Chicken, ham, leek and mushroom pie

 

This was actually an exercise in using up leftovers, but it was delicious as well as "frugal".  We had chicken left over from some roast chicken thighs and ham left over from BBQ pulled gammon.

I made a sauce using the last of the leeks and mushrooms from the veg box, and some soya milk.  Threw on a pastry lid, bunged some potatoes in the oven, and we finished the coleslaw.

Olive oil

Leeks

Mushrooms

Cooked chicken

Cooked ham

Plain flour

Soya milk

Flour

salt

butter

Yogurt

Cold water

1.  Make pastry - rub butter into salted flour.  When it resembles breadcrumbs add a couple of spoons of natural yogurt and a splash of cold water, work together gently to make the pastry.  Form into a ball, wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.

2.  Fry mushrooms and leeks in olive oil, add cooked meats.

3.  Sprinkle a spoonful of flour into the pie filling mix, coat all of the elements, then add about a muful of soya milk, stir in to form the sauce.

4.  Transfer pie filling to pie dish, roll out pastry and cover the top.  Wash with soya milk.  Bake for about 30-35 minutes.

5.  Serve, scoff

Filo pies - Turkey and pepper, chick pea and pepper. National Pie week: day 7, pie #4

 Once again a veg dodger and a vegan version were required - so I made one fil pie with turkey mince, and the other with chickpeas.  Served with patatas (not very) bravas, and a lovely salad with avocado.  Delicious.

The trick with these meals is to make the bulk of it to be shared between the two versions, and then add the meaty / protein alternatives to the appropriate dish.

For this meal start with the pepper filling, the spinach and the turkey (or other) mince filling - then move on to the potatoes.  Return to complete the fillings, build the pies - bake, then construct the salad.

Onions
Olive oil
Garlic
Celery
Peppers (red, orange and/or yellow)
Paprika
Spinach
White wine

Mince (turkey, … or … )

Potatoes
Tinned tomatoes
Chilli

Filo pastry

Salad leaves
Tomatoes
Spring onions
Avocado
Mixed seeds
Garlic
lime juice

1.  Chop onions.   Gently fry about half in olive oil for the pepper mixture, about a quarter in olive oil for the turkey mix, and a quarter in olive oil for the (not very) bravas sauce.
2.  Add crushed garlic to all three pans, stir and continue to fry gently.
3.  Chop potatoes into 1cm cubes, toss in olive oil and a little salt, roast for 45 minutes or so.
4.  Add chopped celery and peppers to the pepper mix, with a pinch of paprika and salt.  Continue to fry until soft, adding white wine and water to allow to simmer gently.
5.  In a fourth pan wilt spinach in a little water.  Turn the heat off as soon as the spinach is wilted.
6.  Add the mince to the second pan of onions and fry until slightly browned,  keep moving in the pan.
7.  Add a tin of chopped tomatoes, salt and chilli flakes, and half a tin of water to the final batch of tomatoes and simmer to create the sauce for the potatoes.
8.  Build the pies - grease pie plates with a little olive oil - layer on three layers of filo, brushing with olive oil each layer - build the veggie one first.  On the bottom - half of the spinach, then peppers, then drained rinsed chickpeas.  Top with three layers of filo, each brushed with olive oil.  Tuck in the edges and drizzle the edge with olive oil.  Repeat with the meaty one - pastry, spinach, peppers, mince, pastry.  Bake for 25-30 minutes.
9.  Salad - add leaves, chopped tomatoes, chopped spring onions, scooped out sliced avocado and seeds.  Spritz with lime juice to prevent avocado oxidising.  Drizzle with a little olive oil.  Serve with a little extra dressing made from lime juice, crushed garlic and olive oil.
10.  Serve, scoff …. it was good.

Haggis Pie: (and a vegan version): National Pie Week, day 4, pie #3

National Pie week - and a haggis in the freezer - natural result "Haggis Pie".  Basically neeps and tatties as the pie top for a haggis/lentil filling - with cabbage and whisky cream sauce.

To cope with the various dietary requirements in this house we actually had two versions - one with haggis and one entirely vegan.

The one with the haggis also had a healthy layer of the lentil mixture underneath the haggis (don't tell the veg dodger - they happily scoffed thirds!)

The haggis needs to be cooked before adding to the pie, so I started with this - 45 minutes simply boiling in its bag, as per package instructions.

