Autumnal Chicken and Apple Clanger
This is a throwback blog piece from our Remy’s Rainbows website which we are in the process of phasing out. Instead, Remy’s artwork will have a place here as it’s our family’s journey back to basics, not just my own. At one point I posted this recipe in that blog and figured I would reprint it here as it’s a fabulous recipe. It showed me however how quickly things change as now I would have to make the recipe with turkey instead of the chicken mentioned 2.5 years ago.
I have done some edits on the original blog simply because of my personal growth, and education, as well as some much-needed grammar edits which are in italics. The slide show is progress photos in creating the clanger. My photo and presentation skills were sorely lacking! Also, take note of the last paragraph. Things really have changed!
Original post…….
We, as a family, love watching the “Great British Bake Off.” Rob and I love learning about new recipes and talk about which ones we would love to make. We recently binge-watched the most recent available season here in the US, Series 8, which is the first series with the new cast. While we miss Mary Berry, Sue Perkins, and Mel Giedroyc, we do like the new folks, albeit for different reasons. The new cast is comprised of:(Baker)- Paul Hollywood, (Food Connoisseur), Pru Leith and (Hosts); Sandi Toksvig, and Noel Fielding. In addition to the new team, the move to a different channel in the UK has brought some segment variations as well different baking fare, all of which, to us, is positive. During our binge, the “Forgotten Recipes” episode really stood out and we particularly liked the bake called “Clangers”.
What is a Clanger you ask? Simply, it’s a hand pie with a savory filling on one side, taking up 2/3rd’s of the pie, and a sweet, dessert taking up the last 1/3rd. It’s an all-in-one meal that “back in the day” farmers could take a clanger for lunch and have a full meal while out tending the fields all day. The original was made with a tough suet crust (which was made like a suet pudding and not baked but boiled), which from my reading, usually wasn’t eaten, but rather acted as a barrier between the filling and the farmer’s dirty hands. The original was the “Bedfordshire Clanger” and it was made with leftover gammon and potatoes from Sunday Dinner and a jam filling for the sweet side. They also would put a dam between the savory and sweet sides so the two didn’t mix and would mark the top with different symbols so the eater could tell the difference.
Modern-day clangers are made with a variety of fillings and this recipe is no different. While I sometimes look at other cooks or bakers’ recipes for inspiration, I rarely copy them and today is no exception. I have chosen to use a hot water crust pastry for my clangers and fill it with flavor combinations that my family enjoys. I don’t put anything to separate the savory from the sweet fillings as the two pair nicely together. If you choose to put another type of sweet filling (you can use any pie filling) and want to separate them, just place a strip of pastry between them making a divider.
You’re probably wondering, what does this have to do with Remy, because for those that have read my posts on Facebook, you can assume, correctly, that he is not going to be enjoying this yummy fare. Well, one of the things I like about hand pies in general, is that it can be a great sensory experience for a child to help prepare. Other than it tasting very good, a hot water crust pastry is easily able to be kneaded by little hands as opposed to other pastry doughs that are a bit more finicky to work with.
It took me a little while to embrace the advice of letting Remy play with food, so he can explore textures and make what we call “Food Friends”. I still cringe inside and both Rob and I are at the ready with a washcloth to clean sticky hands, but I digress. Making, as well as eating for that matter, any type of meat pie can be a great sensory experience with all the different food textures involved. Depending on their age and your comfort level, they also can help to cut the various ingredients up into small pieces. The knife going through the squash is very different than the potato and also, you have to remember that they don’t have to actually touch the food in order to have a new sensory experience. Lastly, covering the ingredients in a yummy pastry shell can be the perfect vehicle for some children to eat when they may not try it on its own. I’m going to interject here to make sure to say two things. First, please don’t force your child to touch things that make them uncomfortable. There is a reason for their avoidance, even if you don’t understand it. Secondly, I am not suggesting hiding food from your child to trick them. They shouldn’t be told they are getting one thing and getting another. Kids know and you will just be creating a situation of mistrust.
I want to mention that this isn’t a meal you make at the last minute. It definitely needs some planning and ample time, but it is well worth the commitment. When I made these, I quadrupled the filling recipe and froze it, so I could make last-minute meals in the future. Actually, the very next day, I realized that I needed something for our monthly potluck at church. I was able to grab one of the gallon-sized bags I had put into the freezer, whip up the pastry (really; it’s that easy), and set myself up to assemble them, while Remy and Rob were doing a puzzle. Remy would occasionally come up to help roll out the dough too. Now, you may think assembling a meal in the family room is strange, but positioning myself in Remy’s space creates opportunities for him to explore food.
