The Mini Book of Pies

The Mini Book of Pies Sophie Conran Pies are the ultimate comfort food. Enjoy sweet and savoury pies, try traditional and modern recipes and discover new family favourites with The Mini Book of Pies.The perfect book for the beginner pie maker, it features 85 inventive and delicious recipes for the true British classic, the pie. This book also includes simple to follow guides on making pastry, pie dishes and pie decoration and also reveals a few secret baking tips, making sure your pies turn out perfect every time (and no soggy bottoms!).Whether you are looking for simple family suppers or pies to impress; a winter warmer or a summer picnic pie; a meaty pie, a veggie pie, a fish pie or a classic pudding pie, you will find it in The Mini Books of Pies.Recipes include;Beef and Beer Pie with Sweet Potato Mash PieMoroccan Lamb with Apricots PieSausage and Caramelised Onion with Mash PieSpanish Chicken PieSmoked Trout and Almond Quick PieRoasted Vegetable with Cumin Puff Pastry PieButternut Squash, Sage and Goat’s Cheese PieEasy Peasy Plum and Blackberry PieFeatures content first published in Pies by Sophie Conran, 2006 To my little guinea pigs, Felix and Coco Love Mummy Contents Title Page (#u95b802e6-6e38-5012-9021-0422c37f1ef1) Dedication (#ulink_25de4ec7-3c43-5823-bc83-dc20710f028a) Introduction Making Pastry Beefy Pies More Meaty Pies Tweety Pies Fishy Pies Veggie Pies Sweetie Pies List of Recipes Acknowledgements Copyright About the Publisher INTRODUCTION (#u45bba318-b166-5f66-8d2b-8a296cc830c8) What is a pie? Sounds like a simple question, but over the years pies have been and still are many varied things, so for a definition I’d say the looser the better. Pies can be savoury or sweet, enclosed or open, with pastry or not, the right way up or even upside down. Pies helpfully are often called a pie, but sometimes it’s a pasty, a quiche, pudding, tart or even a cake. Big or small, pies are wonderfully difficult to define. The term “pie” is used to describe dishes that aren’t pies at all but confections, and their adjunct can describe their filling or not. An Eskimo pie is my favourite offender, being neither a pie nor containing a single shred of Eskimo. It is, in fact, an oblong of ice cream covered in chocolate. So, in keeping with the rebellious nature of pies everywhere, I’ve sneaked some controversial ones into this book! Pies have been the food of kings and of paupers, eaten at extravagant banquets or taken down Cornish tin mines (the origin of the pasty), and there was a time when the streets of every town across the land would have been filled with the shouts of pie sellers. Yet in recent years the reputation of pies has suffered greatly in the public imagination, largely due to the many food crimes committed in its name. Pies have become associated with unhealthy, mass-produced snacks made from the otherwise unwanted parts of animals: the gristly and knobbly bits, encased in a tasteless, processed shell that coats your mouth in fat. But a pie is only as good as the quality of its ingredients, and happily there now seems to be a pie renaissance underway with lots of new companies producing fabulous pies, baking only the best fillings under the lid. Pies are great for entertaining, as they can be prepared days in advance and make a fabulous centrepiece. They are also a great way of using up leftovers, transforming them from yesterday’s roast into steaming loveliness. And they freeze well too. Regardless of calorie count, I cannot think of anything so wholesome and nurturing for children, so comforting as a treat or so perfect for a big occasion as a well-made pie. Pies are very social dishes and for this reason I have included numerous recipes written by family and friends. They are all about sharing and as such encapsulate some of the greatest joys in life. A pie makes an excellent gift. You will be very popular with friends if you bring one along when staying for the weekend (one less meal for your host to cook). During the days and nights of writing this book I have cooked hundreds of pies, baking on average about three different flavours a day. My kitchen has been groaning with pies and being the offspring of two war babies I loathe waste, so every visitor or person I have visited has had at least one pie pressed upon them. I can often been found with a pie in the bottom of my handbag, just in case I see a hungry-looking friend. They have always been delighted to receive it. I hope you enjoy cooking from this book, getting it dirty, splattering it with ingredients. I hope you enjoy the smells, the sound of gentle bubbling, the peace of mixing and rolling the pastry, the excitement of fetching a pie from the oven. But most of all I hope you enjoy sharing the results of your labours with those that you love. MAKING PASTRY (#u45bba318-b166-5f66-8d2b-8a296cc830c8) Pastry is as easy as pie. It really is a doddle. It’s just a simple mixture of flour, fat and liquid to bind. Use a nice fine flour; the best you can lay your mitts on. I like to use natural fats in my pastry, avoiding anything containing hydrogenated vegetable fats such as margarine and some shortenings. Admittedly, these do make pastry easier to work with, as they melt at a higher temperature and don’t become as oily, but they’re difficult to digest and I personally think they taste foul. Butter and suet, on the other hand, are whole foods. The body recognises them and can digest them easily. I use butter for shortcrust pastry, which makes a wonderful, light, biscuit-like pastry. Suet makes a pastry that’s really easy to handle. I’ve found it holds its shape best too as it does not shrink or crumble. If you’re a novice, try a suet crust as it is pretty foolproof. Pastry is usually made up of approximately two-thirds flour, one-third fat and enough liquid to bind it. The quantities you will need may vary as may the type of flour, fat or liquid used. Have a play. You can also add any flavour you like: spices, cheese, herbs, horseradish, mustard (English mustard powder is great mixed into a cheesy pastry; grainy mustard adds a great texture), and even vegetables or bacon can be added to savoury pastry, just like bread. For sweet