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 

The post Flaky and fabulous  appeared first on MyKitchen.

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

The post 5 yummy homemade pie recipes appeared first on MyKitchen.

Editor Chad January dishes out heaps of heart-warming pies, topped with tips to perfect any kind of crust.  

Beef and Guinness pie 

Serves 4-6 • Total Time 1 Hr 45 Min 

Ingredients

1kg beef shin or stewing beef  
Salt and milled black pepper  
Cake flour, for dusting 
2 Tbsp canola oil  
1 onion, chopped  
2 carrots, peeled and chopped 
2 stalks celery, sliced  
3 cloves garlic, chopped  
Handful fresh thyme  
400g tinned chopped tomatoes  
440ml Guinness beer  
1 cup beef stock  
Handful fresh coriander, chopped 
400g puff pastry, defrosted  
1 egg, whisked  

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. 
2. Generously season beef and lightly dust with flour. 
3. Heat oil in large pot and brown beef in batches. Set aside. 
4. Add another glug of oil and sauté onion, carrots and celery for 3-5 minutes or until golden. 
5. Add garlic and thyme and fry for 1-2 minutes. 
6. Return beef to pot and pour in tomatoes, beer and stock. Cover and simmer for about an hour or until meat is tender. 
7. Stir through coriander and simmer for another 10-12 minutes. Season well. 
8. Roll pastry out on a floured surface to about 3mm thick. 
9. Place half the pastry into a greased round oven dish and prick the base with a fork. 
10. Blind bake pastry for 6-8 minutes and set aside. 
11. Pour filling into pie crust and cover with remaining pastry. 
12. Brush with egg and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Serve hot. 

TIME SAVER 
Skip the blind baking and spoon pie filling into small ovenproof ramekins and top with puff pastry. Brush with egg and bake for 15 minutes or until golden.  

Haddock, cheddar and potato pie 

Serves 4-6 • Total Time 1 Hr 

Ingredients

500g smoked haddock  
Glug olive oil  
1 onion, chopped  
2 carrots, peeled and chopped  
2 cloves garlic, chopped  
½ cup cream  
½ cup vegetable stock  
2 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped  
1 lemon, zested and juiced  
Salt and milled black pepper  
6 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped 
½ cup sour cream  
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard  
2 Tbsp chives, parsley or coriander, chopped 
1 cup mature cheddar, grated  

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. 
2. Place haddock in a colander over a pot of simmering water, cover with a lid and steam for about 8-10 minutes or until cooked through. Flake fish, discard bones and set aside. 
3. Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet; sauté onions and carrots until golden. 
4. Add garlic and fry for another minute or until fragrant. 
5. Pour in cream, vegetable stock and dill. Simmer for 5-6 minutes. 
6. Fold through haddock and mustard and simmer for another 3-5 minutes. 
7. Add lemon zest and juice, season and set aside in skillet. 
8. Boil potatoes for 6-8 minutes, or until cooked through, and drain. 
9. Mash potatoes until smooth and fold through sour cream, mustard, herbs and cheddar. 
10. Top haddock mixture with potato and level with the back of a spoon. 
11. Bake pie for 15-20 minutes or until golden. Serve hot. 

CHEF’S TIP 
Swap out haddock for hake, mackerel or tuna if you prefer.  

Butter chicken phyllo pastry pie 

Serves 4-6 • Total Time 45-50 Min 

Ingredients

FOR THE MARINADE  

½ cup plain yoghurt  
3 cloves garlic, chopped  
2 tsp grated fresh ginger  
1 Tbsp Garam Masala 
1 tsp turmeric  
1 tsp ground cumin  
1 tsp ground coriander  
1 tsp paprika  
½ tsp salt   

FOR THE BUTTER CHICKEN 

500g chicken breasts, cut into medium-sized chunks  
1 Tbsp canola oil  
3 Tbsp butter  
1 onion, chopped  
3 cloves garlic, chopped  
1 tsp grated fresh ginger  
2 tsp Garam Masala 
1 tsp ground coriander  
1 tsp paprika  
1 Tbsp turmeric  
100g tomato paste 
1 tsp sugar  
1 can chopped tomatoes  
1 can coconut milk or cream 
3 Tbsp chopped fresh coriander  
Salt and milled black pepper  

FOR THE CRUST  

6-8 sheets phyllo pastry, defrosted  
Melted butter for brushing  
Fresh coriander, chopped for serving 
Plain yoghurt, for serving 

