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EOW Pie

Hot comfort food to celebrate the end of the week

By Alan RussellPublished 5 years ago 3 min read
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OK, you have got through the working week and are looking forward to the weekend. You don’t want takeaway or anything delivered. You just want something filling, flavour-some, homely, and comforting as you close the door on the outside world. You want something so comforting it might even take you back to the family kitchen where you watched your parents cooking.

This pie could just be your answer. It takes about an hour to prepare and cook. It is a great way to finish up those odds and ends lingering in the unlit corners of the fridge before you go out shopping again.

The ingredients are listed below, and they are the ones my wife used, but there is nothing to stop you playing fast and loose with them to suit your own tastes, or what you have available.

INGREDIENTS

Soya mince, celery stick, onion, mushrooms, vegetarian gravy powder, plain flour, cheese, butter, and of course some salt and pepper for seasoning.

EQUIPMENT

Good sized mixing bowl, pie dish, frying pan, and a baking tray.

PREPARATION—THE FILLING

Coarsely chop the onion, mushrooms, and celery. Place these in the pie dish, and then fill the remaining space with the soya mince. Transfer these ingredients into the mixing bowl and blend them, adding salt and pepper to taste. There is no need to add any water as the moisture from the soya mince and vegetables will provide enough during cooking.

Make some instant gravy, about a third of a cupful.

Fry the blended ingredients until the onions start to sweat and stir in the instant gravy.

Return these ingredients to the pie dish.

Time taken so far—fifteen minutes

Start warming the oven to 200-220.

PREPARATION—THE SHORT CRUST PASTRY

Make the short crust pastry using the plain flour, a little water, butter, and the grated cheese. Knead the ingredients together until they bind lightly. If you have had a hard week, this can be a part of your wind down. Put some flour on a clean work surface, and work the ball of pastry into a sheet. For an extra kick, add some salt and black pepper into this mix. We sometimes use horseradish sauce or mustard in the pastry, which catches the unwary by surprise. I have assumed you know how to make short crust pastry?

Cover the contents of the pie dish, and its rim with the pastry. Slice away any surplus.

Time taken so far—twenty minutes.

The oven should be at the required temperature.

COOKING

Place the pie dish on a baking tray on the top shelf of the oven and start cooking.

Time taken so far—twenty two minutes

I said earlier that this pie would take an hour from inception to consumption. So now you have nearly forty minutes to lay the table, get changed or blob in front of the TV. There might even be some grated cheese left over, which is waiting to be eaten. Go on, enjoy it with a glass of something.

ACCOMPANYING DRINKS

If I know I have to drive later, I will enjoy a non-alcoholic beer or lager. My current favourite is the low alcohol Peroni. Being British, I prefer not to have it too chilled as I think this takes away the flavours. For wine drinkers not having to drive, I would go for a rustic light Chianti or a heavier and earthier Rioja? Or even a glass of Adam's Ale straight from the tap.

This is your pie. All of those wholesome aromas wafting out from under the pastry. A kitchen permeated with the atmosphere of home cooking. Yes, a pastry you made yourself just like you saw your parent’s make. And the filling, slightly moist, but dry enough not to run all over the crockery when it is plated

Enjoy.

WHY?

Why did we call this pie our ‘EOW Pie’? Well, the first time my wife made it was on a Friday evening. We had both had what seemed to be long weeks. We had survived and it was the end of our working week. Hence the name ‘EOW’ to mark the End Of the Week.

Don't just admire your handiwork - get stuck in and enjoy

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About the Creator

Alan Russell

When you read my words they may not be perfect but I hope they:

1. Engage you

2. Entertain you

3. At least make you smile (Omar's Diaries) or

4. Think about this crazy world we live in and

5. Never accept anything at face value

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