Few dishes are as tasty and comforting than a homemade pie. From a spectacular spinach and feta hand pie to a tasty, tart berry pie, make one of these yummy pastry dishes today!  

Spinach & feta hand pies

Serves 8 // Cooking time 30 minutes

Ingredients 

1 cup butter
½ cup water
2 cups cake flour
400g spinach, steamed
4 wheels feta, crumbled  

Method  

1. Bring the butter and water to a boil over high heat. Remove from the stove and add the flour. Whisk until fully combined and a dough forms. Allow to cool.
2. Roll the dough out on a floured surface and cut out eight 10 cm rounds.
3. Mix the spinach with the feta and divide it between the pastry cases. Place the filling on one side and fold over to create a half-moon, pressing the edges down to seal. Freeze.
4. When ready to eat, defrost in the fridge overnight. Arrange on a lined baking tray and bake at 200°C for 25 minutes, until golden brown.

Quick tips: For an extra-rich pastry, replace the water with full-cream milk, making sure not to burn it. When you cook with feta, taste before adding salt, as the cheese will add saltiness to the dish. 

Recipes & styling: Leila-Ann Mokotedi
Photography: Jotham van Tonder 

 

Meat-free mushroom pie with sesame pastry 

Serves 8 // Cooking time 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients 

For the sesame pastry 

¼ cup black sesame seeds
1 tsp cracked black pepper
400g cake flour
220g butter
½ tsp salt
3 Tbsp cold water
1 egg, beaten 

For the mushroom filling 

110g butter
3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
¼ cup flour
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 cups milk
½ cup grated mozzarella
¼ cup grated Parmesan
3 Tbsp olive oil
10g thyme
450g mixed mushrooms, chopped  

Method  

For the sesame pastry 

1. In a food processor, pulse the sesame seeds and pepper until ground. Add the flour, butter and salt. Pulse until combined.
2. Add the water, 1 Tbsp at a time, until the mixture comes together into a dough.
3. Turn out the dough out on a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Roll into a ball, wrap in cling film and place in the fridge to rest for 1 hour.

For the mushroom pie filling 

1. Heat 1 tsp butter and fry the garlic until golden.
2. Melt ¼ cup butter in a pot over low heat. Remove from the heat and mix in flour, mustard, fried garlic, and salt and pepper.
3. Return the pot to the heat. Gradually add the milk, stirring, until the sauce is smooth.
4. Remove from the heat again and add the cheeses. Mix until melted.
5. Heat 3 Tbsp olive oil, another 3 Tbsp butter and thyme in a pan. Add the mushrooms and fry until golden. Mix half the mushrooms into the cheese mixture.

 To assemble  

1. Preheat oven to 180°C and grease a 23cm baking tin.
2. Cut the ball of pastry in half. On a floured surface, roll out half to fit the tin. Press it into the tin and blind bake it for 10 minutes.
3. Pour the cheese filling into the pastry case. Top with the remaining mushrooms.
4. Roll out the rest of the pastry and cut into 1cm strips. Lay out all the horizontal strips on top of the pie first. Fold half of them back on themselves. Working from the middle of the pie out, lay down a vertical strip, then weave it in.
5. Brush the pastry lattice with egg and bake for 40 minutes, until golden.

 

Recipe & styling: Chiara Turilli
Photography: Andreas Eiselen // HMimages.co.za 

 

Chicken enchilada pie 

Serves 6 // Cooking time 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients 

For the filling 

1 Tbsp veg oil
1 onion, grated
1 garlic clove, crushed
4 chicken breasts
2 cups chicken stock
1 tsp paprika
½ tsp chilli flakes
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp origanum
1 Tbsp flour
2 eggs
½ cup sour cream  

For the shell 

4 large flour tortillas
Vegetable oil, to brush
1 cup grated Cheddar 

Method

For the filling 

1. Heat oil in a deep pan and fry onion and garlic until golden. Add chicken, stock and spices. Boil for 10 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and the stock has reduced.
2. Remove the chicken from the pot. Add the flour and cook until the sauce is thickened.
3. Remove from the heat and cool, then add eggs and sour cream. Mix well.
4. Shred the chicken into small pieces. Add the pulled chicken to the reduced sauce

For the shell 

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a large pie tin.
2. Arrange 3 tortillas in the tin, overlapping slightly to cover the base and the sides. Spoon in filling and sprinkle with cheese.
3. Place 1 tortilla on top to cover and press down gently. Cut a cross in it to let the steam out. Brush with oil. Bake for 20 minutes.

 

Recipe & styling: Chiara Turilli
Photography: Samantha Pinto // HMimages.co.za 

 

Beef and leek pie with a black pepper shortcrust pastry crust 

Serves 6–8 // Cooking time 2 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients 

For the black pepper shortcrust pastry 

290g butter, cubed
4 cups flour
2 tsp cracked black pepper
¾ cup cold water
1 egg, whisked  

For the beef and leek pie filling  

2 Tbsp butter, for frying
1 clove garlic, crushed
5 leeks, finely chopped
1 Tbsp grated ginger
½ tsp allspice
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp cardamom
500g beef chuck, cubed
400g chopped tomatoes
2 cups beef stock
2 tsp flour 

Method 

For the black pepper shortcrust pastry 

1. Use your fingers to rub the butter, flour and black pepper together until the mixture forms fine crumbs.
2. Add the water and bring together until a dough forms.
3. Lightly knead into a ball. (Do not overwork, or it will lose its ‘shortness’ or texture.) Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a square pie tin or casserole dish.
5. Roll out the dough on a floured surface to 5mm thick.
6. Cut the dough in half. Press one half into the bottom of the pie tin. Roll the leftover dough into a ball and refrigerate. Blind bake the shell for 15 minutes.

For the beef and leek pie filling 

1. Fry garlic and leeks for 5 minutes. Add the spices, then the beef, tomatoes and stock.
2. Roast in the oven for 1 hour, until beef is tender. Pull beef apart and mix with 2 tsp flour.
3. Roll out the remaining dough. Spoon the filling into the pastry shell and top with the dough. Crimp the edges with a fork.
4. Brush with egg wash and bake for 35 minutes.

 

Recipe & styling: Chiara Turilli
Photography: Samantha Pinto // HMimages.co.za
 

Mixed berry pie 

Cooking time 50–60 minutes

Ingredients 

For the pastry 

2 cups flour
2 Tbsp icing sugar
145g butter, cubed
6 Tbsp cold water
1 egg, whisked  

For the filling 

1 cup each blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, cherries
½ cup brown sugar + extra to top
Zest and juice of 1 lemon  

Method  

1. Mix flour and icing sugar. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture forms fine crumbs.
2. Add water and mix until a dough forms. Knead lightly to form a ball. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 180°C and set out a pie tin.
4. Roll out the dough to 5 mm thick. Cut out a circle a little bigger than the pie tin. Drape it over the tin and press into the sides and base. Crimp the edges.
5. Roll the remaining dough into a ball and return it to the fridge.
6. Mix all the filling ingredients and spoon into the pie shell.
7. Roll out the remaining dough and cut it into 5 strips.
8. Lay 3 strips across the pie and weave the other 2 strips through them. Trim any excess dough and crimp the edges.
9. Brush the top of the pie with egg and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 50–60 minutes, until the pastry is golden.

 

Recipe & Styling: Chiara Turilli
Photography: Andreas Eiselen