'H' is for Hot Pie

OK, so I have kinda skewed the title of this post to make it fit the topic that I want but who can blame me? After all it is British Pie Week and therefore it is most appropriate to write about the British passion for pastry encased yumminess.

I mean, who ever came up with the idea for pies deserves an award for services to humanity and doing the world a huge favour. I mean there are chunky meat pies, then potato topped pies, little tarts and then fruity pies, cobblers and hot crust pies.

It makes my mouth water just thinking of it.

The alternative for 'H' is homemade, which is also (in part) what this post is about. I can honestly say that making a pie from scratch beats a store bought one of the same flavour (and I can say this as I bought one at the weekend) because you stir in that extra ingredient...love. (Smell the cheese of that last sentence there) But seriously, it does taste a whole lot better and you know exactly what goes into it. And most people will shrug off looking at the label but when it comes to feeding The Two Monkeys, it really does matter to me how much salt is in something and what additives it may have.

Having been inspired by the Hairy Bikers cookbook I was given for Christmas 2012 (as mentioned in an earlier post), I made my dear husband pick out a recipe for me to have a bash at for dinner one night.  My only previous pie attempts have been a fruit filled pies or a very lovely and sweet "Pumpkin Pie" from the Hummingbird Bakery cookbook, this would be my first foray into the world of savoury pies and I was a little nervous.

However, I want to make it perfectly clear that making pies really does take baking to a whole new level. It's more than just a mixture in a cupcake case, it is a process that leads to combining filling and pastry and doing your best to avoid a "soggy bottom"

So today I set about creating the "Creamy Chicken, Ham and Leek Pie" that my dear husband had selected, if you're interested in trying it you can find it here. The prep for the filling took me just under an hour, which was good as I could fit it in whilst my Little Giant had an afternoon nap and The Bug played in the room next door.  From there on in it was just a case of making the pie prior to cooking.

Interestingly enough, the shortcrust pastry for this recipe differs from others that I have previously made in that it uses an egg rather than just water.  If anything it created a smoother dough that I could use instantly rather than needing to let it rest.  I also made a point of using cold and cubed butter to make the pastry which I haven't  done in the past and it worked much better.

So we sat down to a very lovely hot pie for dinner tonight and enjoyed every last bite.  There was even some pastry left over for me to make some mini chocolate tortes for pudding.

G is for Gravy

Yes, you heard me, gravy.  There are certain dishes out there that are just not complete until you add this, the most wonderful and versatile of all sauces.

Sausage and mash. Pie and mash.  Actually, lets make that anything with mash.

A roast dinner (of any kind). Toad in the hole.

The americans even have a thick sausage gravy they eat at breakfast!

The great thing about gravy is that it can be made to match whatever you are eating and there is no firm rule about what goes in it. You can thicken it...or not. You can add onions...or not. Each batch is unique and in our family my dear husband is the king of gravy makers (and roast dinners). You can drench your dinner in it or (in the case of a certain friend) drink it straight from the jug.

You can try and dress it up and call it a jus but really it all boils down to the same thing (quite literally in fact.)

But for me, the most bizarre thing about gravy is that while I am now more than happy to wax lyrical about its many and marvellous uses... I used to despise it as a child. You make think that despise is rather a strong word but I couldn't stand to have any gravy pass my lips, any meal with said condiment would be rejected. Or very grudging picked at because I was generally a good child who did as they were told.

I am sure my mother must have despaired.

It sounds odd but I decided at about the age of 5 or 6 that I didn't like "wet food" and avoided it at all costs.  I have to add that I also liked to keep all the different foods separate on my plate but that is probably another story and one that I am sure some psychologist would have something to say about.  But back to the story in hand, I would refuse gravy on any and every meal, my especial fear was that it would turn my potatoes to mush.  This strong aversion of "wet food" extended to include brothy stews, custard and pouring cream....all things I now eat in abundance.

So lets give it up for gravy...I know I will be having a double helping next time it is on the menu.