It’s British Pie Week… the one week of the year where foodies and chefs celebrate the much beloved pie.
So, if you want to join in and make some tasty pie-based dinners this week, try the following tasty recipes.
Whether you’re a meat eater, gluten free or vegetarian – one of these tasty pies will be a winner for your dinner.
For those who like a meaty filling, try Ao.com ’s mini steak and ale pies or Higgidy 's chicken and ham hock pie with garlicky butter bean and kale mash.
While veggie families can try the show stopping roasted risotto pumpkin pie or comforting spicy tomato and lentil layer pie, both also from Higgidy.
Unique fish and chips pie recipe is the perfect mid-week family dinner
Takeaway addict transforms diet and saves £10 a day using meal kits
Enjoy…
We know we will be!
Chicken and ham hock pie with garlicky butter bean and kale mash
Not only is this pie quick to throw together, it’s gluten free, too. If you don’t have butter beans, you can use any white bean such as cannellini or gigante.
SERVES 4-6
Equipment: 1 x 2-litre ceramic ovenproof dish
Ingredients:
For the filling:
- 2-3 tbsp chickpea flour
- 2 tsp mustard powder
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 500g chicken thighs
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 100g or 4 large banana shallots, peeled and quartered
- 350ml chicken stock
- 200g ham hock, pulled or shredded into finger-length pieces
- 250g mascarpone
For the mash:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 25g butter
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 75g curly kale
- 2 x 400g tins of butter beans
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method:
- Preheat your oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas mark 6.
- Start off by combining the chickpea flour, mustard powder and cayenne in a large bowl. Then slice the chicken thighs into large bite-sized chunks and toss them in the flour mixture.
- Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large, shallow casserole or a large frying pan. Over a medium heat, fry the shallots for 3-4 minutes or until they have just begun to caramelise. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add a further tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and, over a high heat, fry the chicken for 2-3 minutes before turning the pieces over and cooking for 2-3 minutes more. The chicken should be nice and golden.
- Lower the heat slightly, return the shallots to the pan, add the hot chicken stock and give the mixture a good stir. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 6-7 minutes. You may need to stir the sauce halfway through to stop the mixture ‘catching’ on the bottom of the pan. Remove from the heat, stir in the ham and 100g of the mascarpone (saving 150g for the mash). Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, tip into an ovenproof dish.
- To make the mash: heat the oil and butter in a nonstick pan until sizzling. Add the garlic, kale and 50ml of water. Turn the heat to low, cover and cook for 8 minutes or until the kale has wilted and is tender. Meanwhile, drain the beans and rinse well under the tap. Then, with a fork or potato masher, squish the beans to a nobbly mush. Stir the beans into the kale and garlic mixture, add the zest and juice of the lemon and remaining mascarpone cheese. Season with salt and black pepper.
- Spoon the mash over the chicken pie filling and cook for 25-30 minutes in your preheated oven. Serve piping hot.
Roasted risotto pumpkin pie
The clever thing about this pie is that there’s no need to make pastry: the pumpkin acts as a delicious ‘container’ for the filling.
What’s more, the risotto is baked in the oven, which saves all that endless stirring on the hob.
This pie makes a dramatic centrepiece for a vegetarian dinner.
Oh, and it’s gluten free, too.
SERVES 4
Equipment: 1 x 1.5 litre ceramic ovenproof dish and 1 x large roasting tin
Ingredients:
- A small pumpkin or queen squash (about 1kg in weight)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 15g unsalted butter
- 1 large shallot or two small ones, finely chopped
- 1 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- 100g butternut squash, peeled and chopped into bite-size cubes
- 150g Arborio risotto rice
- Small bunch of fresh sage, half roughly chopped, the other half set aside for garnish
- 200ml white wine
- 400ml vegetable stock, gluten free if necessary
- 30g Parmesan or vegetarian alternative
Method:
- Preheat your oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas mark 6.
- Start by slicing off the top of the pumpkin to make a lid or hat. Place this on the roasting tin. Scoop the seeds out of the pumpkin and hollow out some of the flesh to create the container for the pie. Rub the pumpkin with 1 tbsp of olive oil along with some salt and pepper. Place on the roasting tin along with the lid and bake for 25 minutes. Set aside.
- Turn the oven down to 170°C/fan 150°C/gas mark 3½. Put a ceramic dish into the oven to warm.
- Melt the butter in a medium nonstick pan over a medium heat and add the shallots. Fry for 5-7 minutes or until soft and golden. Add the garlic and butternut squash and stir well. Now add the rice and the chopped sage, remembering to save the whole leaves for later. Make sure all the ingredients are evenly coated in butter.
