The dish and the “pie” photos

Homity Pie – the dish

I wouldn't normally use a foil pie dish, in the interests of recycling and climate change et al but when I do I re-use them – just a thought!

a dish fit for purpose!

with the pastry lining

and then the filling

cooked and ready to eat!

Perfect with salady bits and pieces for summer ...

When is a pie not a “pie”?

Quite simply a pie is not a “pie” when it doesn't have a pastry lid.

I normally make Homity Pie for special occasions – my recipe serves 12-16 depending on the size of slice! I decided to make the same amount of pastry but scale down the filling – I freeze the remainder for another day – here goes :

Homity Pie – makes 2

Pastry

200g plain wholemeal flour

100g unsalted butter

pinch of baking powder

ice cold water to bind

Rub the butter into the flour and baking powder until it resembles breadcrumbs, then gradually add a glug of water and use and round bladed knife to bring the pastry together.

You can use a processor if you prefer – I'd then tip the pastry directly onto clingfilm and bring it together to form a ball, then wrap and rest it in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Ahead of the game

Bake 3 large jacket potatoes, then cool, peel and dice finely

and place in a large mixing bowl

250g onions, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic – finely chopped or roasted

paste

1.5 tbsp rapeseed oil

salt and black pepper

2.5 tbsp of freshly chopped parsley – 1.5 tbsp for the

filling and 1 for the topping – use less if you are

using dried

150g of grated cheese – I use a mixture of mature

Cheddar, Gruyere and Red Leicester – 100g for the

filling and 50g for the topping

Sauté the onion and garlic in the oil, add to the potatoes and season with salt and black pepper. Add the cheese and parsley, mix thoroughly.

Roll out your pastry and line a greased pie dish measuring 18x14x4 cms (7x5½x1½”) .

Tip your potato mixture into the pastry case and pack it down tightly and flat – it will look as if you'll never get all the filling into the case – persevere – you will succeed.

Top with the remaining cheese and parsley.

Bake in a pre-heated oven – 190fan/170c/Gas 7 for 40 minutes – check after 20 minutes.

Next up … the “pie” photos

The filling and the final fotos!

Serves 2

2 medium sized baked jacket potatoes

approximately 400g – peeled and cut into cubes

measuring 1.5cms/½”

1 medium onion, finely diced and

sautéed with a knob of unsalted butter and

a drop of rapeseed oil until softened – 5 minutes

add 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard to the onion

150g of grated cheeses – 50g each of Mature

Cheddar, Red Leicester and Gruyere

Black pepper

1 amount of Fast Flaky Pastry

1 egg, beaten for egg wash

1 circular foil pie dish – 18cms/7” in diameter and

4cms/1½” deep

Using a large mixing bowl add the potatoes and onions and mustard – season with black pepper. Fold in the cheeses.

On a lightly floured surface roll out your pastry – dust your rolling pin too. Roll out as evenly as you can turning the pastry as it takes shape – always roll backwards and forwards and quarter turns so that it keeps to a circle. If you roll side to side you'll stretch the pastry and it will shrink when cooking!

Tip the filling into the pie dish – it will seem like a lot – pack down firmly. Egg wash the rim of the dish and then gently lift the pastry lid on top of the filling. The egg wash will glue the pastry in place and you can press the lid onto the filling gently. You can use a sharp knife to remove any excess pastry then, using a pastry fork edge the pie. Egg wash the pastry and add two cuts in the centre of the pastry to vent the pie.

Bake in a pre-heated oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6 for 35 minutes.

Here are the final fotos :

the pastry lid, taken from the freezer

the filling in the portable foil tray

the pastry lid – rolled out, edged, vented

and egg washed

the pie straight from the oven

inside the pie

Scrumdiddlyumptious!

Ta dah - Rummage pie – photo guide

It tasted as good as it looked.

What's not to love.

P.s. You don't have to stick to the exact “recipe” for the cheese, it's just what you've got in the fridge that needs using up – but note that it's hard cheeses suitable for grating.

Easy Peasy and a few ideas too!

The pie filling and the fotos!