pastries, try sugar, honey, spices like vanilla, cinnamon or nutmeg, rosewater, dried fruit or herbs such as lavender and even crystallised petals. Let your imagination be your guide, but make sure what you add complements the filling and enhances the flavour. When adding an extra ingredient, be mindful of the consistency of the pastry – some ingredients can dry it out, while others make it too sticky. This can be fixed by adding either a little flour or a little liquid. Stay chilled Keeping everything as cold as possible (including bowls, hands and ingredients) makes for the best pastry. That said, I have a warm kitchen and warm hands, supposedly two of pastry’s biggest enemies, but I still manage to make perfectly decent pastry. Some people suggest putting everything in the fridge for an hour before starting. If the fat becomes too warm it will melt and be absorbed into the flour too much, which prevents the flour from absorbing enough water, and the result is pastry that’s too crumbly and difficult to roll. This is particularly the case if you are working with a pastry with a high fat content, like puff pastry. If the pastry is greasy and heavy once cooked, you will have overworked it, or it got too hot before cooking and the fat melted. Body heat and overworking can cause the fat to melt, so keep cool and handle it as little as possible. One way to avoid this problem is to mix the pastry in a food processer, which is also super speedy. I still love making pastry by hand, though; rubbing the butter into the flour is really therapeutic. My daughter Coco loves measuring out ingredients and getting her little hands stuck into the flour. Watch your liquid The more liquid you add, the more the pastry shrinks when cooked. So, if you take it out of the oven and it’s done just that and is also quite tough, you’ll know how to solve it next time: just reduce the amount of liquid. On the other hand, pastry needs liquid to react with the flour to lengthen the gluten strands, so if you haven’t added enough it will crack and crumble when you roll it. Time to relax For a similar reason, pastry is best made the day before and kept in the fridge. This gives the gluten strands in the flour time to relax; they become less elastic and the pastry will be easier to roll out. If your pastry shrinks but isn’t tough, you probably didn’t chill it enough. Wrapped in cling film, pastry will keep happily enough in the fridge for up to three days, or in the freezer for up to three months, ready for an emergency pie moment. Store it as a flatish disc, as this will make it easier to roll out when you want to use it. Pastry is easiest to work with at room temperature, so take it out of the fridge half an hour before you use it. A note about “soggy bottoms” Soggy bottoms are something I detest but, it seems, this is a matter of taste: soggy bottoms have their fans too. To avoid the dreaded soggy bottom of a tart or pie, the pastry case needs to be cooked (blind baked) before filling. To do this, line your pie dish or tart tin with pastry and prick the base a few times with a fork. If you have time, let him have a little rest in the fridge for about 10 minutes, as this reduces shrinkage of the pastry shell. Cover with greaseproof paper or foil and for puff pastries fill with a layer of dried beans, pulses or rice to stop the base from literally puffing up and making it impossible to fill. To crisp the base further, remove the foil and beans and pop it back in the oven for 5 minutes. If the edges look like they may burn, just cover with foil. Finish baking according to the recipe. Soggy bottoms can also affect pie tops. A pie funnel will prevent this by supporting the pastry so it doesn’t sag into the filling and boil rather than bake. In addition, the funnel forms a vent through which the steam that builds up under the crust during cooking can escape (this also helps to stop the filling boiling over the edges). To use a pie funnel, place it in the centre of the pie dish before spooning in the filling mixture around it. Cover with pastry in the normal way, making a hole with a knife through the pastry into the top of the funnel. Funnels are not absolutely essential, however, and you can achieve much the same result simply by ensuring the pie dish is the correct size for the amount of filling. Pile the filling full to keep the pastry elevated, then cut a small hole in the middle of the pastry to allow the steam out. Choosing the right pie dish Pie dishes come in all shapes and sizes, from wide shallow dishes to deep pudding basins. Where I’ve not given you a size, you can use any shape you like – all you need to do is use an ovenproof vessel of the right volume. You should allow approximately 350ml (12fl oz) per hungry adult. Pie dishes often have the volume listed on the here (#ulink_f810425f-d26c-583f-9777-05d9a5732907), but if yours doesn’t you can measure it using a measuring jug. Do this by pouring water from the jug into the dish and counting up, not the other way round! It’s important to fill your pie dish to the top, so if needs be choose something a little too small rather than too big. If you have leftover filling, you can always freeze it and use it for your next pie. Individual pie, dishes approx. 350ml (12fl oz) each 4 people, dish approx. 1.5 litres (2? pints) 6 people, dish approx. 2 litres (3? pints) 8 people, dish approx. 