- Add the wine and stock and bring up to a gentle simmer. As soon as you have reached this point, tip the risotto into the warm ovenproof dish and bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir in the Parmesan cheese. Spoon the cooked risotto into your roasted pumpkin and bake for a further 15-20 minutes or until your pumpkin ‘container’ is warm.
- While the filled pumpkin is warming through fry the sage leaves in a nonstick pan over a high heat.
- Just before serving, top with sage leaves and maneuver onto a pretty plate and place the lid on top at a jaunty angle.
Spicy tomato and lentil layer pie
This is a really tasty vegetarian recipe that can hold its own as a main dish, with layers of aubergine, tomatoey lentils and creamy ricotta cheese wrapped in a pastry crust.
Don’t worry about leftovers: this pie is delicious served cold the following day.
Serves 8
Ingredients:
For the pastry:
- 400g plain flour, plus a little for dusting
- ½ tsp salt
- 100g walnuts
- 60g Parmesan cheese, grated
- 100g butter, chilled and diced
- 2 medium eggs, beaten, plus a beaten egg for brushing
- 3 tbsp ice-cold water
For the filling:
- 450g Spiced Tomato Sauce
- 250g Puy lentils (we like the Merchant Gourmet pouches), cooked and drained
- 1 large aubergine
- Olive oil, for brushing
- 200g ricotta cheese
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the spiced tomato sauce:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 red onions, chopped
- 2 large garlic cloves, chopped
- ½ tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
- A pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp soft brown sugar
Method:
- To make the pastry, pulse the flour, salt, walnuts and Parmesan in a food processor until the ingredients are evenly mixed and the walnuts are finely chopped. Add the butter and pulse again until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the beaten eggs and ice-cold water and pulse until the mixture just comes together to form a dough, adding a tiny bit more water if you think it’s needed.
- Tip out on to a lightly floured work surface and knead very briefly to bring the pastry together. Don’t worry if it’s a little crumbly. Divide into two balls, then flatten into discs, wrap in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, if you haven’t already made the Spiced Tomato Sauce, do so according to the method below and let it cool down. Stir in the lentils.
- On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one half of the pastry to about 3mm thick and trim to a 25cm square. Then roll out the other half in the same way, trimming it to a 30cm square. Put a piece of non-stick baking paper between the layers and return the pastry to the fridge to chill for a further 30 minutes. Don’t be tempted to skip this step – it will help prevent any shrinkage in the oven.
Spiced tomato sauce
Method:
- Heat the olive oil in a large shallow pan over a gentle heat. Add the onions and cook them for 5 minutes to soften. Add the garlic and spices to the pan, and cook, stirring, for a couple more minutes.
- Pour over the tomatoes and add the salt and sugar. Stir well, then simmer gently, uncovered, for about 30 minutes or until slightly syrupy in consistency. The sauce can be kept, covered, in the fridge for up to a week.
Mini steak and ale pies
This classic pie filling gets a personal twist when cooked as individual mini pies.
Enriched with delicious ale and sweet shallots it's a definite winner for meat-lovers.
Make life simpler by buying pre-made sheets of puff pasty if you don't want to make your own!
Ingredients:
- 4 short ribs of beef
- 5 shallots (halved)
- 1 bottle of good quality ale
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 2 sprigs of rosemary
- A handful of peas
- A sheet of puff pastry
- 1 egg (for egg wash)
Method:
- Season the four short ribs of beef with salt and pepper and then fry the beef, flipping over each rib as necessary.
- Remove the beef ribs from the pan and set aside.
- Add the shallots into the pan and gently fry.
- Add the beef ribs back into the pan and add the three garlic cloves and the bottle of ale and simmer until meat is tender.
- Remove the beef ribs from the pan and in a large bowl remove the bones from the beef.
- Pop the rib bones back into a frying pan and reduce into a gravy.
- Remove the bones and add the gravy, beef and peas into your miniature pie dishes.
- Cover with the puff pastry, crimp the edges and use the egg to egg-wash the pastry.
- Bake in the oven until your happy with the golden pastry.
Slow cooker recipe hack makes perfect salted caramel fudge in just three steps
We can't wait to get cooking and dine on these delicious recipes.
Happy pie week!
Higgidy is spreading the feel-good feeling this British Pie Week (2nd – 8th March) by launching its ‘#PieceofthePie’ campaign.
The West Sussex-based business has pledged to match every Higgidy pie bought in supermarkets across the country with a pie donation to FareShare, the charity that fights hunger and tackles food waste in the UK.
- Family
- Cooking
Source: Read Full Article