Serves 2

2 medium sized baked jacket potatoes

approximately 400g – peeled and cut into cubes

measuring 1.5cms/½”

1 medium onion, finely diced and

sautéed with a knob of unsalted butter and

a drop of rapeseed oil until softened – 5 minutes

add 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard to the onion

150g of grated cheeses – 50g each of Mature

Cheddar, Red Leicester and Gruyere

Black pepper

1 amount of Fast Flaky Pastry

1 egg, beaten for egg wash

1 circular foil pie dish – 18cms/7” in diameter and

4cms/1½” deep

Using a large mixing bowl add the potatoes and onions and mustard – season with black pepper. Fold in the cheeses.

On a lightly floured surface roll out your pastry – dust your rolling pin too. Roll out as evenly as you can turning the pastry as it takes shape – always roll backwards and forwards and quarter turns so that it keeps to a circle. If you roll side to side you'll stretch the pastry and it will shrink when cooking!

Tip the filling into the pie dish – it will seem like a lot – pack down firmly. Egg wash the rim of the dish and then gently lift the pastry lid on top of the filling. The egg wash will glue the pastry in place and you can press the lid onto the filling gently. You can use a sharp knife to remove any excess pastry then, using a pastry fork edge the pie. Egg wash the pastry and add two cuts in the centre of the pastry to vent the pie.

Bake in a pre-heated oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6 for 35 minutes.

Here are the final fotos :

the pastry lid, taken from the freezer

the filling in the portable foil tray

the pastry lid – rolled out, edged, vented

and egg washed

the pie straight from the oven

inside the pie

Scrumdiddlyumptious!

Editor's July Pick #3: The Cornish pasty recipes – the filling

Editor's note: Onwards to the fun part of the collection - the filling! Now as is usual I run before I can walk and immediately think of 20 odd things to stuff in pastry but it is worth sticking with the original if it's your first time having a go! Save the experimentation until after you've walked for a while! I am speaking from experience!

The Cornish pasty recipes – the filling

The traditional filling – per pasty

50g/2oz onion

50g/2oz turnip or swede

100g/4oz beef skirt, blade or chuck steak

150g/6oz sliced potatoes

salt and black pepper

Make sure the meat is free of fat and cut into similar sized pieces ¼” (6mm) and ensure that the turnip and onion is too. Cut your potatoes into quarters and then finely slice. You can submerge the potatoes in a bowl of cold water until you're ready to mix your filling together – drain and pat dry. Slice the onion and turnip to a similar size.

You have two options, layer each of the ingredients and season as you go then complete with a layer of potato. Don't salt the last layer, you'll affect the taste of the pastry.

Alternatively place all your ingredients in a large mixing bowl, season and mix well, cover and set aside to rest whilst you're rolling out the pastry. This option allows the ingredients to absorb all the flavours.

That's the recipe for a pasty with meat, here's mine without :

Veggie Pasty filling

sufficient for two pasties

100g/4oz leek

100g/4oz onion

150g/6oz sliced potatoes

celery salt

black pepper

dried parsley

As with the previous recipe, ensure that the veggies are sliced to a similar size – ¼”/6mm. I used a new potato – the Gold, a Charlotte would be perfect too. The reason I used a new potato is that I wanted there to be evidence of the potato with the other veggies and not a mush. It's more appropriate with the meat and potato that an “old” variety of potato is used to combine with the meat and other ingredients. Mix the veggies together and season well.

More photos up next and the end is in sight!

More crowd pleasers!

Crowd pleasers – with “comfort” thrown in, hints and tips too to make life easier.

Russian Fish Pie – a reminiscence

This recipe takes me back – to my school days – now I've refined it into a treat or even a dinner party dish!

Russian Fish Pie is not your everyday dish, it's a treat. Recent research shows me that it is very similar to Coulibiac – also Russian in origin. The original pie consisted of cod in a stiff parsley sauce placed in the centre of a puff pastry square, glued with egg wash and brought together to form four triangles all in one. My preference is to use a mornay sauce and to use a variety of fish.

Here's my version :

Russian Fish Pie

Serves 4

1 x 500g packet of puff pastry

Pre-heat oven 160fan/180c/Gas 4

Approximately 500g of mixed fish –

smoked cod loin, salmon, and prawns.

