Potato-topped Meat Pies

I tried a fair few meat pies in Australia. As you would expect the pie fillings are very diverse, but the classic seems to be cubes of beef in a rich glistening gravy, accented with herbs or generous amounts of black pepper. The traditional pie has a shortcrust base and is topped with glistening, flaky, puff pastry. While I am going to stick to tradition for the filling, I did sample one delicious pie that was topped with fluffy buttery mash. I thought this was an excellent idea and have attemtped to recreate it here.

To make this recipe it is best to do all the prep at the beginning, including making the pastry and mash. This means you can relax for an hour or so before getting on with the task of assembling them. Ideally the pies should be portioned individually. This recipe makes around 6 pies, using individual 10cm (4-inch) pie dishes.

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Level: medium
Methods: rubbing-in
Skills: sauteeing, stewing

Time: 3 hours
Makes: 6 individual pies

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Ingredients
600-700g white potatoes, peeled and chopped
25g butter
4-5tbsp milk

200g plain flour
100g butter
2-3tbsp water

100 g smoked bacon, cut into 1cm strips
1 medium onion, sliced
1 garlic clove, crushed
1-2tbsp plain flour
400g well-marbled braising steak, trimmed of hard fat or gristle
250ml real ale
250ml quality beef stock
2tdp tomato purée
4 sprigs of thyme, leaves stripped from stalks
2 bay leaves
2tbsp cornflour, blended with 2tbsp cold water
100g chestnut mushrooms, wiped and halved or quartered if large
salt and pepper to taste

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Method

1. Bring the peeled and chopped potatoes to the boil in lightly salted water. When boiling, reduce to a simmer and cook for around 20 minutes.

2. Drain and return to the pan over a low heat, to remove excess moisture. Add the milk and butter, then mash.

3. Place in a bowl and set aside until needed.

4. To make the pastry, rub the butter into the flour using your fingertips. Keep rubbing until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

5. Gradually add the water a spoonful at a time, mixing with a table knife, until you have a cohesive dough that leaves the side of the bowl clean. It should not be wet or sticky.

6. Wrap in clingfilm and allow to rest in the refridgerator.

7. Now, to make the filling, heat a tablespoon of oil in a deep frying pan or large saucepan. Fry the bacon strips with the onions until pale golden brown, stirring regularly.

8. Add the garlic and fry for a minute or two until softened. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the onions, garlic and bacon to a plate.

9. Coat the beef with the flour.

10. Fry the meat in the same oil, in 2 or 3 batches until well browned all over. Add extra oil if the pan seems dry. Transfer the beef to the plate as it is browned.

11. Deglaze the frying pan with half the ale. Bring it to the boil while stirring hard to lift all the sediment from the bottom of the pan.

12. Add the remaining ale, then the stock, tomato purée and herbs. Add the meat and onion mix back to the pan along with any remaining juices.

13. Bring everything to the boil, then cover and reduce to a gentle simmer for 1½-2 hours or until the meat is very tender.

14. When tender, stir in the cornflour paste and cook for a further five minutes or until the juices have thickened. Adjust the seasoning to taste and leave to cool slightly.

15. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

16. Heat some oil in a small frying pan and fry the mushrooms over a high heat for about 5 minutes until golden, then add them to the meat.

17. Roll out the shortcrust pastry on a lightly-floured surface until about 4mm thick. Cut out circles using a saucer or small side plate and line each tin. You may need to re-roll the dough, so do not overwork it.

18. Fill each pie about three quarters full with the filling, then top with a generous mound of mashed potato.

19. Place the pie dishes on a baking sheet and bake in the centre of the oven for 30-35 minutes until golden brown.

Pastel de Nata

My final destination in South America, before departing for a cristmas at home, was Rio de Janeiro. Rio was every bit as ecelectic and interesting as I had hoped, though the oft-lauded beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema, were admittedly a tad dull after the beauty and isolation of Ilha Grande. Keen to reintegrate into urban life, our group departed on a city tour shortly after our arrival. Undoubtably the highlight of which was visiting Christ the Redeemer, a truly imposing and magnificent statue that sits perched above the city, arms spread wide. No doubt the most eponymous of Rio’s tourist attractions, the statue was visible from practically every part of the city – even lit up at night, he seemed to levitate above us. JC as my group renamed him, became somewhat emblematic of the trip and Facebook even requested I tag him as a friend on the collage I recently posted.

