I remember the first meat pie that I ever had was in London, back in November of 2008. I went on this two-week long adventure all by myself in a strange and foreign land. Well, not so strange, but definitely foreign to me! People talked funny and the the money was confusingly colorful. What was the pink paper worth again?? Despite the initial frustration and confusion, I quickly adapted and started to tick off things on my to-do list. Tower bridge? check! Big Ben? Check! 221B Baker Street? Check! Picadilly Square? Double check!
I had a blast and am eternally grateful for having the opportunity to visit such an amazing city. If I were to retire anywhere in the world, it would definitely be London. With that being said, one of my favorite parts of the trip was checking off my ultra toursity foodie list! English breakfasts, mulled wine, cornish pasties, fish and chips, mince pies, and beef and ale pie, oh my!
Speaking of beef and ale pies, I had my first at The Porcupine on Leicester Square. I had been walking all day and looking for the perfect place to get my pie on. This pub was set in a historic building and had a wonderful atmosphere. The pie was excellent! Exactly what I was looking for!
Since then, I've indulged in a few variations of meat pies Some with red wine, some with sausage, and endless varieties of crusts to go along with them. Strangely enough, I never really made a meat pie of my own. Well, to remedy that situation, I decided to go on a hunt for a pie-specific book. I wanted a mix of both sweet and savoury, but not necessarily a baking book. Strictly pies only with the exception of pie-like recipes.
The first book I considered was Pie by Angela Boggiano. A quick look through the book, however, quickly changed my mind about it. While there were lots of pretty pictures, I found I needed more pictures and most of the pies that were listed weren't exactly something that I would readily make (ie, pies with oyster, gooseberry, or chorizo). Also, when looking for a recipe, it was hard to look for a specific kind of pie I wanted to make. It was also the same with The Four & Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book by Emily Elsen and Melissa Elsen. Although it had lots of great recipes, no savory pies in sight.
A Year of Pies by Ashley English also yeilded the same results. So many fruit and vegetable pies...where were the meat pies?? One other book I considered was Pies and Tarts for Dinner and Dessert by Stephane Reynaud and Marie-Pierre Morel. I liked that the pies were rustic looking and Eastern European based, but it was just a tad bit frou-frou for my taste.
Then I found Pies: Sweet and Savory by Caroline Bretherton. The first time I flipped through the book, I knew that I had found my pie book. Like the title suggested, the book is damn-near cut in half for the amount of sweet vs. savory. The contents are conveniently divided into types of pies to make (meat, fish, vegetarian, fruit, chocolate...) then again into a recipe planner that lists each recipe by pie type (top-crust pies, double-crust pies, cobblers and crumbles, etc...). It also has a chapter devoted to pie dough complete with decorative suggestions and multiple dough recipes. Not only that, but I would probably make most, if not all, the recipes in the cookbook. Winner!!
Now, even though I thought this was a excellent cookbook, I found that some of the directions were a little confusing. Directions could've been worded differently and picture how-to's would probably have helped with my first pie. However, I found that this was easily fixed if you knew what kind of pie you were making (in my case, a top-crust pie).
I've reworded the directions so that it'll be (hopefully) easier to understand. For this recipe, I found that I wanted just a bit more veggie and a tad more gravy than what the recipe called for. Also, the crust was adapted from the original just because, apparently, I can't read directions, lol. We've made this pie twice already. . . now, if we can only get past this one to try the others!
On a side note...no humans were harmed in the making of this pie (in case you missed the Sweeney Todd reference in the title, lol). Yum! Oh, and Happy Halloween!
Herb Steak and Vegetable Pie
(adapted from Pies: Sweet and Savory)
For the Filling:
2 medium potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 large carrots, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 large parsnips, cut into bite-sized pieces
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1.5 lbs beef stew meat, chopped into bite-sized pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 cups beef stock or broth
1 cup red wine
2 tbsp finely chopped rosemary leaves
1 bay leaf
For the Dough:
18 tbsp frozen butter
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/3 to 1/2 cup water
flour for dusting
1 large egg, lightly beaten, to glaze
Make the dough:
Coarsely grate frozen butter into a bowl. Sift over the flour and salt and rub together until well-combined and crumbly. Starting with 1/3 to 1/2 cup water, mix with a fork then with fingertips to form a rough dough. If it is too dry, add more water. Shape the dough into a ball, then place in a clean plastic bag to chill in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.
Make the filling:
Boil the potatoes, carrots, and parsnip chunks in a saucepan of salted water for 15 minutes, until soft. Drain and set aside. Over high heat, sear meat with 1 tbsp olive oil in a large nonstick frying pan for 5 to 8 minutes, until browned all over. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Reduce heat to low and add remaining 1 tbsp olive oil to the frying pan. Add the onion and a pinch of salt then sweat gently for about 5 minutes, until onion is soft and translucent. Stir in the flour and continue to cook for another 2 minutes.
Increase the heat a little, then add the Worcestershire sauce, beef stock, red wine, rosemary, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low. Return meat to the pan and simmer gently for about 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cooked vegetables and season with salt and pepper.
Make the pie:
Preheat the oven to 400F degrees.
Remove dough from refrigerator then roll out on a floured surface. Dough should be about two inches larger than the top circumference of a one quart pie dish. Using the dish as a guide, cut a circle one inch bigger than mouth of the pie dish then set aside for the moment. This is the top lid of the pie.
Discard the bay leaf from the filling then spoon filling into the pie dish. Dampen the edge of the dish with a little water then use the scraps of dough to make a collar all the way around, pressing down firmly to adhere the dough onto the dish. Brush the dough collar with a little egg, then top with the dough lid. Using your finger and thumb, pinch the edges of the dough together to seal.
Brush the top of the pie with the remaining beaten egg then cut 2 to 3 slits to allow for steam to escape. Bake for 30 minutes on a foil-lined baking sheet or until puffed up and golden brown. Serve hot.
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