Haggis
Olive oil
Leeks
Celery
Courgette
Red pepper
Mushrooms
Lentils
Wholegrain mustard
Marmite
Chilli flakes
Oregano

Carrots
Swede
Potatoes
Dairy free spread

Cabbage

Sour cream
Whisky

1.  Cook the haggis as per package instructions.
2.  Sautee chopped leeks and celery in olive oil until a bit soft, then add crushed garlic, chopped courgette, red pepper and mushrooms.  Stir In.  Add a handful of lentils (I used brown, red/puy would also be fine).  Pour in about a pint of water and simmer.  After a couple of minutes add mustard, marmite, chilli flakes and oregano.  Simmer.  It takes about 30 minutes - check it doesn't go too dry, for taste and that lentils are cooked.
3.  Meanwhile peel and chop root veg and boil.  When cooked, drain and mash with plant based spread and plenty of seasoning.
4.  Assemble the pie(s).  For the vegan one - 2 layers - lentils and mash.  For the haggis pie - lentils, haggis, mash.  Spread the mash around and bake for about 25 minutes - until the top starts to brown.
5,  Steam cabbage.
6.  Whisky sauce - simmer a little water, add a spoonful of sour cream and a splash of whisky.
7.  Serve, scoff - watch veg dodger have thirds, and vegan/vegetarian types have seconds.

Tortilla pies - beef and tofu (not together) - Britsih pie week day 4, pie 2

National pie week - so I thought I would join in the fun again, and see what I could rustle up from the fridge and cupboards.  Basically, I came up with 2 pies  - one with minced beef, and one with tofu - both were very well received.

Served with sweet potato wedges, saffron braised fennel with leeks and a simple salad.

For both pies:-

Tortillas (2 per pie)
Olive oil
Leeks
Celery
Garlic
Red pepper
Courgette
Mixed herbs
White wine
Grated cheese (I used a mixed of smoked and plain cheddar)
Mushrooms
Soya milk (or dairy milk)

For the meat pie:-

Minced beef

For the tofu pie:-

Tofu
Ketchup
Soy sauce
American mustard
Olive oil

For the sweet potato wedges:-

Olive oil
Sweet potato
BBQ seasoning

For the saffron braised fennel with leek

Olive oil
Leeks
Garlic
Fennel
Tomatoes
Saffron
Thyme
Pinch of chilli
White wine

1.  Start by marinating cubed tofu in a mixture of the ingredients from the tofu pie list above.  Leave in the fridge for 30 minutes or so.
2.  Chop 3 leeks.  Split between 4 deepish frying pans, with a splosh of olive oil - 1 for the fennel, 1 for the veg mix for both pies, 1 for the tofu and one for the beef filling.  Sautee gently.

If you were doing all 4 dishes you need to continue with the braised fennel and leek, then the sweet potato, then the vegetables for the pie(s), then the meat and mushroom mixture, then the tofu and mushroom mixtture.  The grate the cheese.  Then build the pies, and bake them for 25-30 minutes.

 so ...

3.  To one lot of sauteed leeks add crushed garlic, stir in, and then add wedges of fennel.  Sprinkle in a couple of strands of saffron, a pinch of thyme and add a few chopped tomatoes.  Stir.  Cover with white wine and water and simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Season with salt and pepper.

4.  Peel sweet potataoes and chop into wedges.  Toss in olive oil, salt and BBQ seasoning and roast for 45 minutes.

5.  To the next lot of sauteed leeks add crushed garlic, chopped celery, courgette and red pepper, with the herbs and a slosh of white wine.  Simmer gently until beg are a bit soft.

6.  To the third lot of sauteed leeks add minced beef and fry until browned.  Add the half of the chopped mushrooms and cook for about 10 minutes.

7.  To the final lot of sauteed leeks add marinated tofu, toss about a bit on a highish heat until tofu is a bit browned, then add the rest of the chopped mushrooms and cook for about 10 minutes.

8.  Grate cheese.

9.  Oil two pie dishes.  Line them both with a tortilla.  Layer the mixtures - veg, meat/tofu filling, cheese.  Top with another tortilla.  Wash with milk (plant based or otherwise) and bake for 25--30 minutes.

10.  Throw salad together.

11. Scoff, serve .... my goodness they were both good.

National Pie Week: Cheese and onion (gf) pie

Look at 'em go!  There was no stopping them diving into today's cheese and onion pie - for day 1 of national pie week.  The pastry was gluten free so that, for once, we could all share the same dinner - the gluten intolerant, the veg dodger and the veggie … oops, we lactose intolerant decided we would "pay the price" rather than miss out on the cheese pie.

Baby roast potatoes
Steamed carrots and cabbage
Baked beans

… and cheese and onion pie

Pastry

Plain flour
Salt
Butter/ butter substitute
Greek yogurt
Cold water
Soya milk (or dairy milk)

The filling

Onions, sliced
Grated cheese

It's dead easy really.

