Easy as pie

Angus rump and mushroom pie

For the pastry base:

180g flour

90g butter

40ml cold water

1 egg, whisked

salt

For the pastry topping:

1 sheet of flaky puff pastry, to fit the pie tin

1 egg, whisked

handful of grated cheese

2 tsp sesame seeds

For the filling:

350g Angus rump steak, diced into

1-2cm chunks

4 tbs oil

300g button mushrooms, quartered

2 onions, sliced

3 cloves of garlic, finely diced

1 carrot, peeled and diced

1 stalk of celery, diced

2 tbs thyme, finely chopped

1 tsp dried rosemary

half a cup of tomato paste

200ml red wine

2 cups of beef stock

4 tbs of cornflour, mixed with water to make a paste

salt and pepper

To make the pastry base:

Add the flour, salt and butter to the food processor and mix until it resembles coarse sand. Place mixture in a large bowl, add water and mix until you have a smooth dough. Allow to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
     Once rested, on a floured surface, roll out the pastry to half a centimetre thickness and line a deep pie dish. Put in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.

For the filling:

Preheat oven to 170˚C.

In a high-walled frying pan or large heavy-based pot heat oil and fry the beef. Don’t stir too much, so as to colour the meat well.
     Using a slotted spoon remove the beef and place on a plate to the side. Add mushrooms to the beef on the side plate. Add the onion, garlic, carrot, celery, thyme and rosemary to the pot and fry for five minutes. Return the beef and mushrooms and whatever juices have seeped out back to the pan. Add the tomato paste and fry for three to four minutes. Add the red wine and simmer until reduced by half. Add the beef stock and simmer for 30 minutes until the beef is tender and the stock reduced. Whisk in the cornflour paste, bring back to the boil and simmer for another five minutes. It should be thick and rich in flavour. Check the seasoning.
     Pour the beef mix into the pie case, freezing any leftover mix for another day.
     Top off with the puff pastry, brush with egg wash and sprinkle over the grated cheese and sesame seeds to finish.
     Bake at 170˚C for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown.
     Serve with chunky roast chips and a good-quality tomato relish.

Ham, cheese and pineapple filos

Ingredients:

40g butter

40g flour

250ml milk

1 and 1/2 cups grated cheddar

1 packet of sliced ham, chopped

4 tbs crushed pineapple, well drained

1 packet of filo pastry

100g butter, melted       

To make eight to 10 pies:

Preheat your oven to 170˚C.

In a saucepan, melt the butter, add the flour and cook, stirring constantly until a golden dough has formed. Add the milk and some salt and bring to the boil. Simmer, stirring all the time, until nice and thick. Take the pan off the heat and beat in the cheese until smooth. Mix in the ham and pineapple and set aside in the fridge to cool.
     On a bench, place your filo pastry and keep covered with a cloth so it does not dry out and crack.
     Put one piece on the bench and brush it with melted butter, and then repeat with two more layers. You will now have three layers of filo, each one brushed with butter. Cut the filo layers in half longways. Place two to three spoons of chilled mix onto each piece of filo. Fold each side in on itself and, starting at one end, roll up to the other. You should be left with a fat, cigar-shaped pie. It is important to enclose the sides at the beginning so the mix does not ooze out when cooking.
     Bake on a tray lined with baking paper for 12-14 minutes, or until lightly browned. Because of all the cheese inside, you don’t want to overcook them or they may burst.
     Serve them just as they are, but allow to cool for about five minutes as they will be very hot inside.
     A great afternoon snack for the kids.

Tika masala chicken pie with Indian pastry

For the pastry:

300g plain flour

150g butter, diced and kept cold

pinch of salt

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp curry powder

pinch of turmeric

quarter cup of cold water

For the filling:

4 tbs oil

1 small onion, finely diced

3 cloves of garlic, finely diced

1 small piece of ginger, finely diced

3 coriander stems, with roots, finely diced

2 medium chicken breasts, diced small

3 tbs store-bought tikka masala paste

1/4 cup of cream

3/4 cup diced, roasted pumpkin

small handful coriander leaves, roughly chopped

pinch of sugar

juice of one lemon

salt

1 egg, whisked

2-3 tsp cumin seeds

To make the pastry:

In a food processor combine the flour, butter, salt and spices and blend until it resembles coarse sand. Tip this into a large bowl, add the water and mix by hand until it comes together. Then give it a quick knead, wrap it in plastic and put in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.
     Once rested, roll pastry out to a half centimetre thickness. Using a small side plate and a knife, cut out six circles and place them on a tray in the fridge.

To make the filling:

Preheat oven to 180˚C.

In a medium-sized saucepan heat the oil and gently fry the onion, garlic, ginger and coriander until just softened.
     Add the chicken and tikka masala paste and fry for two minutes, stirring constantly so it does not catch.
     Add the cream and simmer for three minutes.
     In a medium-sized bowl add the tikka mix and fold through the pumpkin, coriander, sugar and lemon juice. Check the seasoning, add a little salt if necessary and set aside to cool.
     Remove the pastry from the fridge and spread out on a lightly floured bench. On one half of the circle place three or four spoonfuls of mix (being careful not to have too much that you can’t fold them over).
     Fold the other half of the circle over onto the filling side so you have a semicircle shape. Starting at one end, make little folds all the way along to seal and enclose the pie.
     Alternatively, press down firmly with a fork all the way along.
     Once all the pies are done, prick once with a fork or knife, wash the tops with whisked egg, sprinkle with cumin seeds and bake at 180˚C for 15-20 minutes. They should puff up and become golden brown.
     Serve with a cucumber raita and a coriander and red onion salad.

Salmon, pea and potato pies

Ingredients:

1 packet store-bought flaky puff pastry

300g fresh salmon fillet, in 1cm chunks

1 tbs extra virgin olive oil

2 tbs fresh dill, roughly chopped

pinch of salt

2 potatoes, peeled, diced and cooked until tender

200g frozen baby peas, defrosted and

lightly pulsed in the food processor

3 tbs Italian parsley, roughly chopped

half a cup of cottage cheese

zest of one lemon

1 egg, whisked

salt

For the pie shells:

On a floured bench spread out your pastry. Using a saucer and a small knife cut out six circles of pastry. Next, using a tea cup and knife, cut six smaller circles of pastry. Set these aside in the fridge.
     You will need a six-portion large-hole muffin tin. Cut six small pieces of baking paper and place them in the bottom of each hole. Spray well with oil. Lie one of the large pastry circles into each hole. Be sure to push into the corners so it does not shrink while baking.

For the filling:

Pre-heat oven to 180˚C.

Mix the salmon with the chopped dill, olive oil and a pinch of salt. Put two teaspoons of salmon in the bottom of each pie. Put one to two teaspoons of cooked potato on top of the salmon.
     Mix the peas with the chopped parsley, a pinch of salt, lemon zest and cottage cheese and place two to three teaspoons on top of the potato. This will give your pie colourful layers when you cut into it.
     Top off with the smaller circle of pastry and fold the overhanging pieces of the large circles in on themselves to enclose the pie. Brush with egg wash and bake in a 180˚C oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
     Serve with steamed greens and aioli.