Another thing for which Rio is famous, is the slums which are situated at the edge of the city, sprawling right up to the edge of the modern developments, hotels and beaches. This stark visual juxtaposition, really drew into focus the rich/poor divide in this city and was truly thought-provoking. For this reason, some of us went on a tour of the Favelas, an interesting if overly orchestrated climb through the streets of one of the poorest neighbourhoods. There we experienced firsthand the poor sanitation and dangeously erected homes, but also the spirit of the people and some of the projects being used to help educate and enrich the life of its impoverished inhabitants. To be honest, I was expecting worse. The overwrought hand-wringing of our too-sincere tour guide, made the place seem unreal at times, like the favella was a tourist attraction of its own. The lines of reality and fiction became blurred and I left the tour unsure of what to believe. I do however think tours like this are to be encouraged, as we were able to invest in the local people, purchasing artworks and homemade pastries. Despite this odd experience, as a group we cant have been sufficiently put off, as we attended a Favela party for our last full night together as a group. The “party” was essentially a trip back into the slums at around midnight to visit a local nightclub there. At first the place seemed strange; we gringos were deposited on a balcony where we could observe the locals in a way that felt hugely voyeuristic. Below us, a small pocket of local boys (presumably employed by the club) danced an oddly choregraphed hybrid dance, somewhere between street-dancing and line-dancing. But once the number of partygoers rose, and we moved downstairs the atmosphere changed and it felt more like a traditional night out. For the girls in the group the experience may have been slightly different. While it was apparent that a small group of thrity-something white men, posed little threat to the local boys with their rippling beach bods, the latinas didn’t feel the same way about having white girls in their local haunt. In the most bizarre and brazen display of posturing, many of the Rio girls interjected themselves between our female friends and the local men, where they popped their chests and twerked their butts in a way that seemed to say “this is how its done!” All very strange.

Just like my visit to in Mexico, in working hard to illustrate the cultural differences I experienced, I have inadvertently painted a bleak picture that may only serve to reinforce said boundaries and differences. But what I need to stress, is that through these challenging experiences I learnt a great deal and they remain some of the most vivid, exciting and enriching of my travels so far. Embrace the differences I say.

For my final dish, I am going to post a recipe for a classic Portuguese dessert, that I have enjoyed many times over the years, Pastel de Nata. The Portuguese heritage in Brazil makes this an appropriate choice and in fact I even sampled a similar product in the favelas and an identical tart on my last day in the city. As it was the last Brazilian/Portuguese dish I ate in South America, I think it has earned its place as my last recipe from that part of the world. If you have never experienced the joy of these custard tarts, it is worth noting that they are really nothing like their british counterparts. Rather than a set, almost savoury custard in shortcrust pastry, Pastel de Nata are made of a lusciously thick vanilla custard that is rebaked in a a sweet, buttery flaky puff pastry crust. To my mind the Portuguese have the right idea and I infinitely prefer these to our own version. See what you think…

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Ingredients
Butter, for greasing
3 egg yolks
125g caster sugar
30g cornflour
1 vanilla pod, split, seeds scraped out
175ml whole milk
225ml double cream
300g ready-rolled puff pastry

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Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

2. Grease the wells of a 12-hole muffin tray with butter.

3. In a pan, heat the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour over a low to medium heat, whisking continuously until thickened and well combined.

4. Add the vanilla seeds, then add the milk and cream in a thin stream, whisking continuously, until the mixture is thick, smooth and well combined.