1.  Make the pastry by rubbing the fat into the seasoned flour, until it resembles breadcrumbs.  If it's too floury, add more cold butter.  If it's too sticky add a little more flour.
2.  To the "breadcrumbs" add a spoonful of greek yogurt and a splash of cold water.  Form into a dough.  Don't handle too much, it makes it go really hard.
3.  Chill for half an hour.
4.  Cut potatoes into chunks, roast in olive oil and a sprinkle of salt for 1 hour.
5.  Prep veg, put on top of a steamed.
6.  Slice onions, grate cheese.
7.  Roll out half the pastry to form the bottom of the pie.  With gf I find it easier to roll onto baking parchment, and then flip over onto the pie dish.  Often you have to neaten out the edges, and mend small breaks by smushing the pastry together.
8.  Spread a little flour in the bottom of the pie - just to stop melted cheese seeping into the bottom.
9.  Starting with a layer of cheese - layer up the pie filling cheese, onion, cheese, onion ending on cheese.
10.  Top with the other half of the pastry, rolled out.  Crimp the edges with a fork, slash the top a little to let the steam out, glaze with soya (or dairy) milk.  Bake for 30-40 minutes at 180.
11.  Turn the heat on under the vegetables and let them steam.
12.  Pop the beans into the oven to heat through.
13.  Serve, scoff … seconds all round.

Cheese and onion pie - gluten free! ta dah!

Once again we were in need of comfort food - and you can't beat pie, chips and beans … the pie needed to be gluten free, and the chips were baby roasties - the beans came out of a tin.  Altogether delicious - totally hit the spot!  The veg dodger didn't complain about lack of meat once.

Gluten free pastry is incredibly crumbly, so roll it out on greaseproof paper to transfer to pie dish and the top of the pie.  Also, be prepared to patch up cracks!

I am lactose intolerant, but know the price I have to pay for cheese … which is why I use soya milk to glaze and seal.

Gluten free flour
Soya spread (or butter)
Salt
Natural yogurt
Dijon mustard
Potatoes
Olive oil
Onions
Cheese (I used cheddar, but Cheshire and Lancashire or a mixture works well too)
Baked beans

1.  Rub the fat into the flour, with a pinch of salt, until it resembles breadcrumbs.  Stir in a spoonful of natural yogurt, a teaspoonful of Dijon mustard and a splash of very cold water.  Mix until it starts coming together in a ball - add a drop more water if it needs it, more flour if it has got sticky.  When it comes together as a ball knead it gently until it is a convincing "ball".  Do not try to knead it much - the paste is very fragile, as it has no gluten which would normally give some elasticity.  Wrap with reusable sandwich wrap/cling film and pop in the fridge for 30 minutes.
2.  Slice onions into half rings, toss them about so they separate.
3.  Grate the cheese.
4.  Cut potatoes into cubes and toss in olive oil, sprinkle with salt.  Roast for 1 hour.
5.  Roll half the pastry onto greaseproof paper, lightly dusted with flour.  Transfer pastry to a greased pie dish,  patch little broken bits where necessary.
6.  Spread a little flour in the bottom of the pastry case (to help prevent the soggy bottom) - add layers of cheese and onions.
7.  Roll out the lid onto greaseproof paper ducted lightly with flour.  Brush a little soya milk around the edge of the base pastry.  Transfer the lid onto the pie - I held it over the top and did a speedy flip over - patch up the gaps and neaten the edge.  Brush the top with soya milk.  Bake for about 40 minutes.
8.  Put beans in oven proof dish and pop in the oven with everything else, to heat through.
9.  Serve, scoff

Fish pie, garlic courgettes and steamed veg

It's British pie week, and Paul had some fabulous fish, so I got to make one of my favourites, a really good fish pie.

Cooking the courgettes long and slow in olive oil with plenty of garlic even made the veg dodger sit up and have seconds.

Fish - a combination of cod, haddock, smoked haddock and a little salmon.
Soya milk
Cornflour
Potatoes
Butter
Frozen peas
Carrots
Leek
Courgette
Garlic
Olive oil

1.  Peel potatoes and boil for the mash.
2.  Cut fish into bite sized pieces and poach in soya milk (or dairy milk).
3.  Drain the milk from the fish and thicken with slaked cornflour, ie.  heat in a pan, add cornflour mixed to a paste in water, and heat through, stirring continuously until it thickens. add a good grind of black pepper.
4.  Place the fish in an oven dish and cover with the thickened sauce.
5.  Mash the potatoes with a knob of butter.
6.  Chuck a good handful of frozen peas over the fish mixture and then cover with mash.
7.  Bake to get a crispy brown top, for about 20 minutes.
8.  Dice the courgette, fry in olive oil with crushed garlic.  Kepp it on a low-medium heat and let them cook through gently.
9.  Steam washed, sliced leeks and carrot batons.
10.  Serve, scoff …

Turnip, potato and leek pie with greens - gluten free

 Well - I bought some lovely looking turnips (yes, I did write that) and was wondering what to do with them - and I thought I'd try some gluten free pastry - so, a few google moments later and I found this http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/05/30/turnip-leek-pie/ ... so spent the next 30 minutes wandering around the very interesting blog.