2.8 litres (5 pints) Less is more Restrain yourself when it comes to decorating the top of your pie, as over-decorating can make the lid soggy because of the double thickness (keep an eye on your kids here, as they love the decorating bit and sometimes get carried away). If this all sounds a little ominous and off-putting don’t worry! These things are easy to get right with the tiniest amount of practice. Everyone should have their own way of making pastry; these are only my personal preferences. As my mother used to say, there’s more than one way to skin a rabbit. Have I enthused you yet? I hope so. It’s easy-peasy. Give it a go. Shortcrust pastry The recipe here (#litres_trial_promo) gives the amount of butter, flour, salt and liquid and you’ll need for making 300g (10oz) of pastry. It is best made the day before. First, cut the butter into cubes, then put it into a food processor with the flour and salt. Using the cutting blade, blitz until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the chilled water or egg a little at a time. The amount of liquid you need will always be an approximation, as all flours are slightly different. If it is a very damp day, you will need even less liquid in the mixture. Pulse the mixture until it binds together into a ball. Scoop it out of the food processor and dust it with flour. Form the dough into a thick disc. Cover with cling film and chill for a minimum of 1 hour in the fridge. Allow the pastry to come back to room temperature before using a floured board to roll it out. How thinly you roll out your pastry is a matter of preference, and will depend on your choice of pie dish and the type of pastry you’re using. I tend to use a thickness of 3–5mm/?–?in, so if you’re starting out, I would go with this. Sweet shortcrust pastry For sweet shortcrust pastry, you’ll need to reduce the amount of flour and, once you’ve whizzed the flour and butter to breadcrumbs, add 1 tablespoon of caster sugar. Then pulse until mixed. (See here for the amounts required for making 300g/10oz (#litres_trial_promo).) Vanilla pastry replace some of the water with ? teaspoon of vanilla extract. Rosewater pastry substitute a tablespoon of water with rosewater. Cinnamon pastry add a teaspoon of ground cinnamon with the flour. Filo and puff pastry I should probably try to make filo pastry. Apparently it is an art form that takes generations of experience to perfect, so I stick to the shop-bought stuff as it’s usually excellent. Puff pastry is the other kind of pastry for which there’s no shame in buying from the shops. Making from scratch requires so much rolling and refrigerating that it can seem far too time-consuming unless you are dedicated. Baking on an Aga I love my Aga. I love the way it gently breathes and warms the kitchen. Every pie in this book has been cooked on and in my Aga. My basic method for cooking a pie involves first preparing the filling and then baking the filling in a pastry case or just covering with pastry. I tend to cook the filling on a simmering plate, using a large cast-iron or ceramic casserole. If it is cooking too fast, I put a coin under the pan. When it comes to baking, I usually pop the pie on the grid shelf on the lowest set of runners in the roasting oven, then check after about 15 minutes and cover with foil if it looks like the pastry is brown enough. Here (#litres_trial_promo) is a general guide to converting the temperatures used in this book for your Aga. (#u45bba318-b166-5f66-8d2b-8a296cc830c8) My son Felix loves this pie. It is super tasty with lots of lovely chunks of meat and thick gravy: a very traditional beef pie. Felix is a solid little carnivore! BEEF WITH CARROTS SERVES 6 1.2kg (2?lb) chuck stewing or braising steak, cut into 4cm (1?in) cubes 1? tbsp plain flour, seasoned with salt and pepper 1 tbsp olive oil 25g (1oz) butter 18 pearl (or ‘button’) onions, peeled and trimmed 300ml (10fl oz) beef stock 1 tsp cayenne pepper or paprika 1 tsp dried thyme 1 handful fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped 1 bay leaf 450g (1lb) carrots, peeled and chopped 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1 egg, beaten 400g (14oz) good-quality butter puff pastry Roll the meat in the seasoned flour. Put the oil and butter into a large pan on a medium to high heat and fry the meat in batches, turning until browned all over but still pink in the middle. Don’t put too much meat in the pan at any one time. Remove the meat and reserve for later. In a pan, boil the onions in the stock for about 10 minutes until they are just tender. Strain, keeping the liquid, and put the onions to one side. Return the meat to the large pan with the cooking liquid from the onions, add the cayenne to the meat and stir through (you can use paprika instead of cayenne pepper for a milder dish). Add the herbs and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover the pan and simmer for 1 hour. Check and stir occasionally, adding a dash of stock if more liquid is needed. After an hour, stir in the carrots, the cooked onions and the Worcestershire sauce. Simmer gently for a further 30 minutes until the meat and the carrots are tender. Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F/Gas 7). Spoon the stew into a pie dish and brush the rim of the dish with a little of the beaten egg. Roll out the puff pastry so it is big enough to cover the pie dish. Place the rolled pastry over the top of the dish, trimming the edges to fit. Press the edges down with your thumb and decorate the pie with shapes cut from the excess pastry. Cut a small hole in the top to let the steam escape and brush the pastry all over with the beaten egg. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. I like to serve this pie with boiled new potatoes and runner beans. Making this pie is a joy, as the smell of the Moroccan spices fills the house. If you like a bit of heat, add a teaspoon of harissa with the spices. It is also fabulous served with saffron mash (see here (#litres_trial_promo)). BEEF WITH BLACK OLIVES SERVES 6 FOR THE FILLING: 2 tbsp olive oil 500g (1lb) chuck stewing or braising steak, cut into 4cm (1?in) cubes 1 tbsp plain flour, seasoned with salt and pepper a knob of butter 3 onions, sliced 6 cloves garlic, chopped 1 handful fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp ground ginger 1 cinnamon stick 400g (14oz) tin plum tomatoes 150g (5oz) black olives, pitted 150ml (5fl oz) water 1 tbsp tomato pur?e salt and freshly ground black pepper FOR THE PASTRY: 250g (9oz) self-raising flour 1 tsp baking powder ? tsp bicarbonate of soda ? tsp salt 2 tsp ground turmeric 100g (3?oz) butter, cubed 100ml (3?fl oz) milk First make the filling. Heat the oil in a large casserole on a high heat. Coat the meat in the seasoned flour and fry until browned all over. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside. Reduce the heat and add the butter to the pan. Stir in the onions and gently stew for 10 minutes or until translucent. Keep checking and stirring to make sure the onions do not burn. Throw in the garlic, parsley and spices, and stir for a couple of minutes. Return the meat to the pan, then pour in the tomatoes, olives and water. Stir through the tomato pur?e. Mash up the tomatoes a bit with your spoon and scrape the bottom of the pan to keep it from sticking. Gently simmer for 2 hours – keep checking to make sure it does not burn or stick to the bottom of the pan and give it a gentle stir; add some more water if it starts to dry out. While the filling is simmering, prepare the pastry. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Rub in the butter between your thumb and fingers until it looks like breadcrumbs. Add the milk a little at a time and combine until you have a soft dough. Depending on the type of flour you are using, you may need a little more or less milk than suggested. Roll the dough into a ball, cover it in cling film and pop it in the fridge until needed. Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F/Gas 7). Once the filling has finished simmering and is an aromatic tender stew with a nice thick rich sauce, remove the cinnamon stick. Taste the filling and season it with salt and pepper accordingly. Pour the mixture into a medium pie dish. Roll out the pastry to make a lid for the dish. Brush the edges of the dish with water so the lid will stick. Cover the dish with the pastry, press down the edges and trim. Cut a small hole in the top to let the steam escape, and bake the pie for 20 minutes. I like to serve this pie with boiled sweet potatoes, tossed in butter and chopped fresh parsley. Robert is the brilliant development chef I work with on my pie range. This is his fabulous rework of the Great British Sunday lunch. BEEF, ALE & MUSHROOM PIE WITH YORKSHIRE PUDDING LID by Robert Barker SERVES 4 FOR THE FILLING: 600g (1lb 5oz) chuck stewing or braising steak, cut into 3cm (1in) cubes 1 bouquet garni 1 small bottle ‘real’ ale (about 300ml/10fl oz) 2 tbsp olive oil 1 large onion, diced 1 clove garlic, diced 2 carrots, peeled and diced 1 stick celery, diced 1 tbsp plain flour 150ml (5fl oz) beef stock or just enough to cover the meat 150g (5oz) field mushrooms, sliced 1 handful fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped salt and freshly ground black pepper FOR THE YORKSHIRE PUDDING LID: 150g (5oz) plain flour 1 tsp salt 2 eggs 300ml (10fl oz) milk 15g (?oz) lard Place the cubed beef and bouquet garni in a large bowl and pour over the ale. Cover with cling film and refrigerate overnight. The next day, strain and dry the beef, reserving the ale and bouquet garni until needed. Heat the oil over a high heat in a large pan. Quickly fry the beef in batches until browned all over, then set aside. Reduce the heat and gently fry the onion, garlic, carrots and celery for about 10 minutes. Stir in the flour, and continue frying and stirring for a further 5 minutes, making sure there are no lumps of flour. Add the reserved ale and bouquet garni to the pan and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half. Then add the stock, browned meat and mushrooms to the pot. Simmer gently for 1? hours, stirring occasionally to make sure the mixture is not burning or sticking to the pan. Discard the bouquet garni, then stir in the parsley and season to taste. Meanwhile, make the Yorkshire pudding batter. Put the flour and salt in a large bowl, then whisk in the eggs one at a time. Add the milk, and whisk until you have a smooth batter. Strain the mixture through a sieve and chill for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F/Gas 7). To cook the Yorkshire pudding lid, heat the lard in the oven for 5 minutes in a tin the same size and shape as the top of the pie dish. Carefully pour the batter into the hot fat and cook in the oven for 30 minutes until risen and golden brown. When ready to serve, simply pour the meat into a pie dish and top with the Yorkshire pudding lid before taking it to the table. Serve with roast potatoes, Brussels sprouts and carrots. Osso Bucco is one of my son Felix’s favourite dishes; one he likes me to make on his birthday! OSSO BUCCO PIE SERVES 4 FOR THE FILLING: 2 tbsp olive oil 4 large slices of beef shin or osso bucco with bones, approx. 2kg (4lb 8oz) in total (see tip (#ulink_428412ae-171a-59bf-a071-48aff42ae4ae)) 1 tbsp plain flour, seasoned with salt and pepper a knob of butter 1 large red onion, chopped 2 carrots, peeled and chopped 1 stick celery, chopped 2 cloves garlic, chopped salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 small glass white wine (about 150ml / 5fl oz) 400g (14oz) tin plum tomatoes 1 small wine glass beef stock (about 150ml / 5fl oz) 2 strips orange peel cut with a potato peeler 1 handful fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped 1 egg, beaten FOR THE PASTRY: 100g (3?oz) prepared suet, such as Atora 200g (7oz) self-raising flour a large pinch of salt 4 tbsp very cold water Heat the oil in a casserole big enough to take the meat all in one layer. Coat the osso bucco in the seasoned flour and fry over a medium-high heat, turning once, until lightly browned on both sides. Remove from the pan and set aside. Reduce the heat, add the butter and gently fry the onion, carrots and celery for 10 minutes. Mix through the garlic and season. Fry for a couple more minutes and then pour in the wine. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to dislodge any flour sticking to the bottom. Simmer for 5 minutes. Throw in the tomatoes, stock and orange peel, giving the tomatoes a bit of a mash with your spoon. Return the meat to the pan, submerging it in the sauce. Leave the pot to simmer gently for 1? hours, stirring from time to time. Add some water if it starts to dry out. Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F/Gas 7). Meanwhile, make the pastry by mixing all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl, using your hands to mix in the water until you have a soft dough. Knead for a couple of minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic. Cover with cling film and set aside. When your meat is extremely tender and beginning to fall off the bone, lift it out of the sauce and put to one side to cool. Simmer the sauce for a further 15 minutes to thicken. Once the meat has cooled, cut it into large chunks and throw out any globby bits you don’t like the look of. Scoop the marrow from the centre of the bones and add to the sauce. Take the sauce off the heat and throw away the orange peel. Stir in the meat and parsley, taste and season again if necessary. Fill an ovenproof dish with the mixture. Roll out the pastry so it is large enough to cover the pie. Brush the edges of the dish with a little of the beaten egg and cover with the pastry lid. Brush all over the top of the pastry with the egg, then press the edge of the pastry down with your thumb or the tines of a fork. Trim any excess pastry hanging over the edge using a sharp knife. Cut two holes in the top to let the steam escape, place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. I like to serve this pie with fried baby courgettes, or with young beetroot leaves. This is a traditional British dish. My parents used to serve it at dinner parties and I thought it was very chic. BEEF WELLINGTON SERVES 6 1kg (2lb 4oz) beef fillet in one piece salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 tbsp olive oil 100g (3?oz) butter 1 onion, finely chopped 250g (9oz) field mushrooms, finely chopped 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 handful fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped and stalks removed 2 tbsp brandy 2 tbsp double cream 375g (13oz) good-quality butter puff pastry 1 egg, beaten Season the beef with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large pan over a high heat. As soon as it is hot, quickly fry the meat until browned all over. Remove the meat from the pan and set it aside on a plate. If you like rare meat, this is perfect; if you prefer it more cooked or it is a thick piece, then brown for longer. Reduce the heat, add the butter to the pan and gently fry the onion for about 15 minutes or until soft. Add the mushrooms and garlic, and cook for a further 15 minutes, stirring from time to time. Stir through the parsley, and then pour in the brandy. Simmer for 5 minutes, then add the cream and stir it through. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the contents to cool. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F/Gas 7). Roll out the pastry into a large sheet that is large enough to wrap the meat in. Spread the cooled mushroom mixture in a layer over the pastry, leaving about 3cm (1in) around the edge. Brush the edge with a little of the beaten egg. Place the meat in the middle and carefully bring together the two long sides of pastry up and over the fillet. Gently pinch the sides together and then roll to make a neat seam at the top. Tuck the pastry flaps under at each end and gently set it in a roasting tin. Brush all over the top of the pastry with a little more of the beaten egg and allow to dry for 10 minutes. Then brush over with egg once more. This gives the pastry shell a bit more strength and will help to stop it falling apart when sliced. Place it in the oven and roast for 20 minutes. Once cooked, remove from the oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes before carving. I love this pie; it is a proper beef pie with gorgeous gravy and masses of flavour, guaranteed to satisfy. I like to serve it with mash and buttered Savoy cabbage. BEEF WITH BUTTON MUSHROOMS & RED WINE SERVES 6 1.5kg (3lb 5oz) chuck stewing or braising steak, cut into 4cm (1?in) cubes 30g (1?oz) plain flour, seasoned with salt and pepper 4 tbsp olive oil 115g (4oz) pancetta, cut into little sticks ? bottle full-bodied red wine, Merlot or Burgundy 300ml (10fl oz) beef stock 1 bouquet garni salt and freshly ground black pepper 20 pearl (or ‘button’) onions, peeled and trimmed 225g (8oz) button mushrooms 30g (1?oz) butter salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 egg, beaten 450g (1lb) good-quality butter puff pastry Coat the beef cubes thoroughly with the seasoned flour. Heat half the olive oil in a large saucepan on a high heat – use an ovenproof saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Fry the pancetta in the oil until browned and remove it from the pan, then add the meat and fry in batches until browned all over, adding a little more oil if necessary. Set the meat aside with the pancetta. Reduce the heat to medium, pour in half the wine and bring to the boil, using a wooden spoon to scrape up the gubbins that have stuck to the bottom. Return the meat and pancetta to the pot. Pour in the rest of the wine and just enough of the stock to leave the top halves of the uppermost pieces of meat showing above the liquid. Add the bouquet garni, stir and season with pepper. Pop the lid on the saucepan and simmer in the oven for 1? hours. Meanwhile, simmer the onions in a small pan in the remaining stock for 5 minutes. Remove the onions and discard the stock. Fry the onions and mushrooms gently in the rest of the oil and the butter for 10 minutes, and then set aside until needed. Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F/Gas 7). Once the meat has finished simmering, remove the bouquet garni and stir the onions and mushrooms through. Taste for seasoning. Spoon the mixture into a pie dish, ensuring the meat is piled high in the centre to support the pastry. Brush the rim of the pie dish with a little of the beaten egg. Roll out the pastry and cover the pie. Trim the pastry around the edge, and press to seal with a fork around the rim. Cut a hole in the top to let the steam escape and brush the pastry all over with beaten egg. Bake the pie in the oven for 30 minutes. Deliciously sweet with a gorgeous rich colour. Adding the sweet potato to the mash makes a nice alternative to just potatoes and is also lovely with bangers. Don’t worry about the alcohol in the lager; it burns off in the cooking. BEEF & BEER PIE WITH SWEET POTATO MASH SERVES 6 FOR THE FILLING: 1kg (2lb 4oz) chuck stewing or braising steak, cut into 4cm (1?in) cubes 1 tbsp plain flour, seasoned with salt and pepper 4 tbsp olive oil 2 knobs of butter 2 large red onions, chopped 6 large carrots, peeled and chopped into 1cm (?in) cubes 300ml (10fl oz) lager 6 juniper berries, crushed 2 sprigs rosemary 2 sprigs thyme 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 