Tag: pie

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Zucchini Cheese Pie

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Zucchini Cheese Pie
Zucchini Cheese Pie

500g zucchini, grated
200g feta cheese, crumbed
100g mozzarella, grated
25ml dill, chopped
15ml sliced spring onions
2 eggs
5-6 sheets filo pastry
50g butter, melted

Preheat your oven to 180℃.
Grate the zucchini into a bowl, sprinkle with salt and set aside for 20 min.
Scoop the zucchini into a clean dish towel and twist it as though you are wringing it out, to get rid of the water/moisture.
Add the zucchini, feta and mozzarella to a bowl and mix together.
Add the dill, spring onion and egg and mix thoroughly. Set aside.

Melt the butter and brush a 23cm diameter pie dish on the bottom and sides.
Lay a sheet of filo in the pie dish, allowing it to hang over the sides and brush that with butter as well.
Lay another 4-5 sheets of filo over the first one, overlapping them at different angles and brushing each with the butter.
Spoon the zucchini and cheese mixture into the filo.
Fold the pastry in and around the filling and once brush with the butter.
Bake the pie in the oven for 40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
Serve the pie warm or at room temperature.

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Caramel Pumpkin Tart

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Caramel Pumpkin Tart
Caramel Pumpkin Tart

250ml flour
250ml sugar
5ml salt
750ml cooked, drained pumpkin
60ml butter, melted
250ml cream
3 eggs, lightly beaten together
5ml ground cinnamon

Caramel Sauce:
250ml brown sugar
125ml butter, cubed
60ml milk
5ml vanilla

Preheat your oven to 180℃.
Add the flour, sugar and salt to a mixing bowl, stir to mix and set aside.
Add the pumpkin, butter, cream and eggs to another mixing bowl and beat together with a spatula.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix well.
Scoop the mixture into a 23cm diameter pie dish and level the surface.
Bake in the oven for one hour.
Sprinkle the pumpkin tart with the cinnamon as soon as you take it from the oven.
Set aside to cool somewhat – it is ideal to serve when warm.

Caramel Sauce:
Add the sugar, butter and milk to a small saucepan set over a low heat.
Stir until the sugar has dissolved.
Turn the heat up, do not stir again and bring the mixture to a boil.
Turn the heat down slightly and cook the sauce until it thickens and has lost its wateriness. Keep in mind that the sauce will thicken more as it cools.

Drizzle the pumpkin tart with the caramel sauce and serve.

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Garden Pea Pie

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Garden Pea Pie
Garden Pea Pie

2 x 400g rolls of puff pastry
250ml grated Ementhal cheese
310ml cream
4 eggs
250ml frozen peas, defrosted
5ml salt
egg wash: 1 egg yolk + 15ml water beaten together

Preheat your oven to 200℃ and spray a 26cm diameter pie dish with cooking spray.
Line the bottom and sides of the dish with one of the sheets of pastry. Trim the sides to make it neat and prick the bottom with a fork.
Line the pastry with baking paper, weigh it down with rice/beans and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool.
Turn your oven down to 180℃.
Add the cheese, cream, eggs, peas, salt and a few grindings of black pepper to a mixing bowl and mix together.
Pour the mixture into the baked pastry shell.
Place the second roll of puff pastry on a work surface and cut a 27cm diameter circle from it to form the pie’s lid. Decorate the lid with cut-outs from the scrap pastry if you like.
Place the pastry lid on the pie and lightly brush with the egg wash.
Place the pie in the oven and bake for 50minutes. Start watching the colour of the pastry after 25 minutes or so and place a piece of aluminium foil on top of the pie if it is browning too quickly.
Take the pie from the oven, let it stand for 10minutes and serve.

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Easy Potato and Bacon Pie

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Easy Potato and Bacon Pie
Easy Potato and Bacon Pie

1,5kg potato, peeled and diced
2 onions, sliced
250g bacon, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
250ml grated cheddar cheese
250ml cream
125ml chicken stock
5ml salt
5ml smoked paprika
1 x 400g roll puff pastry
egg wash: 1 egg yolk + 15ml water whisked together

Preheat your oven to 200℃.

