Sausage and Chicken Pie with Sage and Onion Stuffing

This pie is pretty much Delia Smith’s recipe from the Complete Cookery Course.  I added some leftover sage and onion stuffing and adjusted the sausage layer slightly!

This is a lovely way to use up leftover cooked chicken and stuffing, and stretch the dregs of Sunday’s roast dinner one more day.  If you don’t have any leftover stuffing, you can make it fresh – the method I give below is the way my friend’s lovely late mother-in-law used to make it.

For the stuffing :

3 or 4 thick slices of bread, crusts cut off

½ small onion

2 generous handfuls of fresh sage (or 1 dsp of dry)

Salt and pepper to taste

Simply pop everything into a blender or food processor and blitz.  Heat a little goose fat, duck fat, chicken dripping (or olive oil!) in a frying pan and sautee the stuffing for a few minutes until it becomes slightly crispy.  Set aside to cool.

For the pie :

1 pack of shortcrust pastry

8 good meaty sausages

Appx 1 cup of leftover cooked chicken

Appx 1 cup of leftover stuffing

¼ tsp ground mace

½ tsp sage

Salt and pepper to taste

The dish I used is a 7” diameter quiche dish.

Skin the sausages and place into a large mixing bowl as you go.  Season with salt and pepper, add the sage and mace and then mix together with your hands.

Roll out your pastry and line the base of your dish, spread half the sausagemeat over the pastry, then add half the stuffing, all of the chicken and season with a little salt and pepper.  Add the rest of the stuffing and finally the remainder of the sausagemeat.  Roll out a pastry lid and top and finish your pie.

I cooked mine at 180^oC / 350^oF / gas mark 5 for an 45 to 50 minutes.  If the pie begins to brown too much pop a folded sheet of greaseproof paper on top.

Sausage and Leek Pie

The idea for this delicious pie was given to me by my Mother, who saw a TV chef (I think she said it was Phil Vickery) make it on television.  I couldn’t wait to try it out.  As my husband loves sausages in all shape or form I knew it would be a winner with him!

This is what I did, it will serve four people, or two people twice!

1 pack of ready-made shortcrust pastry

8 good quality meaty sausages

1 leek

1 knob of butter

1 bunch of herbs to your personal taste, I used sage and rosemary from my garden

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 egg (optional) 

Simply clean the leeks, halve lengthways and slice.  Sweat gently in the butter until the leeks have softened. 

Skin the sausages and place in a mixing bowl, add the chopped herbs and season with black pepper.  Mix thoroughly with your hands. 

Line a pie dish or plate with the pastry, keeping enough back for the lid. 

Add a generous layer of sausage meat to the bottom of the pie, top with the sautéed leeks and then a final layer of sausage meat.  Add a pastry lid to the pie and brush with beaten egg (or milk if you don’t want to waste a good egg washing pastry!). 

Cook at 150^oC / 300^oF / gas mark 2 for an 1¾  to 2 hours.  If the pies begin to brown too much before the end of the cooking time simply cover with a folded sheet of greaseproof paper to protect them. 

This pie will be delicious with a generous dollop of either tomato ketchup or your brown sauce of choice!

Smoked Fish Pie

We’re into May now and still the wet wintry weather continues.  I’m going to cheer us up with a lovely smoked fish pie.  A nice rich white sauce, buttery mashed potato and cheesy topping – what could be better to warm the cockles of the heart! 

My hubby isn’t much of a fish lover, but he does like smoked cod and hot smoked salmon so that’s what I’m using.  Otherwise, I’d be stuffing it with all sorts – smoked mackerel, kippers as well as the salmon and cod.  You don’t have to use hot smoked salmon fillets, you could keep the costs down by using smoked salmon trimmings. 

This is another one of those handy pies that can be put together when convenient and just heated up when you want to eat.  If you do that, make sure that the white sauce and cod are cold before you mix with the salmon or other cold fish. 