2 tbsp soft light brown sugar 300ml (10fl oz) beef stock 1 handful fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped salt and freshly ground black pepper FOR THE MASH: 4 small Maris Piper potatoes, peeled and cubed 2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed 50g (2oz) butter Roll the meat in the seasoned flour. Put the oil into a large pan on a medium to high heat and fry the meat in batches until browned all over. Don’t put too much meat in the pan at any one time or it won’t brown properly. Remove the meat from the pan and reserve for later. Reduce the heat to medium, add the butter, then gently fry the onions and carrots until the onions are soft – about 10 minutes. Return the meat to the pan and add the lager, juniper berries, rosemary, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar and beef stock. Gently simmer for 1? hours, stirring from time to time, and adding more stock if necessary. Meanwhile, make the mash. Boil all the potatoes in plenty of salted water until they are very soft when poked with a sharp knife. Drain the potatoes well and then mash with the butter and plenty of salt and pepper. I use a mouli (pictured here (#litres_trial_promo)) for a lovely lump-free mash. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F/Gas 7). Once the meat is done, remove the herb stalks and stir through the chopped parsley. Taste and season with salt and pepper accordingly. Pour the mixture into your pie dish and top with the mash by spooning large dollops all over, then using the back of your spoon to smooth over until the meat is completely covered. Take a fork and rough the surface of the mash into small peaks, which will become lovely and brown with crispy bits. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes or until piping hot in the middle and golden on top. Serve with buttered runner beans. This pie is served at my brother Tom’s fantastic pub. While I was living in Australia he called me up and in a very excited voice said, “Soph, I’ve bought a pub and named it after you.” “Thanks, that’s so sweet of you,” I replied. He giggled, “Yes. It’s called The Cow.” COW PIE by William Leigh SERVES 6 4 slices of beef shin about 2.5cm (1in) thick (see tip (#ulink_428412ae-171a-59bf-a071-48aff42ae4ae)) about 2 tbsp vegetable oil sea salt and a fully charged pepper mill 4? or 5 large onions, finely sliced into half moons (you want more than you think) 2–3 cloves garlic, finely sliced 2 handfuls button mushrooms, halved and quartered, or 12 shucked oysters (see tip (#ulink_428412ae-171a-59bf-a071-48aff42ae4ae)) 1 monstrous bunch of fresh herbs, including thyme, bay leaves, rosemary, sage, parsley stalks and tarragon (only a touch of rosemary and sage as they are so vicious) 375g (13oz) good-quality butter puff pastry for 1 large pie, or 500g (1lb) for 6 individual pies 1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 tbsp milk This recipe is a corruption of the mighty “Grillade des marinieres du Rh?ne” as taught to me by the highly estimable chef Jeremy Lee. So, to begin with, pop a large pan on the stove over a high heat. It should be big enough to hold all the beef in one layer. Now turn to the beef; rub this lightly with oil and season well with salt and coarsely milled pepper. By this time your pan should be good and hot. Bung in a good glug (more than you expect) of the oil. Don’t worry; we’ll be dumping it later. Then chuck in your beef in one nice even layer. Leave it! Don’t do any cheffy jiggling of the pan and don’t do the housewife “I’ll just take a peek”. Just let it colour for a goodly long time. But don’t by any stretch of the imagination burn it! It should be a good mahogany colour and a little crisp when you eventually flip it. Then repeat on the other side – you won’t be able to get such a good colour or “maillard reaction” on the second side. Then remove the beef and tip away any excess oil, but not quite all. You still need a touch in the pan to cook the rest of the ingredients in. Return the pan to the stove, turn the heat down, then dump in the onions and garlic and season timidly. Allow these to soften ever so slightly for about a minute or two and then add your other ingredients, either mushrooms or oysters, followed swiftly by the beef and the mammoth faggot of herbs. Turn this all around in the pan so the beef is nestled lovingly in mounds of onions. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid or, better still, foil and a lid. Leave on the lowest possible heat for 3 to 4 hours. I normally use the smallest burner on the stove on the lowest setting, with a heat diffuser or tray under the pan. Don’t worry about adding any liquid. That’s the joy of this dish: the beef cooks in the juice from the onions and vice versa. If you add too much liquid, the onions have a tendency to boil and never fully descend to the great rich sludginess you want from them. Now, when the beef is completely cooked through and just falling off the bone and the onions have melted through, leaving a beautiful golden swamp of juice, it is ready to take off the heat. Leave it to cool for an hour or so before attempting to break it up, otherwise you will just end up with white-hot onions dripping down your arm and a mess in the pot. Not fun, believe me! When the beef has cooled slightly, and therefore firmed up a little, break it away from the bone into forkful-sized chunks. Remove any of the skin and discard. Poke out the marrow from the middle of the bone into the onions. Now remove the bouquet garni from the onions and pop the beef back in. Taste it for seasoning and adjust as necessary. The pie filling is now ready. Preheat the oven to 180°–200°C (350°–400°F/Gas 4–6). All you need to do is bang it in a suitable pie dish, either one big one or if you are feeling terribly posh have individual ones. Cover with good puff pastry, egg wash it with a bit of beaten yolk and milk and bang it in a goodly hot oven till puffed and golden. Serve at once with mashed potatoes, or chips if the beery night seems somewhat more appropriate! Tips – Getting the beef shin: You will need to acquire four slices of beef shin, about 2.5cm (1in) thick and cut right through the bone. In Italian