It is a gloriously sunny day here today but during a recent recent sudden drop in temperature I had an inkling for comfort food!
For me, pies are a great comfort food and they work well as a food gift cos they can be easily transported from A to B when a delivery is required. Two friends of mine were recently in need of a bit of food love, one was in the middle of shifting (with a little baby and all the work that involves) and the other friend has been very ill with pneumonia while still trying to care for her family and coordinate for a charity. I felt it was time to provide them a bit of comfort through food. (I gather they have been overwhelmed with help from friends and neighbours which reminds me of the very goodness of people in the world).
This recipe morphed into Cheesy Vegetarian Pies from a number of recipes in my files and from the dozens of tins in my pantry! (I had to use some of them.....my husband remarked there was very little room left in our pantry!). While sorting out the recipe I was reminded by said husband that he was not that fond of pastry, only pastry made with wholemeal flour. Mmmmm...
The pastry for this recipe came from an old Christchurch Press cutting, there is no date but the article is attributed to Judith Sutton. It would be at least 10 years old I think.
The addition of yoghurt in the pastry was a little unusual but I gave it a try. The result was a surprisingly light, tasty pastry that had the correct amount of crumbleness - if there such a word, but you will understand what I mean when you take your first bite!
You could let your imagination run wild with the filling, one of my vege pie recipes included silver beet, one had cauliflower and peas. The cauliflower was left out for these pies but I added them into the filling leftovers I had put aside for our dinner that night (absolutely delicious served on brown rice).
The beauty of using tinned Indian tomatoes for the filling is that you have all your spices in the mix but you could add a little more chilli if that is to your liking.
These pies will keep well for a few days in a airtight container in the fridge and can be frozen. Great to whip out and heat up for lunch on a cold winters day - just perfect with a generous blob of homemade tomato sauce on top too. You could also make these into mini vege pies (for lunch boxes) using muffin tins but making them as turnovers is a lot less fiddly.
The tasting feedback from one of my friends was very positive so this pastry has become the standard in my kitchen when making savoury pies.
Pastry for Cheesy Vegetarian Pies
1 c wholemeal flour
1 c plain flour
125g butter - cold from the fridge and diced
1/2 cup grated cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 to 1/3 cup plain yoghurt
Place flours, butter, cheese, salt and baking powder together in a food processor and blend until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Use the pulse button and add a little yoghurt a spoonful at a time to bind the dough together. (This step is important as you need to get the consistency just right - not too wet, not too dry). If necessary add a few teaspoons of cold water. (I needed to do this). Roll pastry into a cylindrical shape. Cover in cling wrap and place in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. This will perfect the pastry.
To make the filling
About 3-4 cups of peeled and diced pumpkin, kumara and Agria potatoes
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1 - 2 tins of Watties Indian tomatoes (add them one at a time)
1 tin of whole kernal corn
Melted butter and Poppy or Sesame seeds for sprinkling on the top
Dice the pumpkin, kumara and potatoes, spray with a little cooking oil and gently roast in a shallow roasting tray for about 10 - 15 minutes until cooked (you could boil them but I think it gives nicer flavour doing it this way).
Gently saute the onion and garlic until soft. Add the cooked vegetables and one tin of Indian tomato mix and a tin of drained corn. Gently stir until combined, if you feel a little more liquid is needed add the second tin but you don't want the mixture too sloppy. Simmer for a few minutes then put aside to cool. You shouldn't need to season but best to do a taste check.
To make and assemble pies
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Divide pastry into 6-8 equal pieces, on lightly floured board roll each piece into a circle and lightly brush the edges with a little water. Divide the filling between the circles (don't overfill), fold the pastry over and seal by pleating or forking the edges together. Brush the top with a little melted butter, sprinkle with either sesame or poppy seeds and a few grains of salt.
Bake on an oiled tray for about 15 minutes until both sides are cooked. The smell of pies in the oven - yum!
For me, pies are a great comfort food and they work well as a food gift cos they can be easily transported from A to B when a delivery is required. Two friends of mine were recently in need of a bit of food love, one was in the middle of shifting (with a little baby and all the work that involves) and the other friend has been very ill with pneumonia while still trying to care for her family and coordinate for a charity. I felt it was time to provide them a bit of comfort through food. (I gather they have been overwhelmed with help from friends and neighbours which reminds me of the very goodness of people in the world).
This recipe morphed into Cheesy Vegetarian Pies from a number of recipes in my files and from the dozens of tins in my pantry! (I had to use some of them.....my husband remarked there was very little room left in our pantry!). While sorting out the recipe I was reminded by said husband that he was not that fond of pastry, only pastry made with wholemeal flour. Mmmmm...
The pastry for this recipe came from an old Christchurch Press cutting, there is no date but the article is attributed to Judith Sutton. It would be at least 10 years old I think.
The addition of yoghurt in the pastry was a little unusual but I gave it a try. The result was a surprisingly light, tasty pastry that had the correct amount of crumbleness - if there such a word, but you will understand what I mean when you take your first bite!
You could let your imagination run wild with the filling, one of my vege pie recipes included silver beet, one had cauliflower and peas. The cauliflower was left out for these pies but I added them into the filling leftovers I had put aside for our dinner that night (absolutely delicious served on brown rice).
The beauty of using tinned Indian tomatoes for the filling is that you have all your spices in the mix but you could add a little more chilli if that is to your liking.
These pies will keep well for a few days in a airtight container in the fridge and can be frozen. Great to whip out and heat up for lunch on a cold winters day - just perfect with a generous blob of homemade tomato sauce on top too. You could also make these into mini vege pies (for lunch boxes) using muffin tins but making them as turnovers is a lot less fiddly.
The tasting feedback from one of my friends was very positive so this pastry has become the standard in my kitchen when making savoury pies.
Pastry for Cheesy Vegetarian Pies
1 c wholemeal flour
1 c plain flour
125g butter - cold from the fridge and diced
1/2 cup grated cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 to 1/3 cup plain yoghurt
Place flours, butter, cheese, salt and baking powder together in a food processor and blend until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Use the pulse button and add a little yoghurt a spoonful at a time to bind the dough together. (This step is important as you need to get the consistency just right - not too wet, not too dry). If necessary add a few teaspoons of cold water. (I needed to do this). Roll pastry into a cylindrical shape. Cover in cling wrap and place in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. This will perfect the pastry.
To make the filling
About 3-4 cups of peeled and diced pumpkin, kumara and Agria potatoes
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1 - 2 tins of Watties Indian tomatoes (add them one at a time)
1 tin of whole kernal corn
Melted butter and Poppy or Sesame seeds for sprinkling on the top
Dice the pumpkin, kumara and potatoes, spray with a little cooking oil and gently roast in a shallow roasting tray for about 10 - 15 minutes until cooked (you could boil them but I think it gives nicer flavour doing it this way).
Gently saute the onion and garlic until soft. Add the cooked vegetables and one tin of Indian tomato mix and a tin of drained corn. Gently stir until combined, if you feel a little more liquid is needed add the second tin but you don't want the mixture too sloppy. Simmer for a few minutes then put aside to cool. You shouldn't need to season but best to do a taste check.
To make and assemble pies
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Divide pastry into 6-8 equal pieces, on lightly floured board roll each piece into a circle and lightly brush the edges with a little water. Divide the filling between the circles (don't overfill), fold the pastry over and seal by pleating or forking the edges together. Brush the top with a little melted butter, sprinkle with either sesame or poppy seeds and a few grains of salt.
Bake on an oiled tray for about 15 minutes until both sides are cooked. The smell of pies in the oven - yum!
No comments:
Post a Comment