Mushroom pie is a delicious, versatile pastry dish that you can have at any time of the day. You can also add some chicken pieces and chopped kale for a complete meal that's not only healthy, but also filling.
With kale and mushrooms, this chicken pie is an excellent health food that has the added benefit of being delicious. Recipe courtesy of BBC Good Food.
Origin of Mushroom Pie
Mushroom pie is a dish that dates back to the late medieval era of Britain. It was originally created by peasants in order to utilize available ingredients that were inexpensive but still had notable cultural significance. The pie was created with a flour crust and filled with meat, usually beef or mutton. Mushrooms were added to the filling towards the end of cooking in order to preserve their flavour and texture while still able to be incorporated into the dish.
Today, mushroom pie is best known as a comfort food and is found throughout Britain and its former colonies: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Zimbabwe, etc. While there are several variations on this dish (e.g., vegetarian mushroom pie), all follow certain key ingredients such as mushrooms, celery, salt and pepper for seasoning along with small quantities of other spices like cloves and mace. All variations on this dish contain a pastry shell which has been pre-baked to ensure that the dish is both flaky and retains its crispness under submersion in a flavourful sauce.
Health Benefits of Kale
Kale is an anti-inflammatory food that can help heal the digestive tract, reduce blood sugar levels, regulate blood pressure and promote heart health. Adding it to your daily diet will improve your immunity as this vegetable is packed with the following benefits:
- High in fibre
- A great source of folate and magnesium
- High in iron
- A great source of vitamin K
- Filled with potent antioxidants
- A great source of vitamin A, vitamin C and calcium
- Contains beta carotene, potassium and phosphorus
Health Benefits of Mushrooms
Mushrooms are low in calories, but rich in nutrients. For instance, 1 cup of white mushrooms contains just 20 calories and 3 grams of fibre, plus 74% of the RDA for vitamin D. All mushrooms contain some amount of carbohydrates (the exception is shiitake), with 4 to 5 grams per 1-cup serving; most of these carbs come from dietary fibre. The other benefits of mushrooms include:
- Can increase your vitamin D levels when exposed to light
- In vitro studies have shown that it can increase the immune system
- Rich in antioxidant
- A great source of vitamin B2 (riboflavin) and vitamin B3 (niacin)
- A good source of selenium, thiamin, riboflavin and pantothenic acid and pyridoxine
Chicken, Kale and Mushroom Pie
Try this recipe for delicious sautéed mushrooms that are lightly seasoned with garlic and thyme. This recipe is still used today by many households all over Britain. There are other dishes that are similar to mushroom pie, but each of them has its own history and recipe.
For more delicious and healthy pie recipes, check out our recipe section.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 3 thyme sprigs, leaves picked
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 350g chicken breasts, cut into small chunks
- 250g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
- 300ml chicken stock
- 100g crème fraîche
- 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
- 100g kale
- 2 tsp cornflour, mixed with 1 tbsp cold water
- 375g pack puff pastry, rolled into a circle slightly bigger than your dish
- 1 egg yolk, to glaze
Instructions
- Heat 1/2 tbsp oil over a gentle heat in a medium pot.
- Add the onion and cook for 5 mins until softening.
- Scatter over the thyme and garlic, and stir for 1 min.
- Turn up the heat and add the chicken, frying until golden but not fully cooked.
- Add the mushrooms and the remaining oil. Heat oven to 200C.
- Add the stock, crème fraîche, mustard and kale, and season well.
- Add the cornflour mixture and stir until thickened a little.
- Remove from the heat and transfer to a flameproof casserole dish. Cover with the puff pastry lid, pressing into the sides of the casserole dish. Slice a cross in the centre and glaze with the egg.
- Bake for 30 mins until the pastry is puffed up and golden.
- Serve hot and enjoy.