¾ pint/450 ml milk

¼ pint/150 ml cream (you don't have to use

cream, increase to 1pint of milk if preferred)

salt, 8 black pepper corns

bay leaf

50g unsalted butter

50g plain flour

1 tsp Dijon or wholegrain mustard

150g (75g each) Red Leicester and Mature Cheddar cheese, grated

Roll out your pastry into a large square (approximately 24cm x 24cm) and place on a non stick (or greased and lined) baking sheet.

Poach your fish in the milk and cream, season with salt, black peppercorns and bay leaf on a medium heat for 5/10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets. Remove the fish, flake, allow to cool and set aside in a large bowl. Strain the liquor.

Melt the butter and add the flour to form the roux and cook for 2/3 minutes then gradually add the poaching liquor and cook the sauce on a low heat for about 10 minutes until the sauce thickens (it should coat the back of your spatula) add grated cheeses and mustard. The sauce should be stiff. Set aside to cool.

Tip half the sauce over the flaked fish, add the prawns and fold gently so that all your fish is coated. Reserve the remaining half of the sauce to pour over the pie.

Using a slotted spoon place the mixture in the centre of the pastry. Egg wash the edges and pinch together to form 4 triangles in a square. Egg wash the completed pie and bake in the oven for 40 minutes – check after 30 minutes. Cut into 4 individual triangles and serve.

Russian or not it's really moreish and the portions are generous so think carefully about what you would serve with it – a spot of fusion as an idea – a winter coleslaw I think would go very well – the rich pastry and filling with a crispy, crunchy fresh slaw – you could even kid yourself that it's healthy – ish! In reality it's about as far from Russia as you'll ever get. The recipe probably came from Coulibiac – a Russian dish consisting of salmon, rice, mushrooms, onions and dill encased in pastry.

Notes :

I always make more mornay sauce than required for the fish – it's an indulgence to have extra to pour over the pie.

An optional extra is to add chopped hard boiled eggs.

If you are using cooked, peeled prawns don't add them until you are mixing your sauce with your cooled cooked fish.

The pie fillings – the fish pie

This recipe is flexible – deliberately using a key ingredient already baked, from your stash of ready cooked baked potatoes. You can make the sauce ahead and bake the fish too, enabling you to pull each element together without effort!

Fast Fish Pie

Serves 4

2 large baking potatoes – stab carefully with a

paring knife, wrap in foil and bake for 1 hour at

180fan/200c/Gas 6 – already done!

Set aside to cool then slice thinly – skin on or

off – personal choice

500g of fresh fish, wrapped in foil and baked for

15 minutes

If you want to cook ahead you could bake your

fish for the last 15 minutes of your potato baking

time – don't forget to use your timer!

Cool the cooked fish and then place in a sealed

container ready to use

Your fish can be a mixture of whatever you choose – for example, mix smoked haddock or cod with salmon and prawns – it's whatever floats your boat – pardon the pun. If you're using cooked peeled prawns as part of your 500g of fish then don't add them until you're assembling your pie.

Next up the sauce for your fish :

Mornay Sauce

Serves 4-6

40g unsalted butter

40g plain flour

600ml of milk – I use semi skimmed

150g mature Cheddar cheese

(or a combination of Cheddar and Gruyere)

1 tsp Dijon mustard

salt and black pepper

Melt the butter in a pan and stir in the flour. Cook gently for a minute, stirring and add the mustard – make sure you don't brown the mixture. Gradually add the milk whisking constantly and eventually bring to the boil, whisking until it's smooth and thick. Lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes, then add the cheese and season. I'd taste before you add salt – there's salt in the cheese – adjust accordingly. Your sauce should be a stiff consistency.

You can make the sauce ahead, fridge or freeze.

Assembly, plus hints and tips up next …

Fast Fish Pie – assembly, plus hints and tips

When you're ready to assemble, preheat your oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6.

You can use foil trays – 24x24cms to serve 4 or smaller if you want individual servings, otherwise a square casserole.

Open up your foiled fish and tip it into a large mixing bowl. Break the fish into chunks, gently, then season with black pepper.