For two of us I’m using : 

1 smoked cod fillet

2 smoked salmon fillets

½ pint of milk

1tb flour

1oz butter

Salt  & pepper to taste

1tb chopped parsley

1tsp capers

½ cup cooked peas

1 bayleaf

1 bunch of parsley stalks

1tsp peppercorns

2 medium potatoes, cooked and mashed with butter. 

Optional 1 or 2oz of grated cheese to top the mashed potato. 

Firstly, place the cod fillet into an ovenproof dish, add the bayleaf, parsley stalks and peppercorns and poach for 20 minutes in a hot oven.  Remove the fish and drain and reserve the milk, throwing out the herbs and peppercorns. 

Make a white sauce by melting the butter and stirring in the flour to make a roux, gradually add the milk little by little, beating well after each addition to make a smooth sauce.  Simmer quietly, stirring constantly, until the sauce has thickened and the flour cooked off.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and add the parsley.

Flake the cod and cut the salmon fillets into chunks and add to the dish you will be cooking the pie in, add the capers and cooked peas and finally the white sauce.  Stir gently to combine without breaking up the cod. 

Top the pie with the mashed potato, adding a final grating of good cheese if you wish. 

From hot the pie will only need 20 minutes at 200^oC(400^oF/Gas mark 6).  From cold the cooking time will depend on the type of dish you are using but it will need 30 to 40 minutes at the same oven temperature.

Corned Beef Pie

This is a classic hand-me-down recipe here in the Valleys, and almost every family has its own version.  Traditionally made on an enamel pie plate, or old dinner plate, it is incredibly versatile and can be fancied up (!) by making it in a deeper pie dish (quantities adjusted accordingly), or even in a big tin for feeding larger numbers at buffets etc. 

As simple as this pie is, it is such a well loved one in my family.  Not a gathering is complete unless we have a ‘corned dog pie’! 

Some families include carrot in their recipe, others tomato or brown sauce.  This is the version that my family makes.  The quantities below will make either a generous plate pie, or a standard Pyrex quiche dish pie.   

I used : 

1 tin corned beef

2 medium potatoes

1 medium or 2 small onions

2 tsp mixed herbs

2-3 tsp dried sage 

1 packet of shortcrust pastry

1 egg to glaze 

First, peel and cut the potatoes into small pieces and then boil them.  Dice the onions and add to the boiling potatoes to cook. 

Cut the corned beef into chunks and add to a large mixing bowl.   

When the potatoes are cooked drain and mash them with the onions.  Add to the bowl containing the corned beef and mix everything together.  The heat from the potatoes will soften the corned beef and make the mixing easier.  Add the herbs and give it another good mix.  I like my pie to taste quite herby so I’m generous with the herbs.  If you prefer, just add a teaspoon at a time and taste, adding more until you like the flavour.  Season to taste with salt.

Roll out your pastry and line the plate or baking dish.  Add the corned beef mixture to the dish and cover with a pastry lid.  Brush with beaten egg and bake in a hot oven until the pastry is golden. 

I'd like to dedicate this recipe to my first husband, who always loved my corned beef pies!  With much love and affection, and thanks for all the happy times.

Cheese and potato pie

This was one of the first dishes I learned to cook at school, and it remains a firm favourite to this day.

It’s quite a frugal dish, containing only potato, cheese and onion and is equally delicious served with bacon, ham or sausages.  It's quite a time saver as it can be made ahead of time and simply re-heated when you are ready to eat.  When I worked I often made it in the evening ready for me to come home to the following day. 

Baby leeks are a very inexpensive at the moment, and so tasty so I used leek as a change from onion.  I will give you a recipe and method for both my leek version, and the original version.

Quantities will depend on the number of people you are serving, but for two I used : 

2 medium potatoes

2 small or 1 medium baby leeks

6oz strong cheddar cheese 

Peel and boil the potato.  While the potato is cooking clean and dice the leek and sauté in a little butter.  Grate the cheese. 

When the potato is cooked drain and mash, add ¾ of the cheese and the buttery leek and combine.  Turn into an ovenproof dish.  Scatter the remainder of the cheese over the top. 