Place the diced potato in a large saucepan with water and cook until just soft. Drain and set aside.
Add some vegetable oil to a pan set over medium-high heat and add the onion. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add the bacon and cook until the onion is soft and the bacon is cooked.
Add the garlic and stir-fry for one minute.
Take from the heat and set aside to cool.
Add the cheese to a large mixing bowl.
Pour in the cream and stock and add the salt, paprika and bacon and onion mix.
Stir to mix and spoon into a 28cm x 20cm ovenproof dish.
Lay the pastry flat on a work surface and cut shapes from it with a biscuit cutter.
Place the pastry pieces side-by-side on the pie filling and brush with the egg wash.
Bake in the oven for 25minutes or until golden.
Serve the potato pie straight from the oven.

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Dressed-up Chicken Pie

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Dressed-up Chicken Pie
Dressed-up Chicken Pie

6-9 chicken breasts, skin removed
1 litre chicken stock
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
15ml turmeric
15ml chicken spice
15ml salt
10ml thyme leaves
250ml greek yoghurt
1 x 400g roll puff pastry
egg wash: 1 egg yolk + 15ml water whisked together

Cut the chicken into chunks and add it to a large saucepan.
Pour in the stock and add enough additional water to cover the chicken.
Bring to a simmer and cook for one hour.
Turn off the heat and allow the chicken to cool in the liquid. (This will ensure you have juicy, tender chicken for your pie!)
When it is cool enough to handle comfortably: drain and discard the liquid and pull the chicken meat into shreds.
Preheat your oven to 200℃.
Put a saucepan over medium-high heat and add a splash of oil.
Add the onion and cook until soft.
Add the garlic and stir-fry for one minute.
Now add the turmeric, chicken spice, salt, thyme, yoghurt and shredded chicken and simmer for 20 minutes.
Spoon the mixture into a 20cm x 28cm ovenproof dish and allow to cool.
Lay the pastry flat on a work surface and cut long strips from it that is 2cm wide.
Lay two strips over the cooled chicken, forming an X. Lay another two strips 3mm to the outsides of the X-shape. Keep going until the chicken is covered in a non-weave lattice pattern.
Use a flower shaped cookie cutter to cut multiple pastry flowers and stick them onto the lattice by wetting only with water.
Brush the decorated pastry with egg wash and bake in the oven for 20 minutes, until golden.
Serve warm with a salad.

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Beef and Veg Scone Pie

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Beef and Veg Scone Pie
Beef and Veg Scone Pie

2 onions, chopped
3 carrots, finely diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
50g tomato paste
1kg beef mince (ground beef)
1 aubergine, diced
500ml beef stock
15ml thyme leaves
5ml salt

Scone layer:
60ml vegetable oil
15ml sugar
100ml milk
1 egg
1 x 400g tin of corn kernels
250ml flour
1,2ml salt
8ml baking powder
30ml thyme leaves, chopped

Place a large saucepan on medium-high heat and pour in some vegetable oil.
Add the onion and carrots and cook until the onions are soft.
Add the garlic and stir-fry for one minute.
Add the tomato paste, minced beef and aubergine and stir to break up the mince.
Pour in the stock, add the thyme and salt and simmer for 30 minutes or until the mixture is dry.
Spoon the beef mixture in to a 28cm x 21cm ceramic dish and set aside.

Preheat your oven to 180℃.
Add the vegetable oil, sugar, milk and egg to a mixing bowl and whisk together.
Add the corn kernels, mix through and set aside.
Sift the flour, salt and baking powder into a mixing bowl.
Scrape the corn mixture into the bowl and add the thyme leaves.
Mix through – you will have quite a stiff dough.
Spoon the scone mixture on to the beef mixture and spread it out evenly with the back of a spoon.
Bake in the oven for 45 minutes until golden brown.
Serve the pie with a garden salad on the side.

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Onion Pie

by Karen Claassen1 Comment on Onion Pie
Onion Pie

1 packet frozen puff pastry
30ml olive oil
2 large onions, thinly sliced
5 eggs
125ml milk
125ml cream
5ml salt
15ml onion seeds
250ml grated mature cheddar cheese

Preheat your oven to 190℃ and spray a deep pie dish (or a loose-bottom cake tin) with cooking spray.
Line the pie dish with the pastry. The sides should come up 4cm.
Pour the olive oil into a saucepan set over medium-high heat and add the onions.
Cook until soft, remove from the saucepan and set aside to cool.
Add the eggs, milk, cream, salt and onion seeds to a large jug and whisk together.
Add the grated cheddar to the cooled onions and mix through.
Spoon the onion mixture into the pastry lined baking tin.
Pour the egg mixture over and bake for one hour.
Serve the pie warm with a salad on the side.

