British Pie Week Recipes

Why did the pie go to the dentist? He needed a filling 😉

To celebrate British Pie week, here are some hearty home-made recipes for you all to try. 

Chicken, Mushroom and Bacon Slab Pie (Olive)

Ingredients 

• chicken stock 500ml
• chicken breasts 750g
• olive oil
• chestnut mushrooms 400g, cut in quarters or eighths depending on size
• butter 25g
• streaky bacon 6 rashers, chopped
• leeks 2, sliced
• plain flour 2 tbsp
• double cream 3 tbsp
• Dijon mustard 1 tsp
• flat-leaf parsley a small bunch, chopped
• ready-made shortcrust pastry 1 kg, (use 2 x 500g blocks)
• egg beaten to glaze

Method

1. Heat the chicken stock to a simmer in a pan. Add the thighs, then cover and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the thighs and cool. Strain the stock into a measuring jug until it reaches 400ml.

2. Heat a tbsp of olive oil in a large, deep frying pan then add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until tender. A lot of liquid will come out during cooking but keep going and eventually it will evaporate and the mushrooms will become golden.

3. Scoop out the mushrooms from the pan, wipe it out, then add the butter and fry the bacon for 3-4 minutes or until golden. Add the leeks and cook for 5-6 minutes or until softened. Sprinkle over the flour and stir into the mixture, then cook for 2-3 minutes. Gradually stir in the measured chicken stock then simmer for 5 minutes or until thickened. Stir in the cream and mustard and take off the heat. Chop the chicken thighs into chunks then stir into the sauce with the parsley and mushrooms. Season well and leave to cool a little while you get the tray ready.

4. Heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Roll out 1/2 the pastry and use to line a 2.5cm-deep, 24cm x 34cm non-stick baking tray, leaving the excess overhanging. Tip in the filling and spread out evenly.

5. Roll out the rest of the pastry to make a lid for the pie. Brush the edges of the bottom pastry with beaten egg then lay the lid on top. Gently press to seal then trim both pieces of pastry, leaving a border of 2cm. Roll this back in on itself so you have a sausage all around the tin. Crimp the sausage between your fingers to seal. Brush all over with egg and pierce a couple of holes in the middle.

6. Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes or until deep golden and crisp. Sit for 10 minutes before cutting into squares to serve.

Chicken and Ham Pie (Olive)

Ingredients

• olive oil 2 tbsp
• 4 chicken breasts 
• leeks 2, sliced
• plain flour 50g, plus extra for dusting
• chicken stock 200ml
• thick-cut ham 150g, cut into bite-sized pieces
• parsley a handful, chopped
• crème fraîche 200g
• shortcrust pastry 375g
• egg 1, beaten

Method

1. Heat the oil in a deep frying pan, season the chicken thighs and fry for 4 minutes on each side until lightly golden. Transfer to a plate using a spatula. Add the leeks to the pan and fry for 5 minutes until soft, then sprinkle over the flour and stir.

2. Pour in the stock and bring to a simmer. Slice the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces (don’t worry if they’re not completely cooked through). Stir the chicken, ham and parsley into the leek mixture, then stir through the crème fraîche. Simmer for a 1-2 minutes until thickened and the sauce coats the chicken. Remove from the heat.

3. Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Roll the pastry out to a 5mm thickness on a floured work surface. Spoon the filling into a pie dish, and brush the rim of the dish with some of the beaten egg. Lift the pastry over and gently press onto the rim of the dish. Crimp the sides to seal, and trim away any excess pastry.

4. Brush the pie all over with the egg, and decorate with the pastry offcuts, if you like. Cut a small steam hole in the middle, and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown and the filling is piping hot when a skewer is inserted into the middle.

Rich Beef Pie with Cheesy Marmite Cobbler Crust (Olive)

Ingredients 

• boneless beef shin 1kg, cut into chunks and fat trimmed
• plain flour 3 tbsp, well seasoned
• olive oil 2 tbsp
• butter a knob
• onions 2 large, halved and sliced
• red wine 200ml
• beef stock 200ml
• star anise 1
• bay leaves 2

Marmite Cobbler Crust

• self-raising flour 400g, plus extra for dusting
• butter 100g, chilled and cubed
• mature cheddar 150g, grated
• whole milk 200ml
• Marmite 1 tbsp, plus extra to serve
• egg beaten to glaze

Method

1. Dust the beef in the seasoned flour then shake off the excess. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Brown the beef all over in batches and scoop out into a large lidded casserole when done.

2. Wipe out the pan then add another tbsp of olive oil and a knob of butter. Cook the onions with a good pinch of salt for 20-30 minutes or until they are really soft and golden. Add the wine, bring to a simmer for 2 minutes, then tip into the casserole. Add the stock, star anise and bay leaves, and stir.

3. Heat the oven to 150C/fan 130C/gas 2. Cover the casserole and cook for 3 hours or until the beef is meltingly tender. Take out and tip into a large, deep pie dish, then turn the oven up to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6.
4. To make the cobbler, put the flour, butter and 1/2 tsp salt in a food processor. Pulse until it resembles breadcrumbs. Tip into a bowl and stir in 100g of the cheese.
5. Gently warm the milk and Marmite in a pan, whisking until combined. Cool until just-warm. Gradually add the milk to the flour mixture and bring together into a soft dough – don’t overknead. Pat out gently on a floured worksurface and cut into circles. Sit on top of the pie and brush with egg. Bake for 15 minutes then sprinkle with the rest of the cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes until risen, golden and cooked through. Drizzle with extra Marmite to serve, if you like.

Steak and Red Wine Pie with Suet Crust (Olive)

Ingredients

• steak 750g

• plain flour 2 tbsp
• oil for frying
• small shallots 300g, peeled and halved
• button mushrooms 300g
• red wine a glass
• garlic 1 clove, crushed
• beef stock 300ml
• rosemary 2 sprigs

Suet crust

• self-raising flour 250g
• shredded sue t 150g
• baking powder ½ tsp
• dried mustard powder a good pinch
• salt ½ tsp
• beaten egg to glaze

Method

1. Heat the oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Toss the beef in the seasoned flour then fry in a large non-stick frying pan in a little oil until browned all over. Scoop out the beef into a casserole then add the shallots and cook until browned. Remove the shallots from the casserole then add the mushrooms and cook until slightly coloured. Tip on top of the beef and shallots.
2. Add a glass of red wine to the frying pan and bubble up to catch any of the sticky bits. Tip into the beef pan.
3. Add the garlic, beef stock and rosemary sprigs to the beef pan. Put on a lid with a sheet of foil underneath to make a good seal.
4. Cook for 2½ hours. Take out and tip into a large pie dish and turn the oven up to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5.
5. To make the pastry, mix all the ingredients and add enough cold water to form a dough (you’ll need about 125ml-175ml). Roll into a ball, cover and chill for 20 minutes. Roll out the pastry to ½cm thick. Brush the edge of the pie dish with a little beaten egg then cover with the pastry. Use the off-cuts to decorate if you like. Brush the surface all over with more egg. Make a little hole for steam to escape. Bake the pie for 30-35 minutes or until the top of the pastry is golden and crisp.