If you are eating straight away simply pop under a pre-heated grill until the cheese is golden and bubbling.  If it has been prepared ahead and is cold it will need 30 minutes in a hot oven. 

To make the original version, for two people: 

2 medium potatoes

1 medium onion

6oz strong cheddar cheese 

Peel and boil the potato.  While the potato is cooking peel and dice the onion and add to the potato for the last 10 minutes of the cooking time.  Grate the cheese. 

When the potato is cooked drain and mash, add ¾ of the cheese and combine.  Turn into an ovenproof dish.  Scatter the remainder of the cheese over the top. 

If you are eating straight away simply pop under a pre-heated grill until the cheese is golden and bubbling.  If it has been prepared ahead and is cold it will need 30 minutes in a hot oven.

A simple fish pie

I love a fish pie, and now that the weather has turned colder again it seemed the perfect dish to warm and comfort.  It occurred to me when I was planning this that it would be a perfect dish to commemorate Good Friday; the fish having been associated with Christianity from the very beginning. 

As a mark of the significance and solemnity of Good Friday I thought a simple fish pie was better than a celebratory one stuffed with fish, scallops, prawns and mussels;  but you could certainly add any or all of those if you wished.   

When I make a fish pie I usually use a mix of white fish (cod or hake), a salmon fillet and a hard boiled egg to eke out the fish a little.  

Depending on the fish you are using, this is quite a frugal way to stretch a piece of fish a little bit further.  I often make it with smoked cod too, which makes a very tasty dinner. 

The simple one I made today, to serve two people, used : 

1 small cod loin

1 small salmon fillet

1 hard boiled egg

1 bunch of parsley

½ pint of milk

1tb flour

1 knob of butter

1 small bunch of parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

½ cup of peas

1 or 2 oz of grated cheddar

2 medium/large potatoes (depending on the size of your dish), boiled and mashed with a little butter. 

Firstly, poach the cod and salmon.  I always do this in the oven as it stops the house smelling of fish.  Simply place the two fillets in a deep dish and cover with water, cover the dish with foil and poach at 200^oC(400^oF/Gas mark 6) for 25 to 30 minutes. 

As you will be making a white sauce for the fish I find it helpful to get everything ready beforehand so that I can concentrate on making the sauce.  So pop the peas in the microwave to cook for a few minutes and then set aside.  Wash and chop the parsley and set it aside and peel and chop the egg, then set aside. 

When the fish is poached, take it out of the oven and cut into bite-sized pieces. 

For the pie, simply add the flour, butter and milk to a pan and place over a low heat.  Keep stirring the sauce and bring it to a gentle simmer so that it will thicken.  Keep stirring/beating the sauce so that there is no chance of lumps forming.  When the sauce is thickened to the right consistency, season to taste with salt and pepper and then add the rest of the pie ingredients, stirring gently so that you don’t break everything up.  

Turn the pie filling into your dish and then spoon on the mashed potato and spread out with a fork.  Finish the pie with a generous helping of grated cheddar cheese. 

Pop the pie into the oven for 20 minutes at 200^oC(400^oF/Gas mark 6). 

You can prepare the pie ahead of time if you wish, in which case you should make sure that either everything is hot, or cold when the pie is assembled (to avoid the risk of food poisoning).  From cold it will need approximately 30 to 40 minutes in the oven, but the cooking time depends on the type of dish you are using, the depth of the pie inside the dish and the temperature it was when it went into the oven.   A medium enamel pie dish, at room temperature will take 35 minutes, the small one pictured below took 25 minutes.

Steak and mushroom pie

Who doesn’t like a pie!  Hubby loves my pies and this is one of his favourites.  It's very economical as it uses the cheapest cuts of beef, and the mushrooms will stretch the meat to make a delicious and filling pie. 

I like to make something like this the day before we want it as I always find that the flavours develop on keeping. 

