Hogwarts Chicken and Ham Pie

January 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment
chicken-and-ham-pie

Reading the early books of Harry Potter is always likely to leave me craving some classic British favorites - one scene in particular will always set in motion a craving - Ronald Weasley eating Chicken and Ham Pie! Mrs Weasley is another character I always associate with food cravings - if I find myself reading any of Mrs Weasleys exploits in the kitchen you can guarantee something from that chapter will feature on our table the same night! Two of the children in our family are extremely … [Read more...]

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Beef and Ale Pie (using Black Sheep Brewery Ale)

January 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment
steakandalepie

There is nothing nicer than a warming Beef and Ale Pie on cold winter days. Personally I like my pie served with a selection of roasted seasonal vegetables. This pie uses Yorkshire Ale from the Black Sheep Brewery, one of my personal favorites, but you are free to substitute this with any ale of your choosing. I would advise using one with a decent strength - a weak ale will lead to a mediocre beef and ale pie! Enjoy! 1 oz butter with 1 tbsp olive oil 2 lbs stewing steak or shin beef, … [Read more...]

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Potato Pastry Topped Fish Pie

January 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Potato Pastry Fish Pie

There is a certain point in winter when I start to crave pies - and fish pie is a real favourite of mine. When I was a child these pies generally were topped with fluffy mashed potato and decorated with grated cheese, toasted breadcrumbs (for a lovely crunch and golden colour) and slices of beef tomatoes. A nice twist to this traditional version is to replace the mashed potato with a lovely potato pastry - this pie was a real success yesterday! As we were entertaining we opted to decorate … [Read more...]

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Spicy Tomato Cottage Pie

August 31, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Living abroad sometimes I feel the need for some home comforts - such as a nice simple cottage or shepherds pie. But I like to spice things up now and again, and being me, cannot resist putting my own slant on things. This spicy tomato cottage pie arose out of one of those "experiments" and I am pleased to say it was a triumph! My Grandmothers Cottage Pie, bless her, was one of the blandest things I have ever tasted. Her pies (rhubarb, apple or egg custards) were her speciality. But she was … [Read more...]

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Mince Pies in Orange Pastry

December 13, 2009 By Leave a Comment
christmas-mince-pies

Following rapidly on from my last post in which I disclosed my own mincemeat recipe I am now going to divulge my personal recipe for mince pies - in orange pastry. Its not unique of course because I´ve had mince pies in orange pastry in a couple of places - but this is my version tailored to my tastes. Now I always make my mincemeat earlier in the year - usually around October. Leaving it a short while helps the flavours to mature. Orange Pastry 8 oz self-raising flour Pinch salt 1 … [Read more...]

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Traditional Mincemeat & Mince Pies

December 13, 2009 By 2 Comments
christmas-mince-pies

My family would make dozens of Mince Pies at Christmas, and we would often give them away as gifts to our friends, family and neighbours. As a result Christmas just would not be Christmas without a mincepie. Obviously my mince pies have evolved a bit since my Grandma´s recipe - she believed in mass production and quality suffered because she´d spread mince pie so thin you could practically see through it!.  I strongly believe in a few less mince pies but packed full with this rich and … [Read more...]

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No Pastry Quiche

November 30, 2009 By Leave a Comment
No Pastry Quiche

I love quiche, but I do not always want the added calories of pastry - with this recipe you really can have your quiche and eat it! Another handy tip for avoiding the use of pastry is from my adopted new home in Spain.  Frequently seen them remove crusts from a loaf of bread, roll out until thin and line a lightly oiled (olive oil is preferable) tin with the slices.  Add further pieces of bread if holes develop. Now, more often than not they utilise white bread, but I personally prefer … [Read more...]

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Pumpkin Pie

October 4, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Ingredients: Filling: 1½ lbs pumpkin puree 2 oz unrefined caster sugar 2 oz soft dark brown sugar 2 large eggs 2 egg yolks 1 tsp freshly ground nutmeg 1 tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp of ground ginger ½ tsp of ground cloves 5 tbsp double cream Pastry: 10 oz plain flour 2 tsp ground cinnamon 5 oz butter 3-4 tbsp ice cold water 1 egg white – lightly beaten Method: Remove the peel from the pumpkin, slice in half and remove the pips, wash and cut the flesh into bite size … [Read more...]

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Homemade Pork Pie

July 20, 2008 By Leave a Comment

This isn´t a traditional pork pie but it is quite nice. Play around with the ingredients, ie spices and herbs, to taste). 1 lb lean pork - trim and cut into ½” cubes 4 slices streaky smoked bacon - remove rind and chop 7 oz peeled potato cut into 1/2? cubes 1 garlic clove - peel and chop finely 1.5 tsp fresh chopped thyme and parsley (leaves only) .25 tsp of ground allspice (or quantity to taste) 1 tbsp of chicken stock Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper For the glaze - 1 … [Read more...]

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Patriotic Pie

August 7, 2007 By Leave a Comment

This is a fun recipe my mother came up with sometime ago. Pastry: 9 oz plain flour 1 tsp salt 6 oz unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces 4 tbsp ice water, plus more if needed Zest of 1 unwaxed lime – finely chopped 1 egg Fruit Filling: 3 cups fresh blueberries 2 cups cherries, quartered 2 cups white currants ¼ cup unrefined caster sugar ¼ cup cornflour 1 tbsp Lime Juice Method Sift the flour and salt together in a large bowl, stir in the lime zest, using a … [Read more...]

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