First celebrated in 2007, National Pie Week is a great time to learn to make some delicious pies.
Whether you’ve got a sweet tooth or a more savoury taste, there’s a pie out there for everyone. Here are some easy-as-pie recipes you could try at home this National Pie Week:
Vegan cottage pie
For the mash:
- 1.2kg potatoes (Russet or Yukon Gold are great for mash), washed, peeled, and cut into roughly equal pieces
- 50g vegan butter
- Salt and pepper
For the filling:
- Your choice of vegan mince
- Two onions, diced
- Four medium carrots, cubed
- Veg stock cube
- Four garlic cloves, crushed
- Two tbsp tomato paste
- One tsp each of oregano, sage, and thyme (three tsp of mixed herbs will also do the trick)
- 300g peas
- Two tsp smoked paprika
- Can of chickpeas, drained (keep the water for baking)
On medium heat, brown the onions in your choice of oil. Olive oil works best for flavour. Once they are translucent and brown at the edges, add the mince and carrots. Keep stirring for a few minutes before adding the garlic. A couple of minutes after that, throw in the tomato paste, veg stock, and paprika. Preheat your oven to 190C, or 175 for fan ovens.
Add the peas and chickpeas to the mixture and pour over enough water to cover it. Turn the heat down and leave it to simmer while you sort the potatoes. Boil the potatoes for around 20-25 minutes, or until they can be easily pierced with a fork. Drain them and mash them up, adding butter and seasonings to taste.
In a large pie or casserole dish, pour the filling mixture. Gently scoop the mashed potatoes on top of the filling. Use a fork to spread it out over the top and you’ll get nice crispy ridges once it’s cooked. Bake for around 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
Chicken, leek, and sausage
For the top:
- Puff pastry
- One egg, beaten
- Splash of milk
For the filling:
- 300g diced chicken breast
- 6-8 sausages cut into thick slices
- Two leeks, thinly sliced
- Two onions, diced
- Chicken stock cube
- Three cloves of garlic, crushed
- 150ml white wine
- ½ tsp mustard
- Two tsp mixed herbs
- Around 150ml double cream (depends on size of container)
On a medium heat, fry the onions and leeks, until they soften and brown at the edges. Then add the chicken and sausage, stirring frequently. Once the chicken is cooked through, add the garlic, wine, mustard, stock, and herbs.
Simmer the mixture until it no longer smells alcoholic and the liquid has reduced a little. Add the cream and stir thoroughly, then reduce the heat and leave to simmer for around 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 220C, or 200 for fan ovens.
Pour the filling into a pie dish. Wipe the edge of the pie dish with a little bit of water, lay over the pastry and press against the edge. Cut the edges off and press against the edges of the pastry with a fork. Also, use the fork to prick some holes in the top of your pie to let steam escape. Serve with chips or spring greens for a hearty meal.
Banoffee
For the base:
- One pack digestive biscuits
- 125g unsalted butter, melted
- 50g light brown sugar
- One tsp ground cinnamon
For the filling:
- One tin condensed milk (or buy pre-made caramel)
- 2-3 bananas, sliced
- Whipped cream
- Sprinkles (optional)
Start by boiling the tin of condensed milk for three hours. This is a long process, so use caramel bought from the supermarket if you want to reduce the cooking time. Blend together the biscuits, butter, sugar, and cinnamon, before compacting the biscuit base mixture into the bottom of a cake tin and refrigerating it for a few hours.
Cover the cooled base with the caramel and lay slices of banana over the caramel. Top the whole thing with whipped cream and your choice of sprinkles or sugar.
Vegan spiced apple pie
For the pastry:
- One pack chilled shortcrust pastry
- Splash of soy milk
- Sprinkle of demerara sugar
For the filling:
- 1kg cooking apples, peeled, cored, and quartered
- A squeeze of golden or maple syrup
- 150g demerara sugar
- ½ tsp each of cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg
- 100g raisins (optional)
- Two tbsp cornflour
Line a pie dish with the shortcrust pastry, leaving enough to go on top. Combine the sugar, spices and cornflour. Mix the cut apples with this sugar mixture and place them on top of the pastry-lined pie dish.
Cover with the remaining pastry, using water to bind this to the rest of the pie. Then brush the pie with soy milk and sprinkle demerara sugar on top. Remember to poke holes in the top for steam to escape.
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