AT HEART, I am a traditionalist: few things fill my heart with joy more than a really good pie.
I certainly don’t get the argument that it might not be the 'season' for pies, as come hail or blazing sun, the heartiness and fantastic flavours of these two pies in particular will always hit the spot, especially if served with some vegetables or crusty bread.
Both of these recipes make use of the amazing local produce that we can enjoy from our very own doorstep. Our locally reared lamb, beef and chicken ensure that both these pies are full of flavour and support our indigenous producers.
The vegetables used can all be found on our supermarket shelves or in the amazing range of farmers’ markets across Belfast and the rest of Northern Ireland.
Shepherd’s Pie
750g lamb mince
750g beef mine
Vegetable oil
4 onions, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
6g thyme leaves, removed from stalk
25g flour
50g tomato puree
750ml beef or lamb stock
40ml Worcestershire sauce
150ml red wine
400g mashed potato for the topping
Start by heating the oil in a frying pan and seasoning all the meat with salt and pepper. Taking the meat in batches, cook off in the frying pan until browned, once browned remove from the frying pan and leave to drain.
In the the same pan, fry off the onions, garlic and the thyme until the onions are soft, strain off the excess water and transfer to a large pot. Add the cooked onions and garlic, add the meat and the flour and stir, add the puree and stir again. Add the stock, the Worcestershire sauce and the red wine and leave on a medium heat to simmer for up to 40 minutes.
Remove the excess sauce from the pot and transfer the cooked mince into a pie dish and leave to cool.
Top the mince with mashed potato and bake in the oven at 200 C for about 40 minutes or until the top is golden. Serve with a little of the sauce warmed through on the side.
Serves 10 to 12 individual pie dishes or in one large dish.
Chicken and Mushroom Pie
2 tblsp olive oil
4 chicken breasts, skin off, diced
150g button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, finely diced
50g butter
40g plain flour
200ml chicken stock
250ml milk
25g fresh tarragon, removed from stalk and chopped
500g readymade shortcrust pastry
Start by heating the oil in a frying pan on a medium heat and adding the diced chicken and cook until coloured, remove from pan and add in the mushrooms, the garlic and the onion and gently cook until soft. Remove from the pan and leave to the side.
In a large pot melt the butter and add the flour to make a roux, let cook and stir for a few minutes. Slowly add the stock, mixing well, next add the milk and keep stirring and keep on the heat until the liquid has thickened. Add in the tarragon and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Pre-heat the oven to 180 C.
In a pie dish add the chicken and mushrooms and cover with the cream mixture and stir thoroughly.
Dust your work surface with a little flour and roll out the pastry. Roll out until ½ inch thick then roll out on top of the pie dish, cutting the excess pastry off the edges and press down the sides with a fork. Place in the oven and cook for up to 25 minutes until golden.
Serve with fresh carrots or seasonal vegetables.
