Tuesday 25 September 2012

My hero the Heidi Pie


I love pies. Especially when they're of the British, savoury variety. Not that there's anything wrong with American pie.  In fact, I've baked many a homely apple and blackberry pie, and eaten it. But with the weather getting autumnal, it's buttery puff pastry lids, cheesy mash toppings and crusty hot water pies I'm after. Steak and Guinness pie, shepherd's pie, pork pie - I love you all.

Having said that, I haven't baked that many pies myself. Why would I, when the fabulous Pie Minister is around? When living in London I'd just rock up at their Borough Market stall and get my fix. I tried many, but always reverted to my one true love, the Heidi Pie. No, I don't know why they call it that, either. There isn't anything remotely Alpine about the dish. It's a bit girly though: it's vegetarian and contains sweet potato, goat's cheese and spinach.



Though I've left the UK three years ago, it's only now that I suddenly developed a craving for a Heidi Pie. Inexplicably it's days before I'm going to the Pie Minister's hometown, Bristol and I will be able to buy all the Heidi Pies I can carry. But it. Cannot. Wait. I'm making my own. This is the result. (I'll get some proper ones next week and let you know how genuine the taste is...)


My hero the Heidi Pie



Makes 6
Serves 2-3

For the filling:
1 medium sweet potato, peeled
2 fat garlic cloves, unpeeled
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
1 small red onion, finely chopped
100 g chopped spinach, defrosted
3-4 tbsp soft goat's cheese

For the dough:
25ml milk
75g pure vegetable fat
225g strong white flour
1/2 sea salt
optional: 1/2 tsp mustard powder
optional: 1/2 tsp mixed spice
2 egg yolks

Extra: 6-hole muffin tin

Preheat the oven to 220˚C/450˚F. Cut the sweet potato into wedges and place into a baking dish. Add the garlic, season and drizzle with olive oil. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes until the sweet potato is soft.

In the meantime, sweat the onion in a little oil until soft. Put the onion and sweet potato into a bowl and squeeze the roasted garlic into the bowl. Squeeze as much liquid as possible out of the spinach and add to the bowl with the goat's cheese. Mash it all together with a fork.

Turn the oven temperature down to 180˚C/350˚F. Gently heat up the milk with 50ml water and the vegetable fat. Sift all the dry ingredients over a large bowl. I added some mixed spice for a sweet touch with really brings out the sweetness of the potato. Feel free to leave this and the mustard powder out if you like your pastry a little more plain. Add 1 egg yolk to the bowl and mix.

Once the fat has melted, turn up the heat and bring just to the boil. Pour into the bowl and mix the lot together into a dough ball. Divide the dough into 3 balls and put 1 ball aside. Divide the 2 balls into 3 parts each. Press the still warm dough into the muffin tin - 1 ball in each hole. Use you fingers to push the dough into the tin and up the sides.

Divide the sweet potato filling between the pies. Press down with a teaspoon to fill them right up. Brush the dough with egg yolk, then roll out the remaining dough and, using a glass, cut out rounds large enough to fit as lids.

Place the lids on top, pinch the edges together to seal and brush the tops with egg yolk. Slash a hole in each lid and place in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes, then transfer the pies from the muffin tin to a baking sheet and bake for another 20 minutes until the pies are crispy and golden all over.

Lovely with mash and gravy!







Monday 24 September 2012

The art of food trend watching


The other day I was asked to fill my blog for Jamie magazine with food trends, what with me being in überhip Berlin and all. I was flattered. But also in a bit of a pickle. It's not that I don't love a good trend, and I love it even better when I am the first one among my foodie friends to catch on. But my method goes like this: I watch, I notice, and then I keep schtum. I like sitting on my secret foodie spots, only to magic them out of a hat when the appropriate person comes to visit, or when I fancy a little indulgence by my own little self.

This is somewhat of a pain when you're a writer in the flimsy world of blogs and magazine articles. If it ain't new and exciting, it ain't worth writing about.

(I'll admit, when making foodie travel stories for Jamie magazine, I may have possibly omitted my very favourite addresses for fear of those places being overrun by tourists. Yes, in my dreams, my audience is way bigger than it probably is, and it follows my advice to the letter.)

When you're a writer, keeping a lid on things often means missing the boat. That closely guarded Italian lunch spot of mine is now featured in the newest edition of Lonely Planet, and it was only the other day that I read about 'my' cool new American foodie magazine in a local Dutch newspaper. Pants. There's hardly any point writing about them now, is there?

So from now on, I will try to be a good girl. I hereby promise not to keep any little gems to myself. Not even my local drinking hole. Or the place to get the best croissant in town. Cross my heart and hope to die.

To put words into action, here are a few weird and wonderful trends I have come across lately. There's only two, mind. I have blog pages to fill after all.

1 German kids are inexplicably snacking on those packets of noodle soup that come with a sachet full of MSG. Only they eat them uncooked, straight from the packet, with the flavourings sprinkled over. Their stomachs must be grateful...

2 Bioshops in Germany are shedding their alternative coats and going for prettier packaging, finally clocking on to the fact that going organic is more than just a leftie lifestyle choice. Just look at this coffee cup (below). Trendy, no?