Now, I am not a recipe blogger, nor have the current fortitude to learn about proper recipe templates and format (ok I am still learning but I hope you’ll agree that it’s better than it was if you saw the original post!). I have enough on my plate learning how to build this site. (Actually, building Remy’s site was beneficial for many reasons but it gave me a starting point for this one) I am simply sharing a delicious recipe, and probably will in the future, as cooking is a big part of our life, so please just go old school and copy and paste away if you choose to use it! (Ok, no copy and pasting needed as you can simply hit “print” and get the recipe card below)
Whether you use this recipe or not, give meat pies or “hand pies” a try! Your belly will thank you.
Recipe Card
Note: I highly suggest having a digital scale in your kitchen. It takes the guesswork out and makes baking recipes a lot more successful. All of my recipes are written in metric weights. If you do not have a scale and need to convert a recipe or ingredient to volume, you can use the buttons to the right and copy /paste the recipe into the handy recipe conversion tool or the single ingredient conversion.
Autumnal Chicken and Apple Clanger
Ingredients
Method
- Rinse the dry quinoa until the water runs clear.
- Then cook the quinoa by bringing the chicken stock and 1/2 tsp of salt to a boil in a saucepan. Add quinoa and reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until all the stock is absorbed.
- Peel both butternut squash, potatoes, and onion and cut into medium dice.
- Combine the balsamic vinegar and brown sugar in a saucepan. Heat on medium and stir until the sugar is dissolved and bring to a rapid simmer. Simmer for 2 minutes and then remove from heat and set aside to cool.
- Combine the Cumin, Paprika, Garlic, Onion powder, parsley, 1 tsp of salt and pepper, and set aside.
- Cut chicken into a large dice. Toss with 1/3rd of the spice mixture.
- Crush the frozen fresh spinach into small pieces.
- Combine the chicken, squash, potatoes, onions, cooked quinoa, spinach. Take the next third of the spice mixture and sprinkle over Chicken mixture and toss to thoroughly combine and then repeat with the last third of spices.
- Cover and set aside or put in the fridge if you wish.
- Combine the flour, salt, and spices in a heatproof large bowl and set it aside.
- Combine the butter, shortening, and water and melt it in a saucepan at medium heat.
- Make a well in the center of the flour and pour the liquid into the well. Stir to incorporate all the flour. It will look a bit of a mess. Tip it onto the counter and gently kneed it until a soft dough is formed and is smooth.
- Pat into a disk shape and wrap it in cling film and put in the fridge for 20 minutes. Do not keep it in the fridge for longer than 30 minutes!
- While the pastry is chilling, peel and chop the apples into medium dice. (I place into cold water with lemon or lime juice so the apples don’t brown but that’s optional)
- Combine brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil to thicken slightly.
- Add the apples, stirring to combine. Set aside to cool.
- Preheat over to 400°F
- Take the dough and divide it into 6 equal portions.
- Roll out each portion into roughly a 12“ by 9” rectangle
- Divide the chicken filling into 6 portions and set aside.
- Divide the apple filling into 6 portions and set aside.
- Place 1 portion of the chicken filling on the front part of the rolled-out dough, 1 inch from the sides. Spread the mixture into a 3’ by 7’ rectangle.
- Place 1 portion of the apple pie filling next to the savory and spread it into 3” x 3” square approximately, leaving a 1” margin on sides and end.
- Take the back half of the dough and fold it over the mixture lining it up with the front edge. Press the dough all around the 1” edge and then fold the dough margin in half, making a 1/2” margin around the filling.
- Use a fork and press the tines around the margin to make a seal.
- Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and make 3 diagonal slashes across the pastry over the filling to allow for steam to escape.
- Brush the tops of the pastry with the prepared egg wash.
- Bake for 50 minutes to an hour. The crust should be a nice deep golden brown.*
* Notes (if you see an * please check here):
- Chicken or Turkey can be used for this recipe.
- I use fresh spinach that I freeze as it makes it easy to crush into smaller pieces but you can chop up fresh or use prepackaged frozen spinach.
- Because this used raw poultry mixed with vegetables, a long bake time is needed. If the pastry is golden brown much earlier, cover with some aluminum foil so it doesn't burn. You can use a thermometer to test the temp of the chicken if desired.