For two of us I used: 

1 big onion

1lb stewing beef (clod, shin, skirt etc)

½ lb mushrooms

1tb flour

1 pint beef stock

1tsp Worcestershire sauce

1tsp mushroom ketchup (optional, if you don’t have it leave it out)

1tsp tomato puree

2 small sprigs of thyme

1 small sprig of rosemary, finely chopped

1 bayleaf

2 tb olive oil

1 pack of flaky (puff) pastry (you can make your own but frankly it isn’t worth the faff!  You won’t use it all and the leftovers can be frozen for another time.)  If you can't get flaky/puff pastry then shortcrust pastry will be fine.

1 egg, beaten to glaze the pie.  You could replace the egg with milk, or even water if you don’t want to waste a good egg as a pastry glaze! 

Firstly, dice the beef and brown in 1tb of olive oil.  Remove to a plate when browned. 

While the beef is browning peel and dice the onion, then brown in the second tablespoon of olive oil. 

While the onion is cooking, clean a third of the mushrooms and chop fairly finely.  Add to the pan with the onions and sautee for a few minutes.  Return the beef to the onions and mushrooms and toss around to mix everything together. 

Add the flour to the beef, onions and mushrooms and mix thoroughly.  Gradually add the beef stock, stirring to eliminate any risk of lumps.  Add the Worcestershire sauce, mushroom ketchup (if using), tomato puree and herbs and mix in.  Bring to a gentle simmer and then cover. 

Cook in the oven at 150^oC (300^oF/gas mark 2) for 2½ to 3 hours. 

After the first hour, clean and slice the remainder of the mushrooms and add to the casserole, stirring to give it all a good mixing. 

The pie I am making is a lidded pie, which is to say it just has pastry on the top, not on the bottom.   

If you are making the pie filling ahead of time, allow it to cool completely before you add the pastry lid.  If you are making the filling to cook straight away you can add the pastry lid now.

To make it up, roll out a piece of flaky pastry about 2” or 3” larger than your pie dish.  Cut the extra pastry and use to line the edges of your pie tin.  Brush with beaten egg then add the pie filling to the tin.  Lay the lid over the dish and trim to fit.  Brush with beaten egg and cook at 180^oC for 20 - 25 minutes (30 – 35 from cold), until the pastry is golden.

Steak and Guinness Pie

This was what we saw the New Year in with last night!  I often make a steak and Guinness casserole but I’m in full-on pie mode at the moment so I decided to give it a pastry lid.   

I always find making something like this the day before you want to eat it is best, as the flavours develop and mature with overnight keeping. 

Guinness is a very assertive flavour, but the mushroom ketchup, tomato puree and Worcestershire sauce served to soften it a little.  By all means replace the Guinness with an ale if you prefer, or even leave it out all together and use all beef stock. 

1 onion

1 stick celery

1 carrot

1 clove garlic

1 or 2 anchovies

3 rashers of bacon

500g diced casserole steak

6 or 8 big mushrooms

Mushroom ketchup

Worcestershire sauce

Tomato puree

440ml can of Guinness

1tb flour

Seasoning

Sprigs thyme

2 bay leaves

¼ pint beef stock 

Peel and dice the onion and carrot quite small, wash and dice the stick of celery and sautee in a little olive oil (or anchovy oil) for 10 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for a further 5 minutes, then add the anchovies and push around the pan until they melt.  Remove to a dish.

Add the chopped rashers of bacon and brown in a little olive oil.  Remove to the same dish as the vegetables. 

Add a little more olive oil and brown the diced beef in batches, removing them to the dish of vegetables as they brown. 

Return everything to the same pan and add the tablespoon of flour, stirring it around well.  Add the can of Guinness and stir well, scraping up anything sticking to the bottom of your pan.  Add the mushroom ketchup and Worcestershire sauce – as much as will fill the bowl of your wooden spoon, and a squeeze of tomato puree and stir in.  Then season and add the herbs.

Bring it up to simmering point and then pop into the oven to cook at 150^oC for 3 hours.  After this time the liquid will pretty much have cooked away to leave a lovely rich gravy. 

After an hour, add the cleaned and quartered mushrooms and stir in. 

