So So Simple Food: Pies, Pies, Glorious Pies

Tuesday, August 09, 2016

Pies, Pies, Glorious Pies

I am on fire with pies at the moment
Last week a Tortilla Pie
Not as in the "wrap around food to make a sandwich" kinda of pie
But the Spanish Tortilla. The wonderful "Spanish omelet of eggs, fried potatoes
and onions" kind of Tortilla

Then today back on the Spinach and Corn flavours, just add Chicken to make a wonderful pie filling

Yum, beautiful
I have taken to make my pies, in a large muffin tin
The ones they call Texas Muffin tins, the ones on the left

Just enough for 1 person, well if you serve it with one soup, or as a dinner with some vege.

If you're feeling a little greedy, you might like 2

Over the years, I have loved to use the fan bake option in my oven…its much quicker...but I have ended up with too many soggy bottoms, so back to the old convection top and bottom option
Nice golden tops and golden crisp bottoms

So for the Tortilla Pie
to make 6 pies

Heat oven to 200C

Flaky Puff Pastry I like to use the ready rolled Square
you get 2 pies out of one sheet and very little waste

Butter to grease tins
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water to egg-wash the tops
Cut out the bottoms and lids and line the greased muffin tins

1/4 cup olive oil
1 large potato peeled and cut into small cubes
1 onion peeled and finely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Grated Tasty Cheese
4 eggs beaten

Preparation:
Bring the potatoes to the boil in salted water
cook until just tender
Drain

Meanwhile heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat
Add onions and sauté till soft
Remove and put to one side
Turn up the heat
Add potatoes and cook till golden brown
Strain the potatoes and keep the oil for another day

Crack eggs in a bowl, season with salt and pepper
Divide the onions and potatoes between the tins
add some grated cheese on top

Slowly pour eggs on top
Don't fill too high as the eggs will expand

With a wet finger rub over the top edge of the pastry
Cover with a lid
crimp
Brush with egg wash

Cook till golden brown
will take between 25-30 minutes

Let them cool a minute or two and transfer to a wire tray
Demolish

They freeze well, just wrap the cooled pies in some plastic wrap, label and freeze
Never one to waste any food, Irish Stew makes a good filling as well
Perfect

So onto Filling No 2
Chicken Spinach and Corn Pies

Flaky Puff Pastry as above
This filling is enough to make 10 pies
I like to use these frozen spinach portions
Already cooked, just need to thaw

The filling

1 poached chicken breast finely chopped
1 cup Hot Chicken stock
50 gms butter
50 gms flour
tsp mustard
5 little frozen spinach balls, thawed, juice squeezed out
1/2 cup frozen corn
2 spring onions chopped
Little Grate of nutmeg
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Melt butter in a medium sized pot
Add flour
Stir and cook for a minute or two to cook the flour out
Season with S & P and mustard
Add the spring onions, spinach and corn
Slowly add hot chicken stock stirring to make sure there are no lumps
Simmer for about 5 minutes
Add chopped chicken
Let cool and when ready fill pie cases

Look isn't that pretty?

And how about a nice sweet to end the meal

I wanted a little amount of apple juice, for a salsa I about to make
No need to splash out on buying some juice.
I had some fresh apples in the fridge
So I grated an apple and squeezed the juice out
What to do with the grated apple
Why make apple pies of course

This amounts below is enough to make 2 pies
I had one for lunch, couldn't wait
1 large apple grated
Zest and juice of 1 orange
1 tsp cornflour
2 tablespoons Craisins

Grate the apple and reserve the juice
Zest the orange and add the apples and Craisins
Dissolve the cornflour in the orange juice
Mix everything together

Fill the pie cases
That's the apple on the right hand side, chicken on the left