Leek And Pancetta Turnover

Who doesn’t love buttery puff pastry?!?! It has the best texture on its own and you can fill pockets of it with either sweet or savoury delicious things. This pocket of goodness holds 2 wonderful flavours that I love separately or together. Yes pancetta is basically fancy bacon so who can resist it? (yes I know vegans, vegetarians and some religions but you know what I mean). Leeks are also a true favourite of mine from as long as I can remember. My mom’s leek, spinach and feta pita has been my favourite since infancy practically and it’s really the leeks that give it its dynamic flavour! They also do the same to this turnover and literally anything else they are in. Leeks are super pricey over here and I can’t always find them, so when I can’t get them I sub in a lot of green onions – white and light green parts only. Not exactly the same, but a great alternative.

This is a recipe I adapted from Giada De Laurentiis. Originally it is made with rotisserie chicken as opposed to the pancetta along with potatoes in it too, which I have made before and is absolutely fabulous, but I switched it up a little by adding some of my favourite things to it. The best part about this recipe is how versatile it is. You can make it vegetarian by omitting the pancetta and adding more vegetables. You can switch up the veggies in it as well as the meat and customise it to your taste. This is our favourite combo though. We were eating the filling by the spoonful as we were shooting me filling the turnover. Yes we are total animals and we know it!

The original recipe calls for using store bought puff pastry and I do it all the time. I always like to have some puff pastry in the freezer at all times because it really is great to have on hand. You can whip up super easy hand pies either sweet or savoury in a pinch. But if you have the time and want to make the puff pastry from scratch that is also great too, and good for you by the way! The one I use is an easy and quick recipe from Gemma Stafford from biggerbolderbaking.com. If you don’t know who she is definitely check her out on YouTube. Her puff pastry recipe is simple and her videos make her recipes so easy to follow! #goals! This recipe is fabulous whether you use the store bought puff pastry or make it from scratch. Time usually plays a factor on which one I make. If I don’t have much time then frozen it is. When you are using frozen, make sure to thaw it out in the fridge. You don’t want it room temperature, but instead you want it just thawed. This will keep it nice and flaky and make it easier to work with. Now it’s time to make a dash for your kitchen and try this recipe out. It’s absolutely all you need for a quick family dinner – just add a nice big green salad and some wine for the adults and you have yourself a pretty darn good dinner! Enjoy!

Leek And Pancetta Turnover

Ingredients

For the filling

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large leek, white and light green parts only thinly slices
• 1½-2 cups of chopped button or cremini mushrooms sliced
• ½ cup frozen or fresh green peas
• ½ cup frozen of fresh corn kernels
• 1 carrot peeled and chopped finely
• 1-2 stalks of celery chopped finely
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 8-10 ounces of pancetta or bacon sliced

For the sauce

• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp all purpose flour
• 1 cup milk at room temperature
• ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Pinch of ground nutmeg

For the crust

• Flour for dusting
• One 9 inch square sheet of frozen puff pastry thawed but still cold
• 1 egg beaten for egg wash

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 ° F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper

2. Heat up oil over medium heat and in a medium shallow skillet and brown the pancetta or bacon. Once brown and crispy, drain some of the fat rendered if it’s plenty leaving back 3-4 tbsps worth.

3. Add the leeks and sauté until softened just a few minutes then add the carrot, celery, mushrooms, garlic, peas, corn, thyme and salt and pepper and sauté until vegetables are nice and tender stirring frequently for approx 12 minutes and then set aside

4. Melt the butter over medium heat in a small sauce pan. Add the flour and whisk for a couple of minutes until smooth. Add the milk and continue whisking to prevent lumps from forming. Simmer over medium heat continuously whisking until the sauce is thick and smooth – takes 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in this cheese, salt and pepper and nutmeg.

5. Combine the vegetable pancetta mixture with the sauce and check for seasoning and allow it to cool

6. Meanwhile lightly flour a surface to roll out the pastry into a 10x10 square or as close as possible to one.

7. Transfer half on the baking sheet and half off resting on the floured surface. Spoon all the filling on the side that is on the baking sheet leaving ½-1 inch off the edge free of filling.

8. Lightly brush the edges of the pastry with egg. Fold over the side that is off the baking sheet to cover and meet the other edge. Fold edges or crimp them with a fork and brush the whole top with the egg wash.

9. Cut three small slits in the top of the pie using a sharp knife and bake until puffed and golden approx 30-35 minutes. Cool for 15 min once out of the oven and slice and serve.


Quick And Easy Homemade Puff Pastry

Ingredients

• 2⅓ cups (11½ oz/ 350g) plain flour
• 14 tablespoons (7 oz/210g) butter, frozen
• Pinch salt
• 8-10 tablespoons chilled water
• 1 tablespoon lemon/lime juice

Directions

1. Place your butter in the freezer for a minimum of 2 hours but preferably overnight.
2. In a jug mix together your water and lemon juice and set aside.
3. In a large bowl mix together the flour and salt. Make sure everything to be cold to yield you great pastry so feel free to put the bowl of flour in the fridge to chill.
4. On the larger side of a grater, grate the frozen butter directly into the flour mix. Stir the butter into the flour with a knife in with a knife. Frozen butter is the secret ingredient. The colder the butter the flakier the pastry.
5. Add in the liquid, holding a little back just in case you don’t need it all. Using your hand bring your pastry together gently. You want to add just enough water to bring the pastry together. Too much water will not yield you a flakey dough.
6. Bring the dough together to form a ball. Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour. You can refrigerate it for up to 3 days or freeze to use at a later day.
7. Note: Once you put pastry in the fridge and it relaxes it will get a little wetter so factor that in.
8. To use your pastry: Follow instructions required by the recipe you are making. Alway bake in a HOT oven for best results.