Method

1. Combine marinade ingredients and chicken in a bowl and set aside for an hour. 
2. Preheat oven to 180°C. 
3. Fry chicken in batches in a large pot or skillet for about 3-4 minutes. Don’t cook chicken all the way through. Reserve marinade and set aside.
4. Remove chicken and set aside. 
5. For the sauce, heat oil and butter in the same pan and sauté onions for 3-4 minutes. 
6. Add garlic and ginger and fry for 1-2 minutes. 
7. Stir through spices and cook for 2 minutes. Add a splash of water if needed. 
8. Add tomato paste and cook for a minute. Stir through sugar. 
9. Pour in tomatoes and coconut milk or cream. Simmer for 5 minutes. 
10. Add chicken and simmer for about 10 minutes. 
11. Stir through coriander and season. 
12. Pour butter chicken into a large ovenproof dish. 
13. Cut each sheet of phyllo pastry into four long strips. Fold each strip into a triangle shape to resemble a samoosa. 
14. Arrange pastry on top of butter chicken and brush with melted butter. 
15. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until pastry is golden. 
16. Serve with dollops of yoghurt and garnished with fresh coriander. 

LEVEL UP
Arrange 4-5 phyllo pastry sheets at the bottom of your pastry dish, brushing with butter between each layer. Blind bake for 6-8 minutes.  Then add in the butter chicken.  

Roasted vegetable pie with herbed cream cheese pastry 

Serves 4-6 • Total Time 45 Min  [Plus 30 Min Chill Time] 

Ingredients

FOR THE PASTRY  

2 cups cake flour  
½ tsp salt  
½ cup butter, grated  
¼ cup chopped fresh herbs (parsley, thyme, coriander or rosemary)  
230g medium fat cream cheese  
2 Tbsp water, if needed   

FOR THE FILLING  

1kg roasted vegetable mix  
Glug canola oil  
Salt and milled black pepper 
Handful fresh thyme or rosemary  
4 cloves garlic, sliced  
2 Tbsp sundried tomato pesto  
¼ cup canola oil  
1 egg, whisked  

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. 
2. Sift flour and salt into a bowl. Rub butter into flour using your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs. 
3. Mix through herbs and cream cheese with a wooden spoon until a smooth, soft dough is formed. Add a splash of water if dough is too dry. 
4. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes. 
5. Arrange vegetables in an ovenproof dish or deep roasting tray, taking care to spread them out evenly. 
6. Drizzle with oil, season, sprinkle with herbs and garlic. Roast for 15 minutes or until golden and slightly charred. 
7. Combine pesto and oil. 
8. Remove vegetables from oven and stir through pesto. Roast for another 6-8 minutes. 
9. Roll out pastry onto a lightly floured surface to about 3cm thick and shape according to your greased pie dish. Leave enough pastry to create a lid. 
10. Press pastry into pie dish, prick base with a fork and blind bake for 10 minutes. 
11. Remove vegetables from oven, season well and stir. Spoon vegetables into the blind-baked pie dish. 
12. Cut remaining pastry into large strips and arrange over filling to create a lattice. 
13. Brush with egg and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until pastry is golden and cooked through. Serve hot out of the oven.

Creamy chicken and kale pie with harissa sweet potato crust 

Serves 4-6 • Total Time 1 Hr 

Ingredients

FOR THE FILLING  

500g chicken breast fillets 
2 Tbsp canola oil  
3 spring onions, sliced  
4 leeks, sliced  
3 cloves garlic, chopped  
3 Tbsp butter  
2 Tbsp flour  
1 cup cream  
300g kale, roughly chopped  
Salt and milled black pepper  
3 Tbsp chopped fresh coriander or parsley  

FOR THE CRUST  

4-6 sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced  
2 Tbsp harissa paste  
1 Tbsp chopped fresh coriander  

Method

1. Place chicken into a large pot and fill with water to cover. 
2. Bring to a boil, then turn down to simmer for about 15-20 minutes. 
3. Remove chicken and allow to cool before shredding. Reserve ¼ cup poaching liquid. 
4. Heat oil in a large pot and sauté onion and leeks for 5-6 minutes. 
5. Stir through garlic and fry for another 2 minutes. 
6. Add butter and, once melted, stir through flour until smooth.
7. Add poaching liquid and stir until smooth. Cook for 3-5 minutes. 
8. Pour in cream and simmer for 5 minutes. 
9. Fold in chicken, kale and herbs and season well. 
10. Preheat oven to 180°C. 
11. Spoon filling into an ovenproof pie dish or skillet pan. 
12. Toss sweet potato, harissa and coriander. Season well. 
13. Arrange sweet potato slices on top of filling in a spiral. 
14. Bake pie for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through and golden. Serve hot. 

CHEF’S TIP 
Swap kale for spinach or Swiss chard.  

