Big fat flying saucer pie
This time I started off with a recipe for Cheesy Leek and Potato Pie from the BBC GoodFood online recipe archive.
But I only had half the amount of pastry, which was fine, because I didn't want to feed 6.
And I had goats wenslydale instead of cheddar.
Lastly, and possibly most significantly, I had half a pack of marinated tofu that needed using up!
This was surprisingly quick and easy to make, although it did involved several pans making it a bit of a pain from a cleaning up point of view. Pretty much I didn't - Mini-M decided that instead of napping, she would just sing songs in her cot, then remove her sleeping bag and clothes, then shout that she was cold, so I made this as quickly as I could, before having to go and get her up halfway through, and complete the assembly whilst she unrolled freezer bags and sat on a tray in the middle of the kitchen floor. As soon as it was cooked, I switched the oven off, left it in, and we dashed off round to watch some friends starring on a TV quiz (I'm not kidding! You know who you are, and you were fantastic!!!), leaving a trail of floury destruction in our wake. Cue a confused text from Mr E when he got home, along the lines of 'Ummm tea? There is a lot of mess, but no sign of food'. Oops!
This pie looks awesome and tasted pretty good. Unless you happen to have a pack of tofu needing used up, I'd miss it out. It didn't detract from the dish, but didn't really add anything. Now if you happened to have some bacon needing using up, that would be a different story and I think would take it from good to fantastic.
Cheesy Leek, Potato and Tofu Flying Saucer Pie (serves 3)
- 250g shortcrust pastry
- 1 medium baking potato
- 1 leek
- 75g goats wenslydale
- 1/2 pack cauldron marinated tofu pieces
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Preheat the oven to 180C and lightly grease a baking sheet.
Wash and slice the leek fairly finely, then saute in the oil in a small frying pan until softened (about 10 minutes).
Peel and cut the potato into chunks, then boil for about 5 minutes until starting to become tender but not quite cooked.
Drain the potatoes and mix in the cooked leeks. Stir through the tofu pieces and crumble in the cheese.
Split your pastry into two not-quite halves, with one slightly larger than the other.
Roll out the smaller one into a circle that is roughly plate sized, then carefully put it on your prepared baking tray.
Pile your filling in a huge mound in the middle, leaving a gap around the edge.
Dip your finger in the beaten egg, and run it around the edge of the pastry.
Roll out the larger piece to be slightly bigger than the base, then drape it carefully over the top.
Use a fork to press the edges together all the way around, to create a good seal.
Brush the whole thing with beaten egg.
Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden, and allow to cool for 15 mins before serving.
