Who doesn't love a pie? All warm and reassuring, filled with scrumptious ingredients ... of course, I am talking about lovingly made pies not those sorry microwaved versions with an indiscernible filling that most people have experienced in desperate times.
Humble food? Not necessarily. Yes, the first pies were born out of an economic necessity to both preserve and disguise ingredients, some of which weren't the freshest on the block. And Roman centurions would wrap meat in bread to eat on the run. But by Tudor times pies were an absolute show-off opportunity - "4 and 20 blackbirds..." was a reality - the pie became the centrepiece of the banquet.
Any ingredients can be worked into a pie filling - fruit, berries and chocolate are fantastic but today it is all about the savoury. The fish pie has a creamy kumara and parmesan topping which bubbles beautifully in the oven, proving that a pie doesn't necessarily need pastry to qualify.
Less expensive cuts of meat are perfect, lots of fresh herbs, garlic and bay leaves, a splash or two of wine, salt and pepper and some good quality stock are pretty much all you need.
Pastry can be short-crust or puff, handmade or ready rolled, toppings can be potato, kumara or wet polenta. Together with tasty and well-cooked fillings and the pie is not so humble!
Chef's tip
If you're not making your own pastry, look out for handmade all-butter puff pastry available from gourmet food stores and delis for a tastier alternative to supermarket offerings.
As nice as pie (+recipes)
Photo / Babiche Martens
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