If you're using cooked, peeled prawns, now is the time to add them – if you're using frozen prawns make sure they are properly defrosted in the fridge and discard any defrosting liquor.

There will be jelly from the cooked fish – discard or include – it's all flavour and will combine with the sauce you've made. If you've not used any smoked fish then you may want to add a sprinkle of salt. Add your Mornay sauce and fold to mix, gently.

Tip the mixture into your tray or casserole.

Add the sliced cooked potatoes, add a knob or two of butter and ground black pepper. If you're feeling really decadent then sprinkle grated Parmesan over the top.

Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown.

Serve with vibrant fresh veggies, preferably steamed or, dare I say, with a coleslaw or, if feeling really Northern, mushy peas!

A final word on fish.

Some may say it's extravagant to use cod loin in a fish pie – they'd be right. However if you're trying to convince your family to eat fish it would be a good idea to use a fish that doesn't have any bones. Using smoked fish with non-smoked gives a far less “fishy” taste. Shop smart if you can and a reminder that Aldi's range of fish – including cod and haddock loin too – is excellent and the best value. The trick here is the delicious strong cheese sauce. Tick, tick and tick!

Oh and by the way the Dijon mustard is optional but it does give an excellent zing so worth a try even if you're not a fan of mustard generally. It adds flavour without blowing your head off.

My final tip - each of the elements for this filling and the pie as a whole can be made ahead, all that remains is assembly, and whilst I probably shouldn't be advocating eating supper in front of Netflix all that's required is a deep bowl and a fork – delicious comfort food!

Dust off your slow cooker for delicious melt in the mouth chicken pie filling!

One of my old favourites – slow cook a

whole chicken – an “instant” mid week roast

and leftovers too

If you're serving four as a main then you'll get sufficient

chicken left to use for a soup

If you're serving two as a main then you'll get sufficient

chicken left to make a pie filling or shredded chicken

in pasta and a sauce using the stock

Check out the bargains and deals – you'll usually find a chicken! Rocket science it ain't but if you want to make the most of your good deal with a chicken then let the slow cooker take the strain and do the cooking for you - that's two massive ticks!

Slow Cook a Whole Chicken

1 chicken – between 1.5kg – 1.75kg

1 chicken stock pot

2 tsps of garlic paste or 1 garlic stock pot

generous sprinkle of oregano or garlic

Italian seasoning

Alternatively use two whole star anise in the cavity

and omit the herbs

Place your chicken in the slow cooker and mix the stock pot with the garlic paste and spread over the chicken. Sprinkle with the herbs or add the whole star anise to the cavity and omit the herbs. Switch your slow cooker to the low setting and leave it for 8 hours.

Strain the stock and freeze the resultant liquid gold, strip the chicken, keeping aside what you need and then bag and freeze the remainder.

One thing is for sure, slow cooking a whole chicken means you get the best value and you'll use every morsel – it's the perfect food!

The Pie

Here's the result :

Chicken & Mushroom Pie

2 x slow cooked chicken breasts and/or

a mixture of leg and thigh meat -

400g in total, diced and placed in

a large bowl

250g chestnut mushrooms

Sauce Supreme – using your

chicken stock

Sliced cooked baked potatoes – 3 medium size

skin on or skin off, whichever you prefer

salt and black pepper and a dot or two of

butter

Preheat your oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6.

Ensure that your chicken and stock have been taken from your best friend (the freezer) and fridged overnight.

There are only two elements to cook – the mushrooms and the sauce.

Heat a medium sized frying pan, slice the mushrooms and sauté with 50g of unsalted butter adding salt and black pepper. Turn the mushrooms – they'll produce water and the idea is that you use a high heat to reduce the liquid. Add a glug of dry sherry or red wine and reduce again. The sherry or wine enhances the flavour of the mushrooms. Whilst I'm at it don't be afraid to use mushrooms that might be past their “best before” date. They have more flavour.

Your sauce recipe :

15g unsalted butter

15g plain flour

½ tsp Dijon mustard

200ml double cream

salt and black pepper

Melt the butter, take the pan off the heat, add the flour and whisk. Return to the heat and cook out the flour for 2-3 minutes, stirring continuously making a roux sauce – do not walk away.

