Saturday 28 January 2012

Turkey Pie

A couple of weeks ago Bill made turkey pie for dinner and I can't begin to tell you how delicious it was.   Neither of us tends to use recipes as a rule, though he did consult his Mom's cookbook to make the pastry - and excellent pastry it was, far better than mine.  In fact, it was up there with the lightest, flakiest pastry I can ever remember eating.  I asked him about his methods ostensibly to write this post, but really because I wanted to know his secret!

For the filling he just threw some cubed cooked turkey and sliced mushrooms into some white sauce and filled the pie shell with this.  He consulted instructions for a sausage pie (yum!) and baked his for 10-15 minutes at 400 F, then at 350 F for another 30 minutes.



I have much to learn about photographing food, but you might be able to use your imagination to help me out.


Shortcrust Pastry
4 oz plain flour
pinch of salt
1 oz lard
1 oz margarine
4 tsps water (approx.)
Mix flour and salt together.  Cut the fat into small knobs and add it.  Using both hands, rub the fat into the flour between finger and thumb tips.  After 2-3 minutes there will be no lumps of fat left and the mxiture will look like fresh breadcrumbs.  Add the water a little at a time, stirring with a round-bladed knife until the mixture begins to stick together.  With one hand, collect it together and knead lightly for a few seconds, to give a firm, smooth dough.  The pastry can be used straight  away, but it's better allowed to 'rest' for 15 minutes.  It can also be wrapped in polythene and kept in the refrigerator for a day or two.  When the pastry is required, sprinkle a very little flour on a board or table and roll out the dough evenly turning it occasionally.  The usual thickness is about 1/8 inch; don't pull or stretch it.  Use as required.  The usual oven temperature is hot (425 F).




We ate half of the pie with loads of steamed veg on the side and we're just pulling the other half out of the freezer to finish it off.  I'm really looking forward to dinner tonight!

Do you ever have savoury pies at your house?

6 comments:

BigLittleWolf said...

This looks scrumptious! I've never made a savoury pie (but now you have me considering it).

PERFECT for the wintry weather.

Susan Tiner said...

I'm on a low carb diet so I can't even begin to tell you how good this pie looks :). I shall avert my eyes.

Shelley said...

BLW, I consider this to be one of those failings of the British diet - delicious stodgy food. We don't do this often, belive me!


Susan, I try to avoid 'white stuff' as a rule. I had loads of misgivings about Bill making this; thankfully I'm back in charge of the kitchen!

Anonymous said...

When we had a house full of children, I would often make sheperd's pie with piles of mashed potatoes on top. Like you, I've never had much luck with pastry. I think I tend to overwork it. This looks and sounds delicious.

Anonymous said...

Looks delicious. It made me so hungry to see that lightly browned crust and imagine all the creamy, yummy, turkey goodness underneath!

Shelley said...

Terri, I know I overwork my pastry! And I always seem to need way too much water to make it stick together. I've never tried a recipe that lets you *rub* the ingredients with your fingers. I'm convinced this is the secret!


Ilegirl, if the photo made you hungry, then perhaps my food photography isn't quite as hopeless as I thought!