Everyone loves a good pie, whether it is a flaky on-the-go meaty delight from the corner garage or a delectable sweet treat after Sunday lunch.
Pies are versatile, and foodies pay tribute to this perfect pastry on National Pie Day, January 23.
Pie Day was first celebrated in the US in the mid-70s by Charlie Papazian, a nuclear engineer from Colorado, who decided to celebrate the pleasurable pastry on his birthday.
Historians trace the pie’s origins to the Greeks, thought to be the originators of the pastry shell, made by combining water and flour.
Allegedly, wealthy Romans used many kinds of meats, and even seafood, to fill their dishes. In medieval England, pies contained beef, lamb, wild duck or pigeon.
A cookbook from 1796 listed only three types of sweet pies, while another from the late 1880s featured eight varieties.
By 1947, the Modern Encyclopedia of Cooking listed 65 sweet pies. Today, there are hundreds of available recipes.
Some popular fillings among South Africans include the classic apple pie, lemon meringue pie, and pecan pie.
Savoury favourites include pepper steak, chicken and mushroom, and steak and kidney.
Capsicum Culinary Studio shared some of their favourite pie recipes:
• Steak and Kidney Pie
For the base
300g puff pastry
1 egg and 1 extra yolk beaten together
For the filling
2 tbsp vegetable oil
700g braising steak, diced
200g lamb kidney, diced
2 medium onions, diced
30g plain flour
850ml beef stock
Salt and black pepper
A dash of Worcestershire Sauce
Method
Preheat oven to 220ºC.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan and brown the beef.
Set aside, then brown the kidneys in the same pan.
Add the onions and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, then return the beef to the pan. Sprinkle flour over to coat the meat and onions.
Add the stock to the pan, stir well, and bring to a boil.
Turn the heat right down and simmer for 90 minutes without a lid. If the liquid evaporates, add more stock.
When the meat is tender, take it off the heat and add salt, pepper, and Worcestershire Sauce. Stir and allow to cool completely.
Once cooled, place the cooked meat mixture into a pie dish.
Roll out the pastry to 5mm thick and 5cm larger than the dish you will use. Using the rolling pin, lift the pastry and place it over the top of the dish. Trim and crimp the edges.
Brush the surface with the beaten egg mixture and bake for 30 to 40 minutes until golden brown.
Serve immediately.
• Chicken and Mushroom Pie
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
500g chicken thigh fillets cut into 3cm cubes
500g mushrooms, thickly sliced
50g butter
35g plain flour
1½ tsp mixed spice
500ml milk
1 cup frozen peas
2 sheets puff pastry, thawed in the fridge
1 egg yolk
Salt and pepper to season
Method
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium to high heat.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Brown it for five minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Add the mushrooms. Cook until golden, then remove and set aside.
Reduce the heat to medium.
Melt the butter in the pan. Stir in the flour and mix in the spice.
Cook for 1 minute before slowly whisking in the milk. The mixture will thicken slightly.
Return the chicken and mushrooms to the pan and season to taste. Cook for 2 minutes until the sauce thickens. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and let it cool.
Preheat the oven to 190°C.
Remove the pastry sheets from the fridge. Cut each sheet in half and place one on top of the other.
Use a rolling pin to roll the pastry into a 4mm-thick rectangle. It should fit a rectangular 1.5 to 2 litre baking dish.
Stir the frozen peas into the pie-filling mixture. Combine and then transfer to the baking dish.
Place the pastry over the top to cover the pie. Press down on the edges with a fork to seal in the filling.
Make a small cross incision in the centre of the pie for steam to escape. Brush the egg yolk over the surface of the pie. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the pastry is golden.
Serve immediately.
• Apple Pie
Ingredients
500g flaky pastry
7 to 8 Granny Smith apples
100g light brown sugar
100g white sugar
¼ tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cardamom
¼ tsp ground allspice
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp butter
1 egg
Method
Heat oven to 200°C.
Peel, core, and slice the apples into thin slices.
Place slices in a large bowl. Scatter both sugars, salt, and the spices over the apples. Toss to coat the slices as much as possible.
Set aside for an hour at room temperature.
Roll out half of the pastry on a lightly floured work surface.
Check for the correct size by inverting the pie dish over the dough. The dough should be 3cm to 5cm larger than the dish.
Place the dough in the pie dish. Trim the overhanging dough to within 2cm of the edge of the dish, then refrigerate.
Roll out the second half of the pastry to a similar size as before and transfer it to a large parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate. Toss the apples with the cornstarch, then transfer them into the prepared bottom crust using your hands to pack them down into the pie.
Fill the pie until the apples are level with the edge of the pie crust.
Pour the juice from the bottom of the bowl over the apples.
Cut a tablespoon of butter into small pieces and dot them over the pie. Place the second round piece of pastry over the filling, or cut it into strips and lattice the top.
If you are adding only the top crust in one piece, use a sharp knife to cut a few slits in the top of the crust to allow steam to vent.
Trim excess pastry from the top crust or lattice strips. Fold the overhang underneath itself to form a thick rim.
Press or crimp it together with your fingers or a fork.
Whisk the egg with a tablespoon of water and lightly brush the top crust.
Place into oven and bake for 75 minutes. Rotate after 35 minutes for even browning.
The apple pie is cooked when the juices bubble through the vents of the top crust or the lattice.
Be sure to cool the pie, without slicing into it, for at least an hour or longer because the filling won’t fully thicken until completely cooled. For the best results cool the pie to room temperature, then transfer it to the fridge for an hour or two before serving.
• Lemon Meringue Pie
Ingredients
375g pack of sweet shortcrust pastry
50g cornflour
175g caster sugar
3 lemons, zested and juiced (you need 100ml juice)
275ml milk
80g unsalted butter, diced
3 large egg yolks
1 large egg
For the meringue
3 large egg whites
150g golden caster sugar
1 tsp cornflour
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Dust a work surface with flour and roll out the pastry large enough to line a 20cm loose-bottomed tart tin.
Leave the excess pastry overhang and prick the base with a fork. Chill for 20 minutes until firm.
Put the tin on a baking sheet. Line the pastry with baking paper and baking beans (or uncooked rice) and bake for 15 minutes.
Remove the beans and paper and bake for another 15 minutes or until golden.
When cool, trim the edges with a serrated knife.
For the filling, combine the cornflour, sugar, lemon zest and juice in a saucepan and whisk until smooth.
Add the milk. Cook over a low heat, whisking until the mixture thickens and boils.
Remove from the heat. Whisk in the butter, the yolks, and the whole egg.
Set aside.
For the meringue, add the egg whites to a large bowl and mix with an electric whisker until stiff peaks form.
Add the sugar, one third at a time, until thick and shiny.
Whisk in the cornflour until combined.
Bring the lemon filling back to a boil and stir until thickened. Pour it into the pastry case and level the surface.
Spoon on the meringue. Start at the edge and work it into the middle.
Use a palette knife to make a smooth join with the pastry edge, then swirl the top.
Bake for 20 minutes until golden.
Allow to cool in the tin for at least an hour, then turn out and serve.
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