Tip your cold stock straight into the roux and whisk until smooth, then cook on a low heat for 30 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper.

Add the mustard and the cream and simmer for 5 minutes.

You can make the sauce ahead and freeze it if more convenient – it's every bit as good from the freezer, leaving only the mushrooms to sauté on the day.

You have choices for your pie lid. I'm using the potatoes you already have in your fridge from the “whilst I'm at it, I might as well” applied principle.

You could use the ever popular puff pastry sheet, again taken from your freezer stash. A third option would be to use the 3p topping from The Tickle Tray, Panko crumbs, Parmesan and Parsley.

Add the mushrooms to the chicken and then fold through the sauce. Pour the filling into a casserole measuring 23x23 cms approximately or, in my case, a foil tray - layer the sliced potatoes over the top, add a little salt and pepper and a dot or two of butter. Place in the oven for 25 minutes and serve.

Feedback and photos on their way.

here's the topping

… “the chicken pie was to die for … sublime … and lovely”.

Definitely worth adding to your culinary repertoire – keep it simple or zhuzh it by serving in individual pots as a main course for a dinner party – complicated it ain't!

Editor's December Pick #15 - Cheesy Lattice Pie - My version

Editor's note: Now for this selection I'm just going to let the photos do the talking. If like me, you have to know how to make your own, then the recipe is here: http://www.miammiamcookery.com/2021/01/cheesy-lattice-pie-my-version.html

The first bite really is with the eyes!

My version - photo guide

Here they are :

shallots, finely diced sweated

with the garlic and sweet paprika

add the cheese, potato and parsley

ready to go!

with the lattice top and egg washed

baked and ready to inhale!

The pie plan - Cheese, potato and onion filling

It's no surprise that both these pies already figure on the blog – what I suppose it shows is their popularity – it's the simple things in life.

This filling is easy peasy, just three elements all of which can be made ahead, bagged, boxed and then fridged!

Serves 4

4 medium sized baked jacket potatoes, peeled

and cut into cubes measuring 1.5cms/½”

approximately

2 medium onions, finely diced and

sautéed with a knob of unsalted butter and

a drop of rapeseed oil until softened – 5 minutes

add 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard to the onion

300g of grated cheeses – 100g each of Mature

Cheddar, Red Leicester and Gruyere

Black pepper

you'll need a pie dish – measuring 23x23x5cms/9x9x2”

foil or ceramic – ceramic if you're serving at the table

Using a large mixing bowl add the potatoes, onions and mustard – season generously with black pepper. Fold in the cheeses.

Both the pie fillings benefit from being made a couple of days ahead and then fridged until you're ready to complete.

All that remains is the pastry!

The pie plan!

As you'd expect I'm cooking ahead – the steak and kidney was slow cooked on Thursday, cooled, bagged and fridged, ready to pull together.

To make life easier, here are the recipes for both pie fillings – first up :

Steak and Kidney Pie filling

1kg/2.2lbs braising steak or stewing steak, cubed

275g/10oz lambs kidneys, diced

glug of rapeseed or Canola oil

2 x Knorr beef stock pots

2 heaped tbsp tomato paste

2 cloves of roasted garlic or fresh crushed garlic

salt and black pepper

You'll need a pie dish measuring 23x23x5cms/9x9x2”

Brown and season the steak in a large frying pan, using a drop of rapeseed oil – do this in small batches – if you don't you'll get grey looking meat, it will take ages and it will stew. Using a slotted spoon pop the browned meat into the slow cooker. Toss the kidneys in a little plain flour then brown in the frying pan and add to the steak in the slow cooker.

Dissolve the stock pots, gently, in the residual pan juices, then add the tomato paste – make sure the paste is properly melted and “cooked out” - if you don't do this you'll have a bitter taste. Add a glug of water to the melted stock pots and the tomato paste, stir well to combine, repeat until your pan is two thirds full. Bring to the boil and then tip – carefully – into the slow cooker. The “gravy” should cover the steak and kidney – if it doesn't top it up with boiling water. Slow cook for on low for 4 hours. If your gravy is too thin – it's personal choice - add a little slaked cornflour and thicken to taste. If you decide to thicken the gravy then I'd take the steak and kidney out of the gravy before thickening. It might seem a bit of a faff but it's worth it – the meat won't break up.

