Recipes
Homity pie
Equipment needed: 6 individual pie tins or foil dishes, or 1 x 20cm/8 in flan dish
Ingredients for 6 individual or 1 larger pie:
300g/10 oz Shortcrust Pastry
350g/12 oz Potatoes, peeled
250g/ ½ lb Onions, peeled and roughly-chopped
250g/ ½ lb Leeks, carefully-washed – then cut into pieces
45ml/3 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
25g/1 oz Butter (plus a little to line the pie tins)
a small bunch of fresh Parsley
a large pinch a Thyme
300g/10 oz grated Cheddar Cheese
2 medium cloves of Garlic, peeled and finely-chopped
2 Crisp Dessert Apples (red if possible), cored and cut into pieces – but the skin left on
60ml/4 tablespoon Milk or Single Cream
2 Eggs, lightly-beaten
Salt and freshly-ground Black Pepper to taste
a pinch of Cayenne Pepper
Method:
Lightly butter the pie tins.
Roll out the pastry and line the pie tins. Chill the tins while you make the filling.
Boil or steam the potatoes until they’re tender – then chop them into bite-sized pieces.
Sauté the chopped onions and leeks over a gentle heat in the vegetable oil, until they’re soft. Add the apple pieces and mix in.
Add the garlic, followed by the potatoes, butter, parsley and thyme, the eggs, half the cheese and the milk.
Season with salt and pepper and combine the mixture well together.
The pies can be prepared in advance up to this stage.
Fill the pies and cover them with the remaining cheese.
Bake them in a pre-heated oven 220C/425F/Gas 7, for 20 minutes, or until golden.
Serve warm.
