Mid-winter turkey pie

Tam West

When you want to celebrate mid-winter Christmas, forget the roast dinner and serve up traditional turkey in a special pie instead.

Turkey confit

2 kgs	Turkey pieces, a mix of drumsticks, thighs and wings (Main)
1 small	Eggplant, chopped (Main)
1	Garlic bulb, cloves bashed and peeled
1 Tbsp	Black peppercorns
1 tsp	Sea salt flakes
1 large handful	Fresh oregano
1 large handful	Fresh thyme
7	Bay leaves
1	Lemon, or grapefruit, zest and juice
1 cup	White wine, choose a good one, or use chicken stock
2 cups	Duck fat, melted, use up to 3 cups, enough to cover meat (Main)

Shortcut pastry

270 g	High grade flour (Main)
1 tsp	Baking powder
1 tsp	Salt
1	Lemon, zest only
1 tsp	Chopped fresh herbs, choose thyme and oregano
1 tsp	Ground pepper
125 g	Unsalted butter, diced
1	Egg, whisked to wash pastry
1 sprinkle	Sea salt flakes
1 sprinkle	Sesame seeds, or use poppy seeds

Turkey and mushroom filling

¼ cup	Duck fat
1	Large onion, finely chopped
2 stalks	Celery, finely chopped
1	Capsicum, yellow or red, use up to 2, finely chopped
7	Mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 small handful	Chopped fresh herbs, a mix of oregano and thyme (Main)
¼ cup	Flour
1	Eggplant, reserved from the confit
1	Garlic bulb, cloves reserved from the confit
2 cups	Stock, approximately, hot, reserved from the confit (Main)
1	Lemon, zest and juice
1 serving	Turkey meat, reserved from the confit (Main)
1 splash	Cream, a generous pour
1 large handful	Parsley, or coriander, chopped

Directions

Turkey confit

1. Preheat oven to 150C. In a large roasting dish place turkey drumsticks, thighs and wings. Add eggplant, bashed and peeled garlic, peppercorns, sea salt flakes, a large handful each of fresh oregano and thyme, bay leaves, the zest and juice of 1 lemon or grapefruit and the white wine (or chicken stock). Add enough melted duck fat to just cover the meat. Top with a folded sheet of baking paper, cover tightly with sheets of foil and bake for 3-4 hours, or until meat is falling from the bone.
2. Remove the turkey, eggplant and garlic to a bowl to cool, then shred the meat from the bones.
3. Carefully strain the liquor into another bowl, discard the solids. Cool the liquor to separate and set the fat from the stock, then remove fat to clean containers (you can use it again) and reserve the stock.

Shortcrust pastry

1. Into a large mixing bowl sift the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix through lemon zest, 1-2 tsp finely chopped thyme and oregano and coarsely ground pepper. Add diced butter and rub into the flour until sandy.
2. Make a well in the centre and add enough cold water, a little at a time, so it binds the mix into a rough pastry ball. Form, and flatten the dough out between 2 baking paper sheets. Refrigerate and chill for an hour.

Turkey and mushroom filling

1. Heat ¼ cup of the reserved duck fat. Add the finely chopped onion, celery and capsicums to the fat and fry gently until soft. Add mushrooms and the small handful of finely chopped oregano and thyme and fry until soft.
2. Add ¼ cup flour, and stir, cooking the flour into the mixture for 5 minutes. Add the reserved eggplant and garlic and stir, mashing and cooking into the mix. Gradually add enough hot stock (approx 2 cups), stirring, to cook into a thick gravy. Add the zest and juice of 1 lemon and season.
3. Add the turkey meat and simmer into the gravy to heat through. Stir in a good pour of cream, add a large handful of chopped fresh parsley or coriander, then cool the mixture to set a little.

The pie

1. Preheat oven to 200C. On a floured surface, gently roll out the pastry into a large circular shape that will fill and overlap a 24cm wide x 7cm deep cake tin.
2. Line the tin with baking paper and lay the pastry in the tin. Add the pie filling, folding the overlapped pastry back on top of the pie, and egg wash liberally. Sprinkle with sea salt flakes, sesame or poppy seeds, and bake for 15 minutes. Turn down to 180C and continue to cook 1 hour or more until the pastry is golden and the filling bubbling.
3. Rest a little before slicing. Serve warm or cold, with chutney, cornichons or pickles.