Thursday 18 April 2013

This post is brought to you by pie...

I had every intention of bringing you a selection of delicious fruit and veg based recipes and meal ideas this week, but life got in the way and I'm not organised enough to be one of those bloggers who has the next 3 months posts lined up.....probably a good thing!

I can however bring you tonight's meal. There were 8 for tea tonight.

There were 3 veggies dining, so we all ate Quorn (I cook, I choose....muhahaha. I let them eat meat a couple of times a week). Start with a teaspoon of oil and lightly fry a sliced onion and a bag of Quorn chunks. Finely chop a courgette and add a few handfuls of sweetcorn for extra veg that they'll barely notice.

Lightly fried, or at least defrosted.
Decant into a suitable dish. I see now that I failed to mix carefully, and most of the sweetcorn is on one side. Had I examined the photographs whilst cooking then I could have sorted that one out....but that would have been a bit weird. I added a load of chunky mushroom slices too, and then a sauce made from 250ml boiling water, a stock cube and a good dash each of paprika and soy sauce. You can also add some creamed mushrooms or cream of mushroom soup for a slightly naughtier, and unsurprisingly creamier result, or some half fat creme fraiche if you're really spoiling yourself.

You too can get a patina on your pan like this. It takes years of dedication, but the newness can be removed.
Make or purchase some pastry. On this occasion I'm using shortcrust, but puff pastry is just as good. Never ever attempt to make puff pastry yourself, always buy it. Making it requires 2 spare hours and will save you 7p.
Because you only put a top on the pie and not a bottom as well, you are being good and healthy - honest...well, you're using half the pastry, so that must be a good thing.

A nice egg wash over the pastry
Looking just like Nigella's pies, or the Hairy Bikers pasties
Cook it in a medium hot oven (gas 6, 200c, 400f) for about half an hour until the pastry looks scrummy.
Those spuds are NOT very healthy, but in fairness I had assistance from a teenager and they poured loads of oil over them, and they were crispily delicious.

And to think I didn't even wipe off the dribbles of gravy....shame on me.
It was lovely, everyone ate it all and it contained a couple of portions of veg each, plus carrots and broccoli! Healthy pie.

Link up your recipe of the week

17 comments:

  1. i should not have read this at this hours! You make me so hungry with your yummy foods!

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    1. Hahaha....glad it looks good! I know I'm not actually a very good photographer! :D

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  2. I don't eat a lot of Quorn but that looks lovely. You cooked for EIGHT PEOPLE though? Hats off to you! :)

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    1. We've got 7 children - plus a friend of the eldest staying at the moment cos he had no-where to go, there'll be 9 tonight and I think the full 10 tomorrow :D
      I don't cook - I cater! :D

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    2. Thank you for saying it looks lovely! That disappeared from my other comment! :o/

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  3. Replies
    1. It is a bit - we'd had a hard few days though, so we all deserved it ;o)

      And it was healthy pie, it really was - honest! :D

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  4. That looks lovely, I'd probably have to make it with chicken but I think that would work just as well.

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    1. I'm sure it would - although I'd have no idea how to cook chicken! :D

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  5. That looks yum - I am trying to find ways to save money and eat healthier - you should have seen my OH's face when he pulled out a bag of meat free mince from the shopping delivery this week LOL

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    1. Hahaha....we've had that tonight curried with chapatti's and naan....first time I've ever made it (I discovered too late into cooking curry that I had no Quorn chunks). It was okay. Better as a chilli though. Or in a pie with an onion gravy and mushrooms ;op

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  6. As you've done the maths, I doubt I will bother making pastry in the near future. Might try this on my husband as he is always against Quorn but I reckon he would like this

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    1. I hope he likes it! I often find that blokes especially can be a bit wary of Quorn, but they tend to eat it all anyway, so it can't be that bad...:D
      I think it's maybe still worth the effort for shortcrust pastry because it only takes 10 minutes, but not puff pastry...

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  7. Hard to beat a good pie, looks yum, gravy dribbles and all! Popping over from recipe of the week.

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    1. I'm embarrassed about those dribbles! I didn't think to wipe them and I couldn't exactly re-take the shot after it was eaten :D

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    ReplyDelete

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