Recipe: Hoender Pastei (Boer Chicken Pie)

the appetizer:

South African cuisine has changed from indigenous dependence on wild game, cattle and gathering of foods from the wild, to farming, and cooking styles brought by colonists from Netherlands, Germany France and Britain, as well as immigrants from India. Traditional "Cape Dutch" cookery mixes European cooking with spices like nutmeg, allspice and hot peppers, brought to South Africa from India and Southeast Asia.

South Africa

Hoender Pastei (Boer Chicken Pie)

One 5-6 pound chicken (hen)
1/2 teaspoon mixed pickling spices
1 tablespoon salt
2 medium onions, peeled, halved
4 carrots, peeled, halved
2 ounces butter
6 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup white wine
Salt, pepper
2 egg yolks
4 tablespoons lemon juice
3 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
4 ounces Danish ham, sliced thinly
Pie crust dough
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water

In a stewpot, place the chicken, spices, salt, onions, and carrots, and cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 1-1/2 hours. Strain the broth and reserve. Cut the chicken up into bite-sized pieces. Slice the carrots and reserve.

In a saucepan, heat the butter over moderate heat. Add flour and stir well, forming a roux. Cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly, then add 3 cups of the reserved chicken broth, the wine, salt and pepper. Stir until thickened slightly. In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks and lemon juice together until frothy, then add to the sauce. Beat well, and continue cooking until sauce thickens more. Remove from the heat.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. In a 4 quart deep-dish baking pan, place the chicken uniformly on the bottom. Arrange the hard-boiled egg slices on top of the chicken, and then top with the ham slices. Spread the reserved carrot slices, then cover with the sauce.

Roll out the pie crust, and lay it over the baking dish. Press along the edge firmly and trim excess. Score in several places to allow steam to escape. Brush dough with egg.

Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 375 degrees F and bake 30 minutes longer. Crust should be golden brown.