Tag Archives: tarragon

chicken

Pie Maker Chicken Pies with Green Peppercorns and Tarragon

1 Comment

I have made these tasty chicken pies for years now. In fact, I think they were the first pies I made in the pie maker we purchased sometime early last decade. Now that we live on a boat I no longer have the pie maker. I simply do not have the room for that sort of thing. If we get a pie craving while sailing I make the pies with pie tins and cook them in the oven.

However, due to COVID we have been land bound for the best part of 2020 and 2021 and couch surfing with friends and family. Thankfully these couches usually come with a double bed and ensuite. LOL

This week while at my mum’s I noticed a pie maker in the cupboard and suddenly I have a craving for chicken pies with peppercorns and tarragon. So I set about making these super tasty treats.

Ingredients

1.2kg chicken thighs, chopped
150g flat Swiss brown mushrooms, chopped
1 brown onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, finely diced
1 1/2 tablespoon of plain flour
1 cup of chicken stock
3/4 cup of sour cream
2 1/2 tablespoons of green peppercorns
1 tablespoons dried tarragon
6 sheets (25 x 25cm) frozen puff pastry, just thawed

Method

Heat a large frypan and add a little oil. Add the diced onion and fry for a few minutes until soft, and then add the garlic and cook a further two minutes.

Add the chicken and diced mushrooms and sauté for a few minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the chicken and cook for a couple more minutes.

Add the chicken stock, sour cream, peppercorns and tarragon, bring to the boil, reduce temperature and simmer until it thickens and is a good consistency for the pie filling.

Follow pie maker instructions.

Use the pie maker pastry cutter to cut 16 large and 16 small circles from the pastry sheets. Press 4 large dough circles into the pie holes. Spoon mince mixture over dough base until level. Top with the four small dough circles. Turn on the pie maker. Close and cook for 10 minutes or until pastry is golden brown.

Repeat with the remaining pastry and chicken mix.

Like this recipe? Please share or pin using the image below!

From the galley, Soup

Green Pea Soup with Tarragon

Leave a comment

This recipe came about because Dwayne wanted peas with his roast chicken. What…? It is simple really, we don’t have a freezer at the moment but had to buy 500 grams of frozen peas to go with the roast chicken dinner we cooked the night before. Therefore, we had 3.5 cups of defrosted peas to use… hence green pea soup. It is so simple and easy to make and, believe it or not, it is delicious.

We live on a boat… have you see our website about our travels? Check out – www.trippinturpins.com

Ingredient

1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon of oil
3 1/2 cups of frozen green peas, defrosted
2 cups of chicken stock
1 teaspoon of dried tarragon
Cream to serve (optional)

green pea soup tarragon recipe

Method

Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the garlic and onion, sauté for 3 to 5 minutes to soften.

Add the green peas, stock and tarragon and cook for 10 minutes.

Place peas in a food processor and process until smooth.

To Serve

Pour the soup into bowls and add a little cream.

Bon appetite

Like this recipe? Please share and pin using the image below… thank you!

green peas soup tarragon recipe

Cooking Our Catch, Crustacean, Risotto

Spicy Crayfish Risotto

1 Comment

I made this risotto while we were anchored in Darwin Harbour awaiting our visa and paperwork to set sail for Indonesia. The crayfish was caught on our way to Darwin as we cruised the Great Barrier Reef.

SPICY CRAYFISH RISOTTO made with a crayfish caught on the Great Barrier Reef

I have never made a risotto before, so I googled to get some ideas. In the end I combined some of my favourite flavours to make the risotto I had envisioned. Yay!

Ingredients for my crayfish risotto, chorizo, garlic, chilli, mushroom

This is what I did… I melted butter in a large pan and sautéed finely chopped onion and garlic, diced chorizo and sliced chilli until the onion had softened.

SPICY CRAYFISH RISOTTO

Next I added the rice and cooked it for approximately four minutes “toasting it”. This step apparently determines the final texture of the risotto. It heats the outside of the rice quickly thus preventing it from breaking and seals in the starch.

I then added a cup of white wine. On medium heat I cooked it until all the liqud was nearly absorbed. I then began the task of adding 1/4 of a cup of hot fish stock at a time, waiting for each to be absorbed before adding more, all the while stirring. When the rice was nearly done (a taste test will tell you) I added sliced mushroom, heaps of tarragon and the lobster.

SPICY CRAYFISH RISOTTO made with tarragon, chorizo, mushroom, chilli, garlic and crayfish
Spicy Crayfish Risotto

Was so good!