Set the slow cooked steak and kidney aside and fridge until you're ready to roll.

Now for the Cheese, Potato and Onion filling ...

The second “grown up” sauce …

… is Tarragon. This sauce uses cream and butter and is not as thick as the Calvados Cream Sauce since it's not made with a roux base. Its “grown up” element is Vermouth or dry white wine if you don't have Vermouth in your wine cellar! I use Noilly Prat as my Vermouth of choice – France's first and has been in existence since 1855.

For a pie filling that's a cut above and compliments the sauce, seal 600g diced chicken fillet together with two finely sliced leeks.

Here's the sauce recipe :

Tarragon Sauce

Serves 4

Bunch of spring onions, finely diced

1 tsp dried tarragon

Fresh tarragon – chopped – approx 2 tbsp

160ml/¼ pt/5 fl oz approx Vermouth or dry white wine

½ tsp of sea salt flakes or celery salt

240ml/8fl oz double cream

white pepper

drop of Rapeseed oil/Canola and a knob of butter

**optional variation – mash 2 cloves of roasted

garlic paste into a Knorr chicken stock pot

it's delicious – if you like garlic!

600g diced chicken fillet

2 finely sliced leeks

seal in a drop of rapeseed oil and

then set aside

Heat the oil and butter in a large frying pan, add the onions and then dried tarragon. **Add the mashed garlic and stock paste at this stage. Add the Vermouth, let it bubble up, add salt, add the cream and fresh tarragon and finally white pepper. Add the sealed diced chicken fillet and the leeks and simmer gently for 20/25 minutes.

If you'd prefer a veggie version then substitute the diced chicken fillet with Quorn pieces – they take 12 minutes from frozen to cook, so you'll need to tweak the method. Seal the leeks with the onions and dried tarragon at the beginning of the recipe and then continue, simmering the sauce for 8 minutes, adding the Quorn pieces and cooking for the remaining 12 minutes.

Whether you choose chicken or Quorn your pie filling is ready to use when you are, all that remains is your lid of choice and you'll need 500g of pastry or cooked jacket potatoes from your stash.

Hints and tips

If you wanted the sauce a little thicker add a heaped teaspoon of slaked cornflour gradually to your sauce whilst at the simmering stage at the end of the recipe, to the thickness required.

“Slake” is to mix, in this instance cornflour, with cold water and then add it to a simmering sauce, gradually, to thicken it.

This sauce is versatile and in its original state makes a delicious drizzling sauce over chicken or any poultry and veggie alternatives of course.

Sauce ideas to suit everyone I hope, however, I should say that tarragon has an aniseed flavour so if you're not a fan this may not be for you.

Next – carrying on where I left off …

Grown up sauce ideas … with fillings too

Here are a couple of other sauces you might like – both “grown up” in that they include alcohol and the pie fillings to match. The first sauce uses the “roux” principle, the second does not.

First up, the filling. If you're using your slow cooker these days, you could create a pie filling using diced pork shoulder – sealing it and slow cooking until melt in the mouth tender. Slow cook 600g of diced pork shoulder for 4 hours - serves 4-6. You can use the stock from the slow cooked pork in the sauce recipe – make sure the stock is chilled. The slow cooking can be done ahead, to suit your timetable and then set aside and fridged until required.

For the Calvados Cream Sauce :

Calvados Cream Sauce

15g/¾ oz unsalted butter

15g/¾ oz plain flour

1 tsp garlic paste or 1 clove, crushed

glug (2 tbsp) of Calvados

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

200ml/7 fl oz stock

300ml/½ pint/10 fl oz double cream

salt and black pepper

Melt the butter, take the pan off the heat, add the flour and whisk. Return to the heat and cook out the flour for 2/3 mins, stirring continuously – add the garlic paste and mustard and then, on a high heat, add the Calvados and cook for 1-2 mins. Add the cold stock straight into the sauce and whisk until smooth, then cook on a low heat for 10 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper. Add the cream and simmer gently for 20 minutes.