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Beef Stroganoff Pie

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Beef Stroganoff Pie
Beef Stroganoff Pie

1kg beef, cut into 2cm cubes
30ml flour
45ml vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
10ml smoked paprika
30ml tomato paste
15ml wholegrain mustard
250ml beef stock
300g brown mushrooms, sliced
80ml + 80ml sour cream
1,2kg potatoes, peeled and quartered
50g butter, cubed

Add the cubed beef to a bowl and sprinkle over the flour.
Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat.
Place a saucepan over medium-high heat and pour in the oil.
Cook the beef in 3 batches, for 5-6 minutes or until browned all over.
Spoon the beef into a bowl and keep on the side.
Add the onion to the saucepan and cook until translucent.
Add the garlic and paprika and stir-fry for one minute.
Add the tomato paste, mustard and stock and bring to the boil.
Return the beef to the saucepan, reduce the heat to low and cover with a lid.
Simmer the beef for one hour, stirring every now and then.
Preheat your oven to 200℃.
Remove the lid, add the mushrooms and simmer without a lid for 30 minutes more.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in 80ml sour cream.
Spoon the mixture into an ovenproof casserole dish.
Cook the potato until very soft, drain and return to its saucepan.
Add the remaining 80ml sour cream and half of the cubed butter and mash together.
Season the mashed potato with salt and pepper.
Spoon the potato on the beef and spread it evenly to cover the beef.
Dot with the remaining butter and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
Stand the pie for 10 minutes before serving.

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Greek Cheese Pie/Tiropita

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Greek Cheese Pie/Tiropita
Greek Cheese Pie/Tiropita

7 sheets Phyllo pastry
butter, melted
250g feta cheese
250g ricotta
15ml milk
15ml olive oil
30ml chopped dill
2 eggs

Preheat your oven to 170℃ and spray a 24cm loose-bottom cake tin with cooking spray.
Place one sheet of phyllo pastry in the cake tin and gently press it into the bottom and sides of the tin.
Brush the pastry with the melted butter.
Repeat the routine with the remaining 6 sheets of pastry, brushing each with butter and rotating the phyllo sheets slightly so that the corners are staggered. Leave the overhang.
Crumble the feta into a mixing bowl and add the ricotta. Mix through.
Add the milk, olive oil and dill and season with ground black pepper.
Add the eggs to a small bowl, whisk together and pour over the cheese mixture.
Stir the mixture really well until thoroughly mixed through.
Spoon the cheese mixture into the prepared baking tin and spread it out evenly.
Turn the pastry overhang in over the filling so that you have an uncovered area of about 5 cm in the centre. Cut the sheets with scissors if they are too long!! The pastry will be doubled over in places in an irregular way but that is how it is supposed to be – we are in Greece after all!!
Brush the top of the pastry with melted butter and bake in the oven for 40 minutes.
Cool the pie for about 10 minutes before slicing it.
Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Steak Pie

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Steak Pie
Steak Pie

Who can say no to a homemade pie? This is a rich and meaty steak pie and definitely one of the ultimate winter comfort foods! Easy to make and freezes well if you need some “food insurance” for later. This recipe makes 2 pies that will feed 6 adults, each.

1,5kg chuck or braising steak, de-boned and cubed
3 onions, finely chopped
2 medium carrots, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, creamed
50g tomato paste
30ml Worcestershire sauce
500 – 750ml water
2 rolls ready-made pastry
Egg-wash: 1 egg and 15ml water whisked together

Cover the bottom of a large heavy-base saucepan with oil and heat over medium-high heat.
Season the meat with salt and add the cubed meat in batches, to brown. Keep the browned meat aside.
Add the onions, carrots, garlic and tomato paste to the same saucepan and fry for 2 -3 minutes on medium heat.
Spoon the meat into the saucepan with the vegetables, add the Worcestershire sauce and enough water to almost cover the meat. Bring to a boil.
Turn the heat down to a slow simmer and cook for 2 – 3 hours. The meat should be very tender and the sauce should be thick and intensely flavoured.
Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Take the saucepan from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
Preheat your oven to 200℃.
Spoon the steak mixture into two pie dishes and set aside.
Dust a work surface with flour and roll the pastry to a thickness of 3mm.
Cut out a circle that is 2cm larger in diameter than that of your pie dish.
Wet the rim of the dish with water and place the pastry over the filling. Lightly push the pastry onto the rim of the dish, to secure.
Cut a slit into the pastry to allow the steam to escape during baking.
Brush the pastry with the egg-wash, place in the oven and bake for 20 – 25 minutes, until golden.
Serve warm.