As we head into fall, most of us start to think about warm and tasty comfort foods. Pie is surely among the best of comfort foods, and savory pies, in particular, inspire me as the temperatures drop, the air becomes crisper and the smell of falling leaves permeates the air. With this in mind, I prepared two savory pies over the past week: a Tomato Leek Pie and a Shepherd’s Pie.
The Tomato Leek Pie is extremely easy to make and quite tasty. You begin with a pastry crust in the bottom of your pie plate. Then you place some sliced and sautéed leeks in the bottom of the pie. Red, yellow and green tomatoes are then layered on top of the leeks. Finally, you make a mixture of mayonnaise, grated parmesan cheese and a whipped egg. Pour this mixture over the tomatoes and then bake it for about 30-40 minutes. The pie is quite tangy owing to the mayo, and the crispiness of the fresh tomatoes adds a nice texture. If I made it again I would probably add some herbs, perhaps tarragon or basil.
Shepherd’s Pie comes in many variations. You can probably ask 10 pie bakers how they make it and get 10 different answers. One cooking website I checked had 17 different recipes. The one common ingredient in Shepherd’s Pie is lamb. You will find some recipes calling for ground beef, but those are actually Cottage Pie recipes. The other common quality of a Shepherd’s pie is the use of mashed potatoes in place of a top crust. Other than that you find many different ingredients in the filling.
Most people do not use a pastry crust at the bottom of the pie. In some respects this makes it more of a casserole than a pie. I operate under the belief that most foods can be improved with a pastry crust so I use one. My filling is a combination of ground lamb, sautéed onions, carrots and mushrooms, and some salt, pepper and fresh tarragon. I added some Irish blue cheese to the potatoes to give them a zestier flavor. You can add other cheese to the potatoes, or just sprinkle some shredded cheese over the top of the pie. After baking the pie, I topped it with diced green onions. This pie was a big hit with my family, including my daughter’s fiancé, who did not care about the mushrooms and says he can’t stand them.
You can read more about these and other pies, and find recipes at my website www.thepiedude.com.