they call this “osso bucco”, meaning literally “on the bone”. Your butcher should be able to do this, but may need a bit of notice. The rest of the ingredients should be far simpler to lay your hands on. Using oysters: If you want to make an oyster pie, substitute about 12 rock oysters for the mushrooms. I like to buy the Pacific oysters from Falmouth Bay. Shuck them with an oyster knife, reserving any juice and removing any little bits of shell you find. Pass the juice through a sieve and pop the oysters back into it. Use both the oysters and their juice in the pie. I have only recently started to make lasagne, having been put off by years of school lasagne. But now I like to think of it as a pie made with pasta layers rather than pastry. This is my version. I am sure it is totally wonky, but it tastes great and my kids love it. LASAGNE SERVES 4 HUNGRY ADULTS OR 8 TINY CHILDREN 3 tbsp olive oil a knob of butter 1 red onion, chopped 1 stick celery, chopped 2 carrots, peeled and chopped ? tsp dried thyme salt and freshly ground black pepper 3 cloves garlic, chopped 150g (5oz) chestnut mushrooms, chopped 500g (1lb) beef mince 400g (14oz) tin plum tomatoes 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1 tbsp tomato pur?e 400ml (14oz) beef stock 1 handful fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped 8 lasagne sheets, approx., cooked as directed on the packet (see tip (#ulink_36907bb4-c549-5c11-8238-41e506fec700)) FOR THE B?CHAMEL: 50g (2oz) butter 2 tbsp plain flour 800ml (1? pints) milk, plus a little extra 1 bay leaf ? tsp ground nutmeg 75g (2?oz) Parmesan, grated Heat the oil and butter in a large pot over a medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrots and thyme and fry gently. Grind in plenty of black pepper. Allow everything to gently sizzle away for 10 minutes, giving it the occasional stir. Add the garlic and mushrooms and continue cooking for a further 10 minutes. Stir in the mince with a wooden spoon, breaking it up into largish chunks. Fry it until it has browned and any liquid in the pot has evaporated. Drop in the tomatoes, and add the Worcestershire sauce, tomato pur?e and beef stock, stirring them through. Leave it to simmer gently for 1 hour, checking from time to time to make sure it hasn’t dried out or stuck to the pot, adding more liquid if necessary. Taste and season accordingly. Once the meat mixture has simmered for an hour, remove from the heat and stir in the parsley. Meanwhile, make the b?chamel sauce. Melt the butter in a large pan, stir in the flour and allow it to bubble for a couple of minutes without burning. Pour in all of the milk, add the bay leaf and nutmeg and vigorously whisk the mixture until it is smooth. Let it gently bubble away for 10 minutes, whisking occasionally. Then set it aside until it is needed. Just before using, remove the bay leaf and add three-quarters of the Parmesan and a little extra milk if needed, heating it through gently. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F/Gas 6). To assemble the lasagne, spoon a layer of the meat into a large ovenproof dish, cover with a layer of b?chamel and then a layer of cooked lasagne sheets. Repeat this process, finishing with a layer of b?chamel. Sprinkle the rest of the grated Parmesan on top. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. I like to serve lasagne with a fresh green salad with lots of herbs, and garlic bread. Tip: The exact number of lasagne sheets you use will depend on the size of your dish and how big the sheets are. My wonderful brother Jasper suggested adding horseradish to this pie and indeed it is excellent. It is named in his honour. JASPER’S STEAK & KIDNEY PIE SERVES 4 1 tbsp olive oil a knob of butter 250g (9oz) chestnut mushrooms, sliced 500g (1lb) chuck stewing or braising steak, cut into 4cm (1?in) cubes 300g (10oz) pork kidneys, trimmed and cut into 4cm (1?in) cubes 1 tbsp plain flour, seasoned with salt and pepper 300ml (10fl oz) beef stock 18 pearl (or ‘button’) onions, peeled and trimmed 1 small glass red wine (about 150ml / 5fl oz) 1 tbsp horseradish, either sauce or freshly grated 3 splashes of Worcestershire sauce salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 egg, beaten 300g (10oz) good-quality butter puff pastry Heat half the oil and the butter in a large pan over a medium heat. Drop in the mushrooms and saut? for 10 minutes or until cooked through. Remove them from the pot and set them aside. Add the rest of the oil to the pan and increase the heat to high. Coat the steak and kidneys with the seasoned flour. Fry the steak and kidneys in batches until they have all browned slightly, then remove from the pan and set aside with the mushrooms. Pour the beef stock into a small pan, plop in the onions and boil for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, turn the heat under the large pan back down to medium and add the wine, horseradish and Worcestershire sauce, scraping up any flour that has stuck to the bottom. Let it bubble until you have a thickish sauce. Add the browned meat, mushrooms, onions and beef stock to the sauce and simmer gently for 1? hours. Keep an eye on it and stir occasionally, adding some water if it looks like it is drying out; the mixture should be quite sloppy. Season. Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F/Gas 7). Pour the steak and kidney mixture into a pie dish, making sure that it is pretty full, otherwise it will boil and fail to turn crisp. Brush some of the beaten egg around the rim of the pie dish. Roll out the pastry, cover the pie, trim around the edge and press it down around the rim with your thumb to seal. Decorate the top with shapes cut from the pastry trimmings. Cut a small hole in the top to let the steam escape and brush the top with the beaten egg. Cover with foil and place in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for a further 15 minutes. Serve with roasted vegetables and mustard. My mum’s steak and kidney pudding is like her. It’s the best. This is her delicious recipe. MY MUM’S STEAK & KIDNEY PUDDING by Caroline Conran SERVES 6 You will need a 1-litre (1?