drain and place in a large bowl. Heat the oil over
• medium heat. Add the chopped onion. Saute to soften. Add the seeds
• and stir fry until very fragrant. Tip in the salt, cayenne pepper,
• garlic and ginger root. Cook and stir for about a minute. Add the
• cooked chicken, frozen peas, coriander leaf, and lemon juice. Taste
• and adjust seasoning as desired. Allow to cool completely.
• Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.
• Roll
• out one disc of the pastry to a 1/8 inch thickness round, large enough
• to line a 9 inch pie dish, with some overhang. Spoon the cooled chicken
• filling into the crust. Roll out the other disc of pastry to 1/8 inch
• thickness, making it large enough to cover the filling with some
• overhang. Brush some beaten egg on the edges of the bottom overhang
• and top with the other round of pastry to cover. Press the edges

closed. Trim off with a sharp knife and flute the edge decoratively.

Brush the top of the pie all over with some beaten egg. Cut some vents

in for steam. Bake on the bottom rack of the preheated oven for 50 to

60 minutes, until golden brown and tasty!

Cut into wedges to serve. Mango chutney is a good go-with!

I am going to be really honest here. I don't remember who sent me this set. It arrived while I was away and the Toddster didn't keep any of the paperwork for me. (Men!) So whoever you were, thanks so much. I really, really love this set!

Joseph Joseph products are available at all good home, kitchen and gift shops here in the UK, as well as through their online shop at Joseph Joseph.com.

This delightful four piece baking set retails for £40 on their site, but I have seen it elsewhere for as little as £32. I just love it and I know that you would too!