Today’s recipe comes to you from my new best friend, cookery writer Denise Phillips (author of The Jewish Mama’s Kitchen (Spruce, £9.99) – see also jewishcookery.com. Lots of her recipes are cheap (and all are delicious), and they will serve you well if you are economising. She also runs cookery classes – one of them is called “Credit Crunch Dinner Parties” – how to impress for less when you’re having guests round. The lessons are run from her base in Northwood, north-west London. There’s also “Date on a Plate – cookery classes for singles” when 6 men and 6 women cook, and afterwards enjoy their creations, accompanied by fine wines. Hey, I’m booking my place now.

Recipe: Chicken Kedgeree Parcel by Denise Phillips

Finding a midweek dinner that all the family will enjoy can be a challenge. With regular requests for ‘chicken tonight’, this is a tasty puff pastry pie filled with rice, mushrooms, onions and parsley and of course chunky pieces of chicken.

I like to serve it with a selection of green vegetables like broccoli, curly kale and green beans.

Make it either in individual parcels, but it is quicker made into one large pie. I have sprinkled some sesame seeds on top, but cumin seeds; ground coriander or a dusting of paprika can be substituted if preferred.

For a vegetarian twist, you can substitute the chicken for roughly cooked cubes of pumpkin, butternut squash or aubergine.

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 40 minutes

Makes: 1 large pie (serving 10 people) or make 2 and  freeze one for another time!

Ingredients

• 3 boneless chicken breasts – cubed
• 150ml white wine or water
• 1 chicken stock cube
• 250g long grain rice
• 2 onions – peeled and finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil – for frying
• 250g Chestnut mushrooms
• Bunch of fresh parsley – roughly chopped
• 2 x 375g pack of fresh puff pastry – ready rolled
• 2 egg yolks beaten – for glazing
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds – optional
• 2 garlic cloves – peeled and finely chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Garnish: Sprigs of Parsley

Method

1) Cook the rice in 500ml of chicken stock. Drain and set aside.

2) Place the chicken in a medium sized saucepan. Cover with wine or water. Bring to the boil and poach for 15 minutes or until just cooked.

3) Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the onions, garlic and mushrooms and cook until soft. Take off the heat and add the rice, cooked chicken and parsley. Season well and stir together.

4) Pre-heat the oven to 200 C/ 400 F/ Gas mark 6.

5) Line a large baking tray with non-stick baking parchment paper. Place one of the pastry sheets along the baking tray. ( If you do not have ready rolled pastry, roll it out to measure 30 cm x 35 cm)

6) Spoon the chicken and rice mixture onto the base layer of pastry leaving a border around the edge. Brush the edges with a little water.

7) Place the second sheet of pastry on top. Using a fork fuse the pastry edges together.

Glaze with egg yolk and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

9) Cook for 40 – 45 minutes or until golden brown.

To serve the stylish way: Dust the plate with black pepper and garnish with sprigs of parsley.

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Click to buy Denise Phillips’ book ‘The Jewish Mama’s Kitchen’ from Amazon.

Sarah Lockett’s new book “The Dish” (described by MSN as ‘witty, intelligent and well thought out – excellent’) is out now (£9.95, Troubador).