Did you know it’s British Pie Week between 4 – 10 March so in its honour I thought I’d try out the Mermaid Round Pie Dish that was sent to me recently. When I worked in caterers/deli briefly many moons ago we made pies most days but they were always in ceramic with just a pie crust so this was my first time making a pie with a top and bottom. As I wanted to make something thrifty for Credit Crunch Munch I decided I would make my own pastry and have recently discovered that my stick blender can do this for me with the large jug and blade attachment so no need for a cumbersome food processor! You don’t have to use lard but it makes for a shorter pastry and it’s also cheaper than using all butter.
We had such a huge turkey given to us at Christmas that I ended up freezing three bags of turkey meat (thanks for the hint Fuss Free Helen) and had one last bag left. I also had some bacon pieces left over from pate making so this formed the basis of my pie. I decided to marry them off with some leeks but you could add whatever you have that needs using up. The result was a very meaty and filling pie which the family wolfed down (we don’t count my daughter)! Feel free to play around with the proportions adding more vegetables and less meat according to what you have. I made far too much pie filling so had some left over hence the pie wasn’t that saucy, therefore I’ve adjusted the recipe so that the sauce remains the same but there is less meat so the above quantities are the exact fit for a 21cm/8” pie dish.
I have to say I was very impressed with the Mermaid pie dish as my pastry cooked beautifully due to the even heat distribution and I even managed to turn the pie out in one piece. You can use metal utensils on the hard anodised aluminium and its scratch resistant. With a life time guarantee you know you can’t go wrong!
So as this pie is so thrifty I’m entering it into Credit Crunch Munch which is run by myself and Helen at Fuss Free Flavours who is hosting this month. I am also entering it into Herbs on Saturday which is run by Karen at Lavender and Lovage and being hosted by London Busy Body. Then I just have to enter Javelin Warriors Cookin w/luv “Made with Luv Mondays” challenge as this dish is totally made from scratch!
- For the pastry:
- 250g/8oz Plain flour
- Pinch of salt
- 45g/2oz Lard
- 85g/3oz Butter
- 3 – 4 tbsp Very cold water
- 1 egg
- For filling:
- 2 Leeks, sliced
- 1 tbsp Light olive oil
- 185g Bacon pieces
- 260g Left-over chopped cooked turkey or chicken
- For the roux:
- 400ml/13.5 fl oz milk
- 25g/1oz Plain flour
- 25g/1oz Butter
- ½ tsp English Mustard powder
- ½ tsp Dried Tarragon
- Freshly ground pepper
- Make the pastry in a food processor by adding the flour, salt, lard and butter and pulsing until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- Then add 3 – 4tbsp of water and pulse until the mixture comes together to form a dough.
- Knead the pastry on a floured board briefly before dividing into 2 flattened rounds for ease of rolling out later.
- Cover with cling film and put in the fridge to chill for at least 20 minutes.
- Pre-heat the oven to 200°C.
- Meanwhile heat the oil in a large non-stick pan and fry the leeks gently for 5 minutes, then add the bacon pieces increasing the heat and cook for another 5 minutes. Finally add the chopped turkey and heat through for a further 5 minutes, put a lid on the pan to keep warm whilst you make pie base.
- Once the pastry is chilled roll out one half to fit 21cm/8” deep pie dish (greased) and pat down inside and prick base all over with a fork.
- Cut away excess pastry with the back of a knife and bake blind in the oven with a loose layer of foil over the top for 12 minutes
- Then remove foil and return to the oven for a further 2 minutes to finish off.
- Now make the roux sauce by melting the butter in a medium sized saucepan and add the flour stirring well with a whisk for a minute to form a paste.
- Now off the heat gradually whisk in the milk bit by bit until it’s all added.
- Return to the heat stirring constantly until the mixture coats the back of a spoon.
- Then add the mustard powder, pepper and tarragon (no salt is needed due to the bacon).
- Pour the sauce over the leek, turkey and bacon and stir well then place in pie base.
- Roll out the second half of the pastry to form a lid for the pie.
- Cut a strip of pastry (or a few) and line the rim of the pie dish to form a platform for the pie top.
- Roll the pastry onto your rolling pin and place on top of the pie.
- With the back of a knife cut away the excess pastry and crimp the edge of the pie, making a hole in the centre with a knife (to let out steam).
- With the remnants of pastry make decorations, I like leaves but you can let your imagination go wild here!
- Whisk up the egg and use a pastry brush to wash over the pie.
- Bake for about 25 minutes on a baking tray until golden brown and cooked through.
46 comments
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Martina Evans
20/11/2015 at 7:56 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Thanks for the brilliant recipe, I’m gonna make this tomorrow night!
Camilla
20/11/2015 at 11:29 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Great:-)
zoecross93
02/09/2015 at 1:09 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
cant wait to try this out lets hope i can make pastry for once.
Camilla
02/09/2015 at 10:31 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Good luck:-)
William Gould
21/08/2015 at 8:47 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
It looks and sounds fab! Definitely one to bookmark for the winter…..