5. Continue to stir the custard mixture until it comes to the boil, then remove from the heat.

6. Roll out the puff pastry onto a clean work surface.

7. Cut the pastry into rounds using a cookie cutter.

8. Press a pastry disc into each of the wells in the muffin tray.

9. Prick the base of each pastry case with a fork. This will prevent the pastry from rising too much.

10. Divide the cooled custard equally among the pastry cases.

11. Transfer the muffin tray to the oven and bake the tarts for 18-20 minutes.

12. Allow to cool in the tin.

Salteñas

LaPaz, the federal capital of Bolivia, was a truly unique stop on my tour of South America. It was one of the only places where I felt intimidated – both by its size and its reputation. On the bus journey into the city, our guide informed us of some of the more unsavoury elements of the city (and the satellite city of El Alto). There were stories of criminals dressed as policemen stealing passports and unlicensed taxi drivers taking unsuspecting tourists up in to the hills before robbing them and leaving them stranded. In fact on my first day, whilst waiting for a walking tour group, I was approached by a shifty barefooted man outside of San Pedro prison. He spun a moderately convincing yarn about working for the company as part of his day release from prison. He was frank about the crimes that had seen him imprisoned there (drug trafficking and aggravated assault). I cautiously listened to his stories and absorbed some local knowledge. Whilst in a crowded spot I summoned up the courage to ask what he would want from me in return for his time, sheepishly he asked for a coffee, which I gladly bought him, before making a hasty retreat to a group of gathered tourists. I don’t think I was ever in any real danger, though it did remind me that travelling solo can be dangerous. I was thankful that I had my wits about me that day and that my money and passport were safely locked in the hotel safe.

The tour itself gave me an insight into this bizarre place. Whether it is the prison itself, which has only four guards to manage the 1500 inmates (who turn a blind eye to beatings, the consumption of smuggled alcohol and the production of methamphetamines), or the students dressed as zebras who help guide pedestrians at road crossings, the city had an unreal quality to it. The sprawling street markets were run predominantly by Cholitas, who sold all manner of goods to their regulars, including lama foetuses. Yes, lama foetuses. You see, when erecting a new building, it is customary in Bolivia to lay a lama foetus in the foundations by way of a sacrificial gift to Pachamama (mother earth). I have, by now, made LaPaz sound horrific. But what we must all remember is that travel is important as it helps us to broaden our minds and challenge our preconceived notions about society. For all of my bizarre experiences, the Bolivians would find some of our customs equally strange, and many of those I dealt with in restaurants, hotels and markets were extremely grateful that I was visiting them and were highly respectful. It takes all sorts!

The Empanada is the go-to snack of choice for the majority of the South American continent. So ubiquitous is this snack food, that I had already sampled them in Peru and Mexico before settling down one morning in La Paz to sample the Bolivian version, known as a Salteña. I had already sampled empanadas in Mexico and Peru, so I naively thought I knew what I was getting when purchasing this snack on my final full day in the city. But if LaPaz has proven to be an off-centre version of the other south American cities I had visited, so to was this food unique – a bizzaro empanada if you like. You see a Salteña is served with a spoon for good reason. When you bite into the flaky sweetened crust, the filling that awaits you is cubed beef in a viscous, soupy, gravy that dribbles down your chin. The stew-like filling is accented with briny olives, sweet raisins and hardboiled egg, and is best eaten out of the pastry shell with a teaspoon. For a novice Salteña sampler like me, the whole experience was (like me time in Bolivia) messy, surprising and rewarding in equal measure.

Incidentally, the gravy is kept semi-solid by the addition of gelatin, which sets the filling upon cooling and reverts to its liquid form when recooked. This is what makes it possible to construct them.

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Ingredients

For the dough (masa):
400g plain flour
100g butter
100g lard
2tbsp sugar
100-120ml water with 1/2tsp salt dissolved
2 egg yolks (save the egg whites)

For the stew (jigote):
2 small onions, finely chopped
1tbsp mild chilli powder (yellow aji, in Bolivia)
400g beef, cut in small cubes
600ml good quality beef stock
4 sheets of leaf gelatin, soaked in cold water
6 boiled potatoes, diced
3tbsp parsely, finely chopped
2tbsp raisins
50g frozen peas
1tbsp black pepper
salt to taste
12 black olives, pitted and sliced
2 hard boiled eggs, cooled and chopped

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Method

1. For the stew fry the onions in a little oil until softened, then add the chilli powder and diced beef.

2. Stir until lightly browned. Add the stock and bring to a simmer.

3. Add the soaked gelatin leaves and cook for 15 minutes.

4. Take the stew off the stove and add the parsley, peas, cooked potatoes, raisins, pepper and salt.

5. Put it into a container in the refrigerator overnight. This will allow the gelatin to firm up the stew enough to be able to spoon the stew onto the rounds of dough.

