Get pie-eyed over these variations of a Kiwi favourite. Photo / Babiche Martens
The smell of pastry cooking is a joy. OK, I know it is not the healthiest food on the list but everything in moderation and all that ...
Pies are the perfect comfort food, and it's the perfect time of the year to enjoy. We are a bit of a
pie-loving family. As a child Aunty Molly's mince pies were the best. Then there was the get together where the star dish on the table was a pie with "He lay low" written in pastry on the top - all egg washed, puffy and golden - referring, of course, to the Brer Rabbit tale, but all the cousins were none the wiser and dug in.
And then there was Uncle Max's button mushroom, beef and red wine pie. Absolutely delicious. Thankfully no soggy microwaved pies from the dairy for us lot.
These experiences have made me utterly fussy when it comes to a pie. The pastry has to be properly cooked and the filling well-seasoned and tasty with respectable ingredients. Pastry can be made or bought, one layer or two, and can even be ditched altogether in favour of a mashed potato or perhaps kumara topping.
The filling needs flavour and texture. A good flavour base - herbs, stock and wine - and then whatever you fancy; steamed and chopped mussels with fish and a touch of cream, or chicken with leeks and porcini powder. Beef is delicious cooked in stout and sprinkled with kawakawa. The only advice would be to take a bit of time preparing the fillings, making sure the meat is fall-apart tender and then left to cool before covering with pastry and baking until golden and heavenly.
