Leek And Celery Pie Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in leeks; cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until soft. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low. Stir in cream and cheese, and warm through. Pour mixture into pie shell
• Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until custard is set and golden on top. Allow to sit 10 minutes before cutting pie into wedges.

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Toss the squash with half the oil and some seasoning in a roasting tin. Roast for 25-30 mins until just tender, tossing halfway through.
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a non-stick frying pan and fry the leeks with a pinch of salt for 5 mins until beginning to soften. Stir through the pesto, beans and stock, then bring to a simmer and cook for 5 mins. Stir though the crème fraîche and squash, then spoon into a 26 x 18 x 5cm baking dish. Scrunch up the filo pastry and arrange on top of the filling. Brush with the egg and bake for 20 mins or until golden brown. Serve with the mixed salad leaves on the side, dressed with a little olive oil, if you like.

Steps:

• To make the pastry, sieve the flour into a large mixing bowl and add 1 tsp sea salt. Coarsely grate in the cold butter, then use your fingertips to work into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. Pour over the vodka and use a butter knife to mix it in, then pour over 2 tbsp cold water and stir again with the knife. If you need to, add a little more water until it comes together as a dough, about 1-2 tbsp. Lightly knead the pastry to a smooth dough in the bowl, dust lightly with flour and wrap in baking parchment. Rest for at least 30 mins.
• Peel and cut the potatoes into 5mm- thick slices and put them in a lidded saucepan. Cover with cold water, add a generous pinch of salt, bring to the boil with the lid on, then lower to a simmer and cook for 8-10 mins until just tender. Drain and leave to steam-dry.
• In a large non-stick frying pan, heat the olive oil, bay leaf and butter together over a medium heat, then add the leek and onion. Season well and add a good grating of nutmeg. Cook, stirring, for 8-10 mins, until softened. Add about 100ml water, and cook until most of it has evaporated. Discard the bay leaf and stir in both the mustards and parmesan. Set aside to cool. Butter and flour a 20cm round pie dish.
• Roll ¾ of the pastry out on a lightly floured surface in a circle larger than the pie dish, then line the dish. Roll the rest into a large circle for the lid and chill both for 10 mins. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
• Spoon a layer of the leek mixture into the lined dish, grate over some cheddar and top with a layer of potatoes and the melting cheese slices. Repeat the layering until you have filled the pie dish - press down to compact it.
• Brush some of the egg around the edges, top with the pastry lid and crimp together. Egg wash the lid, scatter over some sea salt and cut two slits in the lid. Bake for 45-50 mins until golden.
• Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 10 mins, then slice and serve with a watercress salad, if you like.

Steps:