A pie for summer

Fed up with the same old, same old – here's the thing, I like hot stuff with cold stuff and so the obvious to me is a pie. We still need comfort food in the summer!

It's time for a rummage – in the fridge and the freezer!

I'm sure I've got a shortcrust pastry sheet in the freezer - it's a start. Hmm, the fridge - an odd onion here and the remnants of cheese I've always got in my fridge, yippee, the usual suspects are there - Gruyere, Mature Cheddar and Red Leicester - I think we're getting there, then there's the ever faithful baked jacket potatoes I didn't use. I can feel a pie coming on!

It may be considered as cheating using a ready-made pastry sheet - whether it's with shortcrust or puff. If it's in the freezer then it's a product that's meant to make your life easier and quite frankly both types of sheet are heaven sent when you're in a hurry.

Here's my thrown together recipe :

Rummage Pie – Serves 4

300g grated hard cheese, mixed – whatever

is in your fridge – 125g Mature Cheddar, 125g Red

Leicester and 50g Gruyere

1 medium onion, finely diced and softened

with a knob of unsalted butter until opaque

1 tsp Dijon mustard

4 medium jacked potatoes, baked, peeled and

cut into small cubes

black pepper

1 shortcrust pastry sheet – 320g

1 egg, beaten

Knob of butter for greasing pie dish

To assemble :

Make sure you take your pastry out of the fridge to allow it to “warm up” - you'll find the pastry is easier to use and won't crack. Grease and then line your pie dish with half the sheet – you may need to roll it a little to fit – for guidance my pie dish measured 27x9x5 cms approximately.

Tip the cubed potatoes into a large mixing bowl, season with black pepper. Add the mustard to the softened onion and then mix with the potatoes. Add the grated cheese and your filling is ready for the pie dish. There may seem a lot – pack it firmly – it should be raised above the pie dish before the pastry lid is added. Add your pastry lid, egg wash and fridge until you're ready to bake. Don't discard the beaten egg. Pre-heat your oven 180fan/200c/Gas6, egg wash the pie again and bake for 30 minutes until golden brown.

Note to self – may be add both the shortcrust and the puff pastry sheets to the emergency kit for the freezer?

The bonus here is that this pie equally good served hot or cold with sides of your choice and just think how virtuous you'll feel using up leftovers.

P.s I have it on good authority that for those who are dietarily challenged, Aldi's shortcrust pastry is 99p a box, ready rolled - pretty decent and happens to be vegan. A double whammy - their vegan mature cheese blocks have definitely improved – it melts well compared with the old versions that you tried to melt and just ended up with the texture of wine gums!