6. The next day make the pastry by placing the flour, salt and sugar into a bowl.

7. Add the butter and lard and rub in using your fingertips until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.

8. Stir in the egg yolks with a fork. Then slowly add the water a bit at a time, until you have a firm dough that leaves the sides of the bowl clean.

9. Knead the dough for a minute or two.

10. Preheat the oven to 210°C.

11. Next roll out the dough to a thickness of 5mm. Using a small saucer or side dish (about 10cm in diameter) cut out 8-10 discs of pastry.

12. Place one spoon of gelatinous stew onto each round of dough, add some olive and egg to each.

13. Brush the edges of each round with some of the remaining egg white. Fold over in half to form a semi circle and crimp to seal (like you would the edge of a pie).

14. Place the salteña upright with the sealed edge on top, onto a greased baking sheet.

15. Brush the entire exterior with the egg whites and bake for 15-25 minutes or until the crimped edge is very well toasted and the dough is a dark golden brown.

You can freeze salteñas (unbaked) as long as they are very well wrapped. When you want to bake them, place them immediately from the freezer to the oven – do not thaw.

Brenda’s pecan pie

With Canadian Thanksgiving fast approaching, my Canadian host cooked for me my first ever Pecan Pie. The filling is similar to the butter tarts I have already posted, but that is by the by. This is without question the best recipe I have tasted on my travels thus far. A buttery flaky crust, sweet gooey insides and firm nutty pecans. Whether American or Canadian, is up for debate. But there’s no time for that, you need to make this pie now.

So below in all its unadulterated glory is the recipe for Brenda’s Pecan Pie.

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Level: medium
Methods: pie crust, creaming
Skills: baking

Time: 1 1/2 hours
Makes: 8 hearty slices

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Ingredients

For the pie crust:
150g plain flour
1/4tsp salt
30g lard or white vegetable fat
30g butter
4tbsp cold water

For the filling:
3 eggs, slightly beaten
300g golden syrup
130g dark soft brown sugar
75g butter, melted
1tsp vanilla extract
125g pecan halves

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Method

1. Stir together flour and salt in a large mixing bowl.

2. Using a knife cut in the fat until the pieces are pea-size (do not rub in, we want a flaky north American pie crust.)

3. Sprinkle the water over the mix, one tablespoon at a time, gently tossing together with a fork. Repeat this until the dough can be brought together into one ball.

4. Chill in the fridge until needed.

5. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

6. For the filling, simply combine the eggs, syrup, sugar, butter, and vanilla in a bowl. An electric whisk can be used at this point.

7. Stir in the pecan halves.

8. On a lightly floured surface, use your hands to slightly flatten the pie crust dough.
Roll the dough from the center to the edge, into a circle about 12 inches in diameter.

9. Line a 9-inch pie plate with the pastry. Crimp or trim the edge as desired.

10. Place the pastry-lined pie plate onto the oven rack. Carefully pour the filling into the pastry shell. To prevent overbrowning, you can cover the edge of the pie with foil.

11. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for a further 20 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

12. Cool completely on a wire rack, the filling is like molten lava, so be careful.

Butter Tarts

The Butter Tart is a quintessentially Canadian recipe, and is irrefutably Canadian in origin. This recipe has been modified and altered over the generations to the point where this simple tart can taste vastly different depending where you are in the country. Opinions too, vary over what other ingredients are added, the type of pastry used and indeed even the desired consistency of the filling. My preferred variant of the tart includes plump raisins (traditional), uses European shortcrust pastry (not traditional) and should be firm but oozing (a matter of preference.)