The pie I made is just a lidded pie, it has no pastry base.  To make it up, roll out a piece of flaky pastry about 2 or 3” larger than your pie dish.  Cut the extra pastry and use to line the edges of your pie tin.  Brush with beaten egg then add the pie filling.  Lay the lid over the dish and trim to fit.  Brush with beaten egg and cook at 180^oC for 30 minutes from cold.

To make the Stilton pie, I added 2 teaspoons of Stilton cheese and dotted them around the pie filling.  For the pastry lid, roll out the pastry to a rectangle, season with black pepper and add some crumbled Stilton cheese to two thirds of the pastry.  Fold the bottom third over the middle third, and then fold that over the top third.  Re-roll the pastry and use it to top the pie as described above.  The cheese in the pastry gives a double-whammy of Stilton deliciousness, but you can leave it out if you aren’t as fixated as I am!

Happy New Year to you all!

Grandma's Sea Pie

This recipe is the beef version of something my Grandmother used to make when I was a child with leftover lamb.   For some obscure reason, which I have never got to the bottom of, it was called Sea Pie.   

This is one of my absolute favourite dishes, and my regular way of using up leftover cooked meat.  I have recently started making it with beef as my hubby doesn’t like lamb very much.  I love this dish so much that I always cook more meat than I need, just so that I can make this with the leftovers.   

Quantities will vary depending on how many people you want to feed, and indeed how much leftover cooked lamb or beef you have but what I used for one person was:

1 quantity of cooked leftover beef (this particular leftover was frozen from a brisket pot roast I made a few weeks ago)

1 medium potato, peeled and cut into quite thin slices

1 large onion, peeled and cut into slices

A sprig of rosemary washed and chopped finely (you could use thyme if you prefer)

Salt and pepper to taste

1tb flour

½ pint or so of beef stock (if you are using leftover lamb, use lamb stock)

Cut the leftover beef into strips or small chunks and toss in the seasoned flour.  Place in layers in your casserole dish as follows : meat, onion, rosemary, potatoes, season, meat, onion, rosemary, then toss in the dregs of any leftover flour and then pour over the stock, you want enough stock to come two thirds of the way up the dish.  Finally add the top layer of potato slices and cover either with a lid or with foil.

Bake at 180^oC for an hour, uncovering for the final 15 minutes so that the top layer of potatoes can brown.

Chicken Leek and Bacon Pie

I love pies!  I love the fact that they are a meal in a dish so I don’t have as much washing up to do in the evening.  Like my shepherd’s pie, they can be made in two stages to split up the work.

The recipe I used to feed two is :

1 leek (the white part for the filling and the green part for the mashed potato topping)

1 carrot

1 stick of celery

3 rashers of bacon, cooked and roughly chopped

leftover chicken torn roughly

1tb flour

12 fl oz chicken stock

Salt and pepper to taste

Generous knob of butter to cook the green part of the leek

2 medium/large potatoes (depending on the size of your dish)

Begin by chopping the stick of celery fairly finely, then dice the carrot and dice the white part of the leek, setting aside the green part for later.

Melt a little butter in a pan and sweat the vegetables for 10 minutes.

Add the tablespoon of flour and mix well in to absorb all the liquid.

Gradually add the stock, stirring it all in before adding more to eliminate any lumps.  Season the sauce and cook for 10 minutes to thicken and cook the flour.  Allow to cool and then add the leftover chicken and cooked chopped bacon (or ham).

Decant into your pie dish and set aside.

For the mashed potato topping, peel, dice and boil the potatoes, then mash. 

Dice the green part of the leek and soften in a generous knob of butter while the potatoes are boiling.

Once the potatoes are mashed, tip the whole buttery lot into the pan and stir in to combine.

Allow the potato and leek to get cold, and then dollop spoonfuls onto the pie filling and fork through.  The ridges will brown beautifully in the oven.

You can, if you wish, top the pie with some grated cheese, as I do for my shepherd’s pie.

When you are ready to eat, the pie will need around 35 to 40 minutes at 180^oC from cold.  Or 25 to 30 minutes if you’re making it to eat straight away.