chapter XXV - mamon wellman cooks 07

pies 

My mother used to make a standard steak pie, I don't remember it ever having kidney in it. As far as I recollect it was just straight steak and potato and I don't remember her making any sweet pies very often either. Jam tarts, yes, but not pies

I still have her porcelain pie funnel, that I believe was her mother's. A pie funnel is used by placing in the middle of the pie prior to covering with the pastry, the pastry is place on, crimped etc and the funnel poked through the pastry. It elevates the pastry and prevents it getting soggy and allows steam to escape as the pie cooks.

Pies have been a part of British cuisine and culture for centuries. So popular they were even immortalised in no less than four nursery rhymes that I can think of; Georgie Porgie, Little Jack Horner, Sing a Song of Sixpence and Simple Simon.

We love pies of any type, savoury or sweet. Chicken and mushroom, steak, steak & kidney, beef and ale, not to mention all the sweet pies; apple, blackberry, gooseberry, bakewell tart etc. Even Charles Dickens immortalised a pie/pudding in Pickwick papers; known as Pickwick Pie. It was a steak and kidney with oysters added. A dish that a pub in Fleet Street, London served as their only lunchtime dish for over 75 years and still does as far as I know.

So what differentiates a pie from a tart from a flan? These days not a lot. But originally:

• a pie would have a pastry base and top or a top only
• a tart would have a pastry base only
• a flan would have a pastry base only, and its filling would be dairy based. Such as creme patisserie. 

recipe - meat pie a la mamon

500 gm stewing beef steak 

001 pc  onion  (large)

002 pc  potato (large)

002 pc  oxo cubes 

200 gm short pastry 

recipe - method of preparation

Cut the beef into good bite sized pieces and brown in a frying pan, place into a pie dish. Add the chopped onion, cubes peeled potatoes. Sprinkle over the oxo cubes and barely cover with water. Place in the pie funnel. 

Roll out the pastry into a relevent neat shape (depending on the pie dish) egg wash the edges of the pie dish and place on the pastry, crimping to seal the edges. Using a knife poke a hole where the funnel is. Place into a pre-heated oven (200C) and lower the temperature to 170C. Bake for approx 1 hour until the pastry is cooked and golden brown. (make a thickened gravy if you prefer a thick sauce - mother never did, but I prefer it thickened) 

                                                                                                                                              


recipe - cheffie's meat pie 

400 gm lamb shoulder meat

001 pc small onion
001 pc egg

200 gm short pastry 
or 
200 gm hot water paste

recipe - method of preparation

Cut the lamb meat into very fine dice, so it almost looks minced. The meat should have approx 4 part meat to 1 part fat, if it is too lean the pie will be dry and tasteless. If the meat is too lean, add some finely chopped suet. Finely dice the onion and combine with the meat, Season well with a little cumin, cinnamon, sea salt and freshly milled pepper. Portion into 4 golf sized balls, and then flatten slightly to a sausage shape.  

Roll the pastry out and for each pie, cut two 8cm rounds and one rectangle 10cm x 5cm. 

For each pie, take a rectangle and form a 6cm diameter tube, pinching the edges together. Working carefully and quickly,  place the tube onto a circle and blend one open end into the base. Keeping one hand inside the tube to prevent it collapsing, pick up one of the meat balls and place into the tube. Pressing the meat into the tube working it to almost fill the tube, leaving half a cm of pastry free and curl it outwards, brush with some egg wash. 

Place the second pastry round on top and seal together, to form a pie that has a cotton reel shape. Repeat to make the other three pies. Place onto a lightly oiled baking tray, brush carefully all over with the remaining eggwash and bake in a pre-heated over (180C) for 45 - 60 minutes. Remove, allow to cool slightly and serve with a selection of pickled baby vegetables (see recipe below) and picked baby greens


recipe - pickled baby vegetables
004 pc  baby leeks 
004 pc  baby carrots 
004 pc  cauliflower florets 
004 pc  baby silverskin onions 
001 pc  candy beetroot
001 lt    cider vinegar
 1/2 tsp salt 
001 tbs brown sugar
001 pc  garlic clove
001 pc  chilli (red)
001 pc  clove
001 pc  cinnamon stick

recipe - method of preparation
Peel and trim the vegetables, slice the candy beetroot into paper thin slices. 

Combine the vinegar, salt, sugar and spices in a frying pan. Bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the salt and sugar. Taste and adjust with more salt or sugar as required. Remove from the heat. 

Immediately add the vegetables into the vinegar in the order they are listed (largest first), cover the pan and leave to oneside to cool. Once cooled, place into a bowl and chill overnight. They can be used within an hour, but best left to pickle overnight. 

next week - mum's corned beef hash .......