-pint) pudding basin FOR THE SUET PASTRY: 100g (3?oz) prepared suet, such as Atora 225g (8oz) self-raising flour a large pinch of salt iced water FOR THE FILLING: 900g (2lb) chuck stewing or braising steak, cut into 3cm (1in) cubes 225g (8oz) beef kidneys, trimmed well and cut into 3cm (1in) cubes 3 tbsp plain flour, seasoned with salt and pepper 50g (2oz) button mushrooms 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce a dash of Tabasco sauce 1 tbsp Chinese oyster sauce a little beef stock (cube is okay) or water freshly ground black pepper First prepare the pastry. Mix the suet, flour and salt in a bowl and, using a tablespoon at a time, slowly add enough iced water to bind. This can be done in a food processor, but don’t over-process the mixture. Cover the pastry with cling film and chill for 20 minutes. Keep about a quarter of the pastry back to make the lid, then roll out the other three-quarters to a thickness of about 3mm / ?in. Butter the pudding basin. Line it with the rolled-out pastry, leaving about 3cm (1in) of pastry hanging over the top. Set aside. Now make the filling by rolling the beef and kidney in the seasoned flour. Mix the meat with the mushrooms and pile it all into the pastry-lined basin. Sprinkle with the Worcestershire, Tabasco and oyster sauces. Pour in enough beef stock or water to fill two-thirds (or slightly more) of the dish. Season the filling with plenty of pepper. Roll out the remaining pastry to make a lid. Cover the filling and fold the edges together to form a seal, pressing the edges of the pastry together lightly. Cut a piece of foil large enough to cover the top of the pudding loosely: the pudding must have room to expand. Hold the foil in place by tying some string around it, just under the rim of the pudding basin. Make a handle by passing the string across the top loosely, two or three times and threading it under the rim-string (see pictured here (#litres_trial_promo)). Fasten it tightly at one side. Set the sealed pudding aside. Fill a large pan with a tightly fitting lid with enough water to come two-thirds of the way up the pudding basin. Bring the water to the boil and lower the pudding into the pan. Cover the large pan with a lid. (The first time I made the pudding I did not remember the lid or even dream that it was essential, silly idiot. After 4 hours the pudding was still more or less raw.) Add more boiling water as it evaporates and boils away and don’t worry if the pudding leaks a bit. Continue topping up the boiling water as necessary for 4 to 5 hours. Lift the pudding out of the pan and remove the foil. Wrap the basin in a white cloth or napkin with the top crust showing, browned and slightly fluffy, over the top of its white linen collar. If the crust has come in contact with the water it will be pale and glistening but still excellent to eat. Serve the fragrant pudding with a big spoon. Accompany with small plainly boiled potatoes and carrots or any vegetable mash, and, if you like it, English mustard. I also like this with cabbage or purple sprouting broccoli. (#u45bba318-b166-5f66-8d2b-8a296cc830c8) This is a pie for hungry folk. It is very meaty with a great tang from the plums. Decorate the top with pastry flowers and leaves for a spectacular feast. VENISON WITH PORT & PLUMS SERVES 8 1kg (2lb 4oz) venison shoulder, leg or neck, cut into 4cm (2?in) cubes FOR THE MARINADE: ? bottle port 8 juniper berries, crushed 2 bay leaves, crumbled 4 cloves garlic, crushed ? red onion, sliced 2 tbsp olive oil salt and freshly ground black pepper FOR THE FILLING: 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp plain flour 150g (5oz) bacon lardons 1? red onions, chopped 1 cinnamon stick 5 large unripe (so they are sour) red plums, halved and stoned FOR THE PASTRY: 100g (3?oz) prepared suet, such as Atora 200g (7oz) self-raising flour 4 tbsp white wine a large pinch of salt 1 egg, beaten Mix the meat with all the marinade ingredients in an airtight container. Leave to infuse for 4 hours or overnight in the fridge. Strain off the marinade and reserve, but throw out the onion and bay leaves. Now make the filling by heating the oil in a large casserole over a medium to high heat. Coat the meat in the flour and fry it in batches until it has just browned on the outside. Once browned, put the meat to one side. Fry the bacon in the same casserole until it starts to brown, then reduce the heat. Add the onions and continue to fry for 10 minutes or until the onions are soft. Don’t forget to stir them now and again, so they don’t burn or get stuck to the pan. Pour the marinade into the casserole and mix it in thoroughly, scraping up all the gubbins stuck to the bottom of the pan. Allow it to bubble away for about 5 minutes until it thickens. Throw in the meat, any juice and the cinnamon stick. Simmer gently for 1? hours. Stir in the plums and allow to cool while you make the pastry. Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F/Gas 7). Make the pastry by mixing the suet, flour, white wine and salt together in a large bowl until you have a soft dough. Add a little more flour if it is sticky or water if it is too dry. Knead the dough for a couple of minutes until it becomes smooth and a little elastic and then set it aside. Spoon the venison mixture into a pie dish. Roll out the pastry to a size large enough to cover the pie dish. Brush the edges of the pie dish with a little of the beaten egg and cover with the pastry. Trim the edges, putting aside any excess pastry. Press down all around the rim with a fork. Cut shapes out of the extra pastry to decorate the top of the pie, cut a small hole in the top of the pie to let the steam escape and brush it again with beaten egg. Place it in the oven and bake for 25 minutes. I like to serve this pie with pommes dauphinoise, carrots and Savoy cabbage. Beautifully spicy and with a wonderful sweetness from the apricots, the herbs in this recipe add a lovely freshness. MOROCCAN LAMB WITH APRICOTS SERVES 4 FOR THE MARINADE: 3 tbsp harissa 2 tbsp olive oil 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice 3 cloves garlic, chopped 10g (?oz) cinnamon sticks 2 tsp sesame seeds Конец ознакомительного фрагмента. Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес». 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