Some butter tarts are made with dark corn syrup, while others use light. For a Brit hoping to emulate the recipe, light corn syrup is easier to substitute as it is nearly identical to golden syrup, so that’s what I’ve gone with in this recipe. However in an effort to lend a more treacly tone to the tart I have added a small amount of dark soft brown sugar. The recipe is hugely forgiving and can be made even more fragrant and “Canadian” with a dash of maple syrup.

This little treat is unashamedly sweet and so is best prepared in individual “tartlets” using a 12 hole muffin tin.

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Level: medium
Methods: rubbing-in, creaming
Skills: baking

Time: 1 hour
Makes: around 12 tarts

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Ingredients
150g plain flour
75g butter, chilled and cubed
1tbsp icing sugar
1 egg yolk
1-3tsp water
75g raisins
60g soft butter
150g golden syrup
50g soft dark brown sugar
2tsp maple syrup (optional)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2tsp vanilla extract

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Method

1. Place the raisins into a small bowl and cover with hot water from the tap. Leave to stand until needed so they can plump up.

2. Next, place the flour and icing sugar into a mixing bowl.

3. Add the cubed butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mix resembles fine breadcrumbs.

4. Add the egg yolk and stir lightly. You need a firm ball of dough, so you will more than likely need to add a dash of water. Bring together into a ball and rest briefly in the fridge.

5. In a large mixing bowl, combine the soft butter, syrup and sugar with a wooden spoon. Stir until creamy and the sugar has dissolved.

6. Add the egg and vanilla. Mix well.

7. Preheat the oven to 200°C.

8. Drain the raisins.

9. Now, prepare the muffin tins by rolling out the pastry and cutting into 4-inch (approx) circles with a pastry cutter.

10. Fit dough circles into muffin the cups, taking care not to stretch the pastry as this can cause shrinkage later; set aside in fridge until ready to fill.

11. Divide the raisins equally into all of the tart cases, then top each evenly with the butter mixture.

12. Bake for 20 minutes; the filling will be lightly browned but still bubbling.

13. Let the cooked butter tarts cool in the tin for 10 minutes after removing from oven; then remove and place on racks until completely cool.

Plokkfiskur Pasties (Icelandic mashed haddock and potato)

On the same day I attempted to eat shark, I also tasted a dish named Plokkfiskur. Now, the English translation of Plokkfiskur is simply mashed fish, but I found that description more than a little off-putting, considering how delicious this classic dish is. Plokkfiskur is a true peasants meal and was traditionally used as a way to liven up leftover poached haddock.

The dish itself is composed of few ingredients and has a smooth, almost gummy texture that is reminiscent of the best cheese and onion pasty fillings (think Ginsters!) In fact it is this very notion that gave birth to my anglicised recipe variant, a Plokkfiskur pasty. For those who aren’t keen on this idea, you can instead take a more authentic path and choose to gratinate the mashed mixture with rye-breadcrumbs and grated Gouda.

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Ingredients

For the Potato Pastry:
190g cold mashed potato (no butter or milk added)
210g plain flour
100g butter, chilled and cubed
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
cold water

For the Plokkfiskur:
560g haddock (cooked and cooled)
560g potatoes (peeled, diced and boiled)
1 onion (chopped finely)
350ml whole milk
55g butter
3tsp plain flour
salt and pepper
1-2tsp snipped chives

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Method

1. First make your pastry. Combine the flour, salt and baking powder in a large bowl.

2. Add the fat and rub in with your fingertips until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.

3. Mix in the mashed potato until a ball of dough forms that leaves the sides of the bowl clean. It is at this point that you may need to add a little water.

4. Rap the dough in cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, skin the cooked haddock fillets (check for bones as you go) and break up the fish into flakes.

6. Finely chop the onion and add to a saucepan with the butter.

7. Warm over a medium heat until the onion starts to soften.

8. When cooked, spoon over the flour and stir to make a roux. Stir well for 1-2 minutes.

9. Gradually add the milk, stirring continuously. Allow to simmer for 3-4 minutes, stirring often.

10. Remove from the heat and add the potato and flaked fish. Stir roughly so that some of the pieces are broken up and others remain whole.

