Vegetable topped pie recipes
Day six, of twenty two daily recipes, posted in this, my Christmas Countdown. Don’t forget, if you would like to see any particular recipe or need some advise on your festive cookery, just leave a comment at the bottom of the post & I will be happy to help.
Today, we are talking pies. Not pastry pies, but vegetable topped pies, a cunning way of getting extra veg into the kids & also a little bit healthier for us all. You can use a variety of different veg to top your pies & a lot of different fillings, to go under that veggie thatch. See my variations at the bottom of the recipe.
The pie in the photo, (find the recipe below) is topped with an equal mix of white potatoes & celeriac. The sauce is made with the addition of a couple of tablespoons of Pernod, which enhances the flavour of both the fish & celariac, although you can omit the alcohol if you wish.
Haddock & Veggie topped Pie
Time: 40mins + cooking. Equipment: Oven proof baking dish, 2 saucepans, frying pan. Allergens: Fish, Milk
INGREDIENTS:
225g Smoked Haddock, or fish of your choice
500ml Milk
2 Stalks Celery, 1 Carrot chopped.
Parsley + 2 Bay leaves
4 Hard boiled eggs, peeled & halved.
150g Frozen sweetcorn or mixed veg.
40ml Olive oil, for the sauce
2 Tbspns Plain Flour.
450g White Potatoes. Peeled & chopped into chunks
400g Celariac, Peeled a chopped into chunks
40ml Olive oil for the topping
Seasoning.
METHOD
Place the potatoes & celariac into a large saucepan, cover with water & salt, bring to the boil & simmer until tender. (About 20mins)
Place the skinned fish in a large frying pan, add the carrot, celery, parsley & bay leaves. Pour over the milk. Bring to the boil, turn off the heat, cover and let stand for 5mins. Add the frozen veg & let stand while you are making the sauce.
In a medium saucepan, place the olive oil & flour, over a medium heat, stir until the mixture binds together & bubbles, lightly, do not brown.
Remove pan from the heat & strain the milk from the fish, into the pan. Bring to the boil, stirring constantly. Stir in the seasoning & Pernod.
Flake the fish into a oven proof baking dish, add the veg & eggs. Pour the sauce over the top.
Drain the potatoes & celariac, place back on heat, to briefly dry.
Add remaining olive oil & sesonings & mash well, until smooth
Pile on top of the fish & sauce & make a decorative pattern with a fork.
Place in a preheated oven 180c 350f Gas 4 & bake for 20-30mins until golden brown.
Serve immediately.
Although not as rich & creamy as butter, olive oil is far better healthy option. Generally speaking, any root vegetables can be used mashed, for the topping, either on their own or mixed with potato.
Variations: Try a mix of potato & beetroot, mashed with a tablespoon of creamed horseradish. Replace the fish with cooked smoked mackerel. Omit the eggs & sweetcorn, replacing with 2 Tbspns Capers.
Cheats way. Omit the haddock & use 1 tin of Tuna Fish, mixed with 1 can Cambells Condensed Tomato Soup & 2 Tbspns pitted Black Olives. Top with potato & grated parmesan.
If you have been. Thank you for reading.
Until tomorrow.
Truffleicious blog 