Mini pork pies 

Serves 12 • Total Time 45-50 Min 

Ingredients

400g puff pastry, defrosted  
2 Tbsp canola oil  
1 onion, chopped  
2 cloves garlic, chopped  
500g pork bangers, casing removed 
1 tsp ground nutmeg  
2 tsp wholegrain or Dijon mustard 
Salt and milled black pepper  
1 egg, whisked  

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. 
2. Roll out pastry onto a lightly floured surface to about 3cm thick. 
3. Cut out 12 circles, larger than the cups of a 6-cup muffin tray. 
4. Grease your muffin tray and line each cup with pastry, taking care to leave some above the rim of the cup. Prick with a fork and chill in fridge for 15 minutes. Set aside remaining pastry circles. 
5. Blind bake pastry for 10-12 minutes. Set aside to cool. 
6. Heat oil in a large pan and sauté onions for 3-5 minutes. 
7. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Set aside to cool. 
8. Combine pork, nutmeg, mustard and cooled onions. Season well. 
9. Spoon filling into muffin cups and level with the back of a spoon. 
10. Cover filling with remaining pastry and crimp edges with excess pastry to enclose. 
11. Brush with egg and bake for about 30 minutes or until pastry is golden. 
12. Cool on a wire rack and serve hot or cold with dollops of mustard. 

The post Tips to perfect your heart-warming pies appeared first on MyKitchen.

Prepare these spinach & feta hand pies in advance so when you’re not in the mood to cook you can just grab some out the freezer, and pop them in the oven! 

INGREDIENTS
1 cup butter
½ cup water
2 cups cake flour
400 g 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 8 × 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.

The post Spinach & feta hand pies appeared first on MyKitchen.

Get pastry-wrapped goodness and all the comforts of home with this meat-free morogo, butternut and samp pie, right this way!

SERVES 4–6 // COOKING TIME 55 min

INGREDIENTS
½ onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
½ tsp paprika
Pinch cayenne pepper
Pinch cinnamon
¾ cup boiling water
1 tsp vegetable stock powder
½ butternut, chopped
⅔  cup cooked samp
1 bunch morogo, blanched
½ cup grated Cheddar
2 rolls puff pastry, halved and rolled into 20 cm circles
1½ wheels feta, crumbled
1 egg, beaten

METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray.
2. Heat some oil in a pot over medium heat. Fry the onion for 5 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add the garlic, paprika, cayenne and cinnamon. Then fry for 1 minute, until fragrant.
3. Add the water, vegetable stock and butternut. Cook for 15–20 minutes, until the butternut is just tender.
4. Stir in the samp and cook for another 5 minutes. The filling should be thick. If not, remove some liquid.
5. Stir in the morogo and Cheddar, and season to taste. Allow to cool slightly.
6. Place one piece of pastry in the prepared tin. Spoon the filling on to the centre, leaving a 5 cm border around it. Sprinkle over the feta.
7. Cover with the second piece of pastry and roll in the edges to seal all round. Brush the samp pie with egg wash and bake for 20 minutes, until puffed up and golden.

Tip
You can usually find morogo at your local street vendor and in many supermarkets. If you’re unable to get your hands on it, spinach also works perfectly in this recipe.

Recipe: Dylan Norton
Styling: Kate Turner
Photography: Samantha Pinto // HMimages.co.za

Our mushroom pie with sesame pastry is another meat-free favourite!

The post Meat-free morogo, butternut and samp pie appeared first on MyKitchen.

Valentine’s Day isn’t reserved for just grown-ups. Have your little ones make these cherry heart pies as a special treat to celebrate.

MAKES 8 // COOKING TIME 25 min

INGREDIENTS
1 roll puff pastry
2 cups cherry jam
1 egg, whisked
Icing sugar, to dust

METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Unroll the pastry and roll out until 1 cm thick. Press out 16 × 5 cm circles with a cookie cutter.
3. Arrange 8 of the circles on the prepared tray.
4. Cut a heart from the middle of the remaining circles using a smaller heart-shaped cookie cutter.
5. Add a teaspoon of cherry jam to each circle on the tray. Cover with the heart pastry circles, pressing down the edges with a fork. Brush with egg wash.
6. Bake for 15 minutes, until golden. Dust with icing sugar just before serving.

Top Tip
If you don’t have a heart-shaped cookie cutter, help your little ones and cut out heart shapes for them.

Recipe & styling: Leila-Ann Mokotedi
Photography: Andreas Eiselen // HMimages.co.za

You can never have too many treats during the month of love, so why not add these rose cupcakes with hidden centres to your Valentine spread?

The post Cooking with kids: V-Day cherry heart pies appeared first on MyKitchen.