Set aside to cool, then fridge.

You will need 500g of pastry for your lid of choice.

All that remains is for the sauce to be added to the pork and then placed in your casserole or pie dish, add your lid of choice, egg wash and then bake for 25 minutes in a pre-heated oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6 to cook the lid – the filling is pre-cooked. You may have leftover sauce which is great – serve in small jugs as extra “gravy”!

The second sauce coming up …

Deliberately creating leftovers …

for a Root Veggie Pie filling - “RVP”. The following recipe ticks more than one box. It makes use of the space in your oven when it's already on – for example if you're treating the family to a roast this weekend - you can prep a pie filling whilst you're at it!

The RVP began life as a vegetarian Christmas Dinner for me and I made it using veggies I loved.

Back to the roast – use whatever root veggies you love – the list is endless, celeriac, squash, leeks, swede, turnip – roast 900g approximately but it doesn't need to be exact. What does matter is that your veggies are of a similar size, they'll roast evenly and prevent a trip to the dentist!

I chose the parsnips, carrots and potatoes because I'm using them for the roast dinner, so all I'm doing is prepping extra of each.

Root Veggie Pie

Serves 4-6

300g/11oz carrots

300g/11oz parsnips

300g/11oz potatoes

top, tail, peel and then cut into a dice – 2.5cms/1” approximately

1 large onion, finely chopped

celery salt and black pepper

4 tbsps of rapeseed oil

large knob of butter, cut into 4

3 garlic cloves, peeled or 3 cloves already roasted

(optional)

a roasting tray or casserole dish if you prefer

measuring 33x23x5cms/13x9x2”

Tip all the veggies into the roasting tray, drizzle the rapeseed oil over the veggies, season well and then, using your hands, toss the veggies so that they are coated in the oil. Add the butter.

Pre-heat your oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6.

Roast the veggies (set your timer) for 20 minutes, turn and repeat. Use a paring knife to test, the knife should move through the veggies easily. If you meet resistance roast for a further 10/15 minutes and test again.

Set aside to cool, cover and fridge.

Next up – choose a lid!

An all time favourite ...

 ... the Cheese, potato and onion pie filling.

This recipe never fails and is so versatile – you don't have to make a pie – there's always a pasty! It gives another example too of the merits of baking jacket potatoes ahead and uses for that stash.

Serves 2

2 medium sized baked jacket potatoes

approximately 400g – peeled and cut into cubes

measuring 1.5cms/½”

1 medium onion, finely diced and

sautéed with a knob of unsalted butter and

a drop of rapeseed oil until softened – 5 minutes

add 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard to the onion

150g of grated cheeses – 50g each of Mature

Cheddar, Red Leicester and Gruyere

Black pepper

1 amount of Fast Flaky Pastry

(as given in “More pastry choices”)

1 egg, beaten for egg wash

1 foil pie dish – 18cms/7” in diameter and

4cms/1½” deep

Using a large mixing bowl add the potatoes and onions and mustard – season with black pepper. Fold in the cheeses.

On a lightly floured surface roll out your pastry – dust your rolling pin too. Roll out as evenly as you can turning the pastry as it takes shape – always roll backwards and forwards and quarter turns so that it keeps to a circle. If you roll side to side you'll stretch the pastry and it will shrink when cooking!

Tip the filling into the pie dish – it will seem like a lot – pack down firmly. Egg wash the rim of the dish and then gently lift the pastry lid on top of the filling. The egg wash will glue the pastry in place and you can press the lid onto the filling gently. You can use a sharp knife to remove any excess pastry then, using a pastry fork edge the pie. Egg wash the pastry and add two cuts in the centre of the pastry to vent the pie.

Bake in a pre-heated oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6 for 35 minutes.

Double the quantities to serve 4 and use either a square foil tray or a casserole measuring 24x24cms/9½x9½”.

If you'd like an alternative lid, you could tray the wholemeal pastry for a change.

Next, a filling created by deliberately roasting extra veggies ...