Home comforts

By Jan Cheshire

On cold wintry nights, we need comfort foods to keep us warm.

​With plenty of leeks in our garden, this very delicious casserole was very easy to cook and even easier to eat.

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Chicken, leek & mushroom casserole (serves 4+)
 
Ingredients
8 chicken thigh pieces
2 leeks pale section only cut into 2cm slices
250 grams of bacon rashers chopped
400 grams of button mushrooms halved
2 garlic cloves crushed
2 tablespoons of plain flour
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 cup of chicken stock
1 cup of white wine  (optional)
6 sprigs of thyme
125ml cream (optional)
 
Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
2. Heat a frying pan over a medium heat, pour in the olive oil, add half the chicken and cook for 3-4 minutes until golden brown.  Transfer to a plate and repeat with the second batch of chicken.  Use a paper towel to remove excess fat.
3. Heat the oil over medium heat and add the bacon, leek, mushrooms and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. 
4. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring until well mixed.
5. Add the stock, wine if using, and thyme and bring to the boil.
6. Put everything in an ovenproof casserole dish casserole, cover and bake in the oven for 1 hour.
7. Add the cream, stir well and cook for another 5-10 minutes.

 
This dish screams for some mashed potatoes.  The French way is to peel your potatoes, cook for 10-15 minutes until soft, season then warm a small jug of milk & a knob of butter in the microwave.  Pour over the potatoes and mash well.
 
Enjoy!