11. Finally add the chives and a generous amount of seasoning, then set aside to cool.

12. Preheat oven to 200°C.

13. Next, remove the pastry from the fridge and roll out on a floured work surface, until approximately 45 by 30cm. I sometimes roll the pastry between two sheets of clingfilm as it can get quite sticky.

14. Cut the pastry into six equal 15×15 squares.

15. One at a time spread a generous portion of Plokkfiskur onto one half of each square. Fold over like a book and seal with a fork and some egg wash. Brush the tops with more egg and prick with a few holes to allow the steam to escape.

16. When completed, transfer your pasties to a baking tray and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.

Hjónabandssaela (Blissful Marriage Cake)

This delightful recipe proved to be my first taste of true Icelandic cooking, as I first enjoyed it on my flight from Heathrow.

As I begun to investigate the recipe further I was really struck by the name – Hjónabandssaela, which literally translates as Blissful Marriage Cake. Now my students will know that I am a fan of etymology (the study of the origin of words and the way in which their meanings have changed throughout history.) But interestingly there seems to be no consensus on how this simple bake acquired such a unique name, but there are two realistic theories.

1. The simple, store cupboard ingredients are an ideal “marriage” of flavours.

2. This cake is so easy to make, that even the most domestically challenged housewives can throw this together, in order to satisfy her husband and make their marriage blissful.

What is known however, is that the cake has never been a part of Icelandic wedding ceremonies, so it is up to us to choose the theory we most prefer.

This recipe has a lot in common with the more refined Linzer Torte of Austrian origins. The addition of oats and brown sugar makes this decidedly more rustic and in my opinion, all the more enjoyable for it. All of the ingredients used here are plentiful in Iceland, and for that matter in the UK. Rhubarb in particular, is a hardy stem, that flourishes in the harsh Icelandic climate, meaning it appears frequently in their cuisine. For this reason I have decided to make my own rhubarb jam in order to make the recipe more challenging.

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Level: high
Methods: rubbing-in, jam making
Skills: stewing, baking

Time: 2 hours (reduced to an hour if you use shop bought jam)
Makes: 8-10 slices

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Ingredients

For the jam:
500g rhubarb, weighed after trimming, cut into 3cm chunks
500g jam sugar
1 vanilla pod, halved lengthways
juice 1/2 lemon

For the base and topping:
250g white spelt flour (plain will suffice if it’s all you can find)
200g rolled oats
1/2tsp baking powder
25g caster sugar
100g muscovado sugar
75g butter, diced
1-2tsp vanilla extract
1 egg

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Method

1. Put a small plate in the freezer.

2. Put the rhubarb into a large saucepan with the sugar and halved vanilla pod.

3. Heat gently, stirring, until all the sugar has dissolved, then squeeze in the lemon juice and increase the heat.

4. Boil for about 10 mins, skimming off the scum as you go (the fruit should be soft).

5. Test for setting point by spooning a little onto your chilled plate. After 1-2 mins, push your finger through the jam – if the surface wrinkles it is ready, if not, keep cooking for 2-min intervals, testing in between. (Or if you have a sugar thermometer it should reach 105°C)

6. Once the jam is ready, let it cool for about 45 before use. This will make more jam than you need, so you can place the excess in sterilised jars (it will keep for 6 months).

7. Next make the crust. Cut the butter into small cubes.

8. Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease and flour a cake tin.

This recipe can be made in a 8-inch cake tin, a pie dish or a small tray bake pan. You can also reduce the amount of jam used to produce a portable snack bar.

9. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, oats, baking powder, and sugars.

10. Add the cubed butter. Then combine the ingredients using your fingertips, rubbing together until the mix resembles sandy breadcrumbs.

11. Add the egg and vanilla extract, then stir to make a loose dough. Bring together with your hands and then knead for about a minute or until the dough is cohesive and malleable.

12. Place 2/3 of the dough into the base of your chosen cooking tin. Press firmly into the tin and push up the sides to create a 1cm high crust.

13. Cover your dough with the rhubarb jam.

14. Crumble the remaining dough on top of the other layers.

15. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the the crust is golden and the jam is beginning to darken at the edges. Do not allow the jam to burn.

16. Allow to cool fully before serving.