When most people in the U.S. think of pies, flavors like strawberry, chocolate and coconut come to mind. In other places in the world, pies are more often filled with savory things like steak and kidneys, lamb, and even fish. With that in mind, I decided to make a Sunday Supper Pie for our evening meal this past weekend. It was really fun to make and super simple. For the crust, I adapted a recipe I had found in my Paul Hollywood British Baking book. I had taken some time a few months ago to render some suet and pop it into a jar kept in the back of the fridge. This is what helped to make a wonderful crust- flaky and tender while staying strong enough to keep the filling ingredients inside. The filling ended up being what we had at home- some ground beef, frozen mixed veggies, potatoes and onions along with a good dose of spices and a bit of salt. You can use whatever you have on hand as well. I'm thinking next time trying it with either some Italian flavorings like sausage, peppers and tomatoes or even a Middle Eastern flair with lamb, pine nuts and zaatar. Let me know what kind of flavors you'd like to try!!
Sunday Supper Pie
Crust:
non-stick cooking spray
10 oz. flour
4 1/2 oz. suet, grated
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried tarragon
8 oz. water
Filling:
1 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
2 russet potatoes, peeled and diced
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. tarragon
Egg Wash:
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp. water
Preheat oven to 400º
For crust:
Spray 10" springform pan with non-stick cooking spray. In a medium bowl, mix dry ingredients together; add suet and mix well. Start adding a bit of water at a time, mixing with spoon. When you've used about half of the water, start mixing with your hand. Add as much water as needed to bind everything together. Dump everything out onto lightly floured counter and knead until smooth (about 5-7 minutes). Roll dough out until 1/4" thick. Put into prepared pan, pressing dough up the sides. Cut off remaining dough; make into a ball and roll out to 1/4" to be used for the lid once the filling is made.
For filling:
In a medium bowl, mix everything together. If it feels too dry, add 1-2 tbsp. water.
To assemble pie:
Pour filling into prepared crust, Top with "lid" and crimp around the edges until well sealed. Brush with egg wash.
To bake:
Bake, uncovered for 20 minutes at 400º. Reduce heat to 350º and bake for another 35 minutes. Cover loosely with foil and bake for another 15 minutes. Remove from oven and place on cooling rack.
To serve:
Let cool in pan for 15 minutes. Remove from pan, using knife to help release pie from pan if necessary. Let sit for another 15-20 minutes.
Delicious served with a good dry Riesling wine or Belgian White beer.
