Picnic practicality: 5/5
I make large batches of these, freeze them in suitable portions and bring them out of the freezer the day before – easiest picnic there is!
Simon takes an unorthodox approach to defrosting the pies
For the filling:
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
250g onions, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
175g potatoes, in small cubes
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
125g frozen peas
a handful of fresh mint, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
For the pais:
125g butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small egg
150 ml natural yoghurt
300g plain flour
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp salt
1 egg yolk
For the filling, melt butter and oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Add onion and garlic and fry till the onion is soft. Add the potato cubes and continue frying 5-7 mins, until the potatoes are soft (the cubes need to be quite small). The filling should be cooked, but not browned, so make sure the temperature isn’t too high. Stir in the spices, continue cooking for 1 minute and remove from the heat. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, add the frozen peas and the mint, season to taste and leave to cool.
Pre-heat the oven to 200°C. Melt the butter and leave to cool. Whisk the olive oil and egg, and add the yoghurt and melted butter in stages. Sift flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt, and add to the yoghurt mix to make a soft, pliable dough. Put on a floured surface and knead for a few minutes, then use a rolling pin until it is ca. 1/2 cm thick. Use a cup, or similar, with a 10 cm diameter to cut into small circles. Put 2 tsp of filling on one half of the circles and fold the other halves over until the pies resemble half-moons. Press the edges together to seal – the pies can open quite easily during cooking if this is not done thoroughly. Put the pies on baking paper, brush with egg yolk and bake for ca. 20 mins, or until golden and cooked through.