Camilla
21/08/2015 at 12:16 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Won’t be long now LOL!
tiggerific1973
03/05/2015 at 3:12 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
I know my lot would love this!
Camilla
03/05/2015 at 3:41 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Thank you:-)
Lemon Fancy
15/03/2015 at 10:36 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
I do love a great pie! This OXO comp is great as I get to see what you have posted with what ingredients I have left over from that day! I will be trying this during the week!
Camilla
16/03/2015 at 9:00 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Fab, enjoy your pie:-)
Ursula Hunt
20/01/2015 at 10:46 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
I have found the secret to a crusty bottom is to make the pie in a good ceramic tin
Camilla
20/01/2015 at 4:16 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
No-one likes a soggy bottom:-)
Margot @ Coffee & Vanilla
29/10/2014 at 3:08 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Oh, I did not realize there was something like pie week…must remember about this in March! Very pretty pie Camilla 🙂
Camilla
29/10/2014 at 10:14 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Thank you Margot:-)
Abigail Cullen
24/09/2014 at 10:48 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
This pie looks really tasty and great for filling one up in the coming winter months.
Paul Wilson
08/09/2014 at 7:56 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Now it’s turning colder, this is just the sort of thing I like.
Irene Wright
28/08/2014 at 7:13 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Until you actually read all the instructions, if you are a half decent cook, it’s easy & quick. Looks really tasty too so I’ve put it in my folder of recipes to try
Camilla
29/08/2014 at 5:42 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Thank you, hope you enjoy it:-)
Ursula Hunt
28/08/2014 at 10:01 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
this looks like a lovely crispy crust on this pie
Camilla
28/08/2014 at 10:30 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Thank you:-)
Paul Wilson
20/07/2014 at 12:08 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
I love a nice thick pie with plenty of filling.
jmsrowlands
25/06/2014 at 9:42 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
I am really fussy when it comes to pies but this looks great
Stephanie Coals
04/06/2014 at 3:11 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Brilliantly easy and looks amazing!
Laura Caraher
25/05/2014 at 12:17 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
I must give this recipe a try as it looks delicious :
Carolyn Clapham
04/05/2014 at 8:41 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
I absolutely love pies, and that one sounds really good.
(Inspired by Hugh Fernley Whittingstall, I’ve started making pies out of all sorts of left over things. Have you tried Korma Pie, Stew Pie or Chilli Pie yet?)
Camilla
04/05/2014 at 11:54 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Thank you.
No, but they all sound really yummy:-)
Herbert Appleby
08/01/2014 at 11:35 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
now I know what to do with the meat from all the other leftover roast diners… thanks
Maya Russell
22/12/2013 at 5:39 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
One recipe for left over turkey on boxing day. (Maybe ready made pastry would make it quicker, but to make it yourself is much nicer.)
Camilla
22/12/2013 at 1:22 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Or just put your left over turkey in the freezer for a day when you have more time like I did:-)
Paul Wilson
14/11/2013 at 4:56 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Good turkey recipes will soon be very popular I suspect.
Heather Haigh
08/11/2013 at 5:43 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
I don’t use turkey very often, but that looks so good it makes me want to.
Camilla
08/11/2013 at 6:31 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Aah thank you:-)
Paul Wilson
28/10/2013 at 4:32 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Oo, this does look nice for a cold day like this.
Lisa Williams
23/10/2013 at 12:05 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
This looks brilliant I love a good pie on a winters night 🙂
Sara yarnell
23/09/2013 at 6:53 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
This looks truly delicious
Ursula Hunt
22/09/2013 at 5:55 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Looks gorgeous, must admit I cheat and use frozen pastry
Tracy Nixon
11/09/2013 at 5:17 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Lovely Autumnal dish!
Maya Russell
10/09/2013 at 6:03 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
This is my favourite pie! Thanks for the recipe.
Jacqueline @How to be a Gourmand
07/03/2013 at 6:43 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Three bags of turkey? That must have been some size of bird Camilla – fab you have put it to good use with bacon and leek. I’d probably omit the lard 🙂
Camilla
07/03/2013 at 7:46 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Well, a) it was a big bird and b) my daughter is a faddy eater so there were only 3 of us eating it. The turkey was given to me as part of a promotion otherwise we would never have had a whole turkey in the house! I hadn’t bought lard in over a decade but I’d bought it for my Yorkshire Puddings where it made a real difference and I think it just gives that lovely shortness to shortcrust pastry plus I can’t waste my lard!
LondonBusyBody
06/03/2013 at 10:27 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
The pastry looks divine. Thanks for entering Herbs on Saturday.
Camilla
06/03/2013 at 10:34 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Thank you:-)
Janice
05/03/2013 at 8:38 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Lovely pie!
Camilla
05/03/2013 at 8:54 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Thank you Janice:-)
Javelin Warrior
05/03/2013 at 3:56 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
What a tasty sounding pie, Camilla! And love that you made your own pastry dough – it looks like it turned out perfectly. I’m sure there will lots of fans for this one 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing!
Camilla
05/03/2013 at 4:59 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Aah, thank you Mark, I was please with my first attempt and it’s so much more meaty than a pie you buy in the shops!
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