Crisp, golden and downright irresistible: Pies are the ultimate comfort food, no matter the season. With an easy hot water pastry, delicate layers of puff pastry and a classic crumbly shortcrust, we’re baking our way to pie perfection.  

Pepper steak & Guinness pie

Serves 8 

This pie is pure winter magic, with a rich, toasted dark malt flavour. Replace the beer with beef stock for an alcohol-free version.  

Ingredients

For the pie filling  

2 Tbsp oil 
2 onions, chopped 
2 celery stalks, chopped 
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
⅔ cup tomato paste 
2 tsp ground cumin 
2 tsp ground coriander 
2 tsp smoked paprika 
1kg beef goulash
2 Tbsp milled black pepper
10 sprigs thyme, picked 
2 cups Guinness or stout beer of choice 
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 can (400g) tomato puree
½ Tbsp brown sugar Salt  

For the pastry 

1 cup (250g) butter, cubed
1¼ cups (310ml) water 
4 cups (600g) flour 
1 tsp (5ml) salt flakes 
Handful parsley, chopped 
2 tsp (10ml) cumin seeds, toasted 
1 egg, beaten 
Creamy mash, to serve  

Method

1. For the filling, heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Sauté the onions, celery, garlic and carrots for about 5-8 minutes. 
2. Add tomato paste and spices. Fry for another minute. 
3. Add beef, black pepper and thyme. Brown for 3-5 minutes. 
4. Add beer, Worcestershire sauce, tomato puree and sugar. Season. 
5. Lower the temperature and cook for about 2 hours. 
6. For the pastry, combine the butter and water in a pot and bring to a boil. 
7. Combine flour, salt, parsley and cumin seeds in a bowl. 
8. Add the butter mixture to the flour mixture. Combine with a wooden spoon to create a dough. 
9. Knead the dough on a floured surface for about 3 minutes or until smooth. 
10. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Spray a 25x35cm pie dish with non-stick spray. 11. Roll the pastry out to about 2-3mm thick. Chill until firm. 
11. To assemble, spoon the pie filling into the prepared dish. 
12. Cover the filling with pastry. Use any pastry off-cuts to decorate the pie. Brush the pastry with egg wash. 
13. Bake for about 40-45 minutes or until pastry is golden and crisp.
14. Serve the pie with mash.

Good to know 
What is hot water pastry, exactly? This firm, versatile dough is traditionally used for savoury pastries and raised pies, which are strong enough to stand up without the support of a tin. It’s made by melting fat (butter or lard) in boiling water and combining it with flour to make a dough that is easy to handle and keeps its shape. 

Mushroom, potato & spinach pies  

Makes 6  

Perfect as is or served with salad or roasted veg to make the meal stretch further. 

Ingredients

2 potatoes, peeled and quartered 
1 Tbsp olive oil 
1 onion, finely chopped 
3 cloves garlic, finely grated
180g mixed mushrooms, sliced 
50g baby spinach 
3 Tbsp wholegrain mustard
¼ cup sour cream 
Handful parsley, chopped 
400g short crust pastry, defrosted 
1 egg, beaten 
Salt and milled pepper  

Method

1. Boil the potatoes until tender. Use a fork to mash some of the potatoes, leaving some pieces whole. 
2. Heat the oil and fry the onion for about 4 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and mushrooms and fry for another 5 minutes. 
4. Turn off the heat. Stir in the baby spinach, mustard, sour cream and parsley. Season. 
5. Preheat oven to 180°C. 6. Cut 6x15cm rounds from the short crust pastry. Brush with egg wash. 
6. Place the filling on half of the pastry rounds, leaving a 1cm border clean. Fold pastry over, encasing the filling. 
7. Seal the pastry by crimping the edges. Fold the edge and press down at increments, 1cm apart. 
8. Place the pies on a baking tray. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with salt.
9. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm. 

Butter chicken pot pies  

Serves 3-4  

Pie-making at home cannot get easier than this! Your favourite curry, now with a golden, flaky crown. 

Ingredients

4 chicken breast fillets 
1 Tbsp oil 
Salt and milled pepper 
400g butter chicken cook-in sauce 
2 (250g each) ready-rolled puff pastry sheets, defrosted 
1 egg, beaten 
Coriander, to serve 
Cooked basmati rice, to serve  

Method

1. Cut the chicken into bite-size cubes. 
2. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the chicken for about 5 minutes. Season. 
3. Add the butter chicken cook-in sauce and simmer for another 10 minutes. 
4. Preheat the oven to 180°C. 
5. Using a cookie cutter, cut the pastry into desired shapes of about 4-5cm in size. Chill. 
6. To assemble, divide the filling between 3-4 individual pie dishes. 
7. Top with pastry and brush with egg wash. 
8. Bake for about 30-40 minutes or until golden brown. 
9. Garnish with coriander and enjoy with basmati rice. 

Good to know
Working with puff pastry can be a finicky thing, but there are some basic tricks to it. Avoid overworking it, as doing so can cause the layers to compress, which reduces flakiness. Use a sharp knife to avoid squeezing the layers of puff pastry together. If making a pie base, prevent sogginess by blind baking it first or use a small amount of breadcrumbs or semolina to absorb moisture.  

By: Lichelle May
Photography by: Zhann Solomons
Text courtesy of MyKitchen magazine 

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