The pie, itself looked lovely, so I have adapted it a bit - but in essence I have stolen the leek, turnip, rosemary and cheddar idea - and added potatoes.  The pastry is made with gluten free flour - which makes it more difficult to handle - roll out on greaseproof paper so that you can lift it accross.

In order of what to do - start with the pastry, put it in the fridge while you start the filling, turn on the oven.  When the filling is ready, make the pie, put it in the oven, put tomatoes in at the same time - then prep and steam the vegetables.  It can then all be ready within an hour.

Pastry

About 125g gluten free flour
About 50g soya spread (I was going down the lactose free route, but then decided to add cheese.. could have been butter)
2 tbsp natural yogurt
pinch of salt
cold water - about 2 tbsp


Rub together fat and seasoned flour, turn into pastry with yogurt and cold water.  Wrap in cling film, and put in the fridge to rest.  When ready pull out of the fridge and roll out (treat it gently, it doesn't have the same resilience as wheat flour pastry) on floured (gluten free of course) greaseproof paper.

Filling

Olive oil
Chopped leek (1 big)
Peeled and diced turnip (1 big)
peeled and diced potato (3 medium/big)
garlic
white wine
dried rosemary (a tsp max)
grainy mustard
vegetable stock
cheddar cheese - grated (200g)
egg - beaten (for egg wash - could be milk)

Saute leek in olive oil, when a bit soft add turnip and garlic, and white wine, simmer for a little then add rosemary and potato and enough stock to simmer.   Stir in grainy mustard.  Simmer until veg is "al dente" (about 15 minutes) don't let it dry out but let it reduce away so that you can just transfer mixture to pie dish.  Top with cheese, and then layer over pastry.  Pierce a few times to let out steam and egg wash.

Bake at 180 for about 25 minutes.

I also chucked some cherry tomatoes in at the same time, with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of rock salt - they worked very well.

Steam chopped vegetables - cavolo nero and broccoli in this case.

Really, really nice.  Great to have the treat of a pie, whilst being entirely gluten free.  Left overs in plastic box for lunch tomorrow.  (not sure how well it would freeze) Yum.

Meat and potato pie

The pie fest continues!  Well, the pastry needed using up, so meat and potato pie with extra vegetables smuggled into it - mushroom, carrots and Kale - with brocolli.  Saute onion and chopped carrot until soft, add chopped mushrooms and steak mince, turn over a few times - add sprinkle of flour and some stock - season.  Add lots of chopped potatoes - make sure there is enough liquid to keep a bit of a sauce simmer for about 5-10 minutes - stir in chopped kale.  Cover with pastry - bake for 25(ish) minutes.  Steam broccoli.  Feed to victims.  watch them eat green things :)

Chicken and leek pie

Another Waitrose bargain... 99p roast chicken!  So,  sautee leek, celery and crushed garlic in olive oil until soft, add stripped chicken pieces - sprinkle with flour, stir in with spoonful of mustard and seasoning.  When all flour is mixed in add good glug of white wine and about a mugful of chicken stock.  Simmer, and stir for a couple of minutes to cook flour.  Take of heat, and allow to cool briefly.  Stir in creme fraiche.  Chuck in pie dish and cover with pastry (puff in this case) - egg or milk wash and bake for 25ish minutes.  Served with mash, carrots and purple sprouting.  Several shades better than bought standby pie - and leftovers to boot.  Victim scoffed, said "nice pie" .. and then made tea.  result!

In other news, chickens have finally started laying again!  Not many yet, but it means that spring is on the way.

Butternut squash, spinach and feta filo pie

Victim suggested it would be better as individual tarts - but all in all, not a bad veggie offering.  So, roasted a butternut squash with garlic with a splash of olive oil for about a hour.  Made filling by softening red onion, a clove more garlic, a grated courgette and a handful of chopped mushrooms in olive oil,  added roast squash and good amount of spinach - heated gently and mixed until spinach wilted - added cumin, more garlic, chili and whatever curry spices were to hand - looking for gentle flavouring, not heat.  Took off heat and stirred in feta.  Made pie by scuffily layering fio sheets in a kind of overlapping diamond shape - brushing with olive oil every sheet.  Dollop mix in the middle, grind on some black pepper. Top with one layer of filo, olive oil, and sprinkle on pine nuts.  Scrunch up ends of remaining filo sheets over the top of the pie.  Brush with olive oil, and sprinkle on sesame seeds.  Bake for 30ish mins... depnding on your oven (about 180C).  Salad - beetroot, spring onion, chopped carrot, cherry tomatoes - dress with balsamic vinegar and olice oil, topped with radish sprouts.  Best thing.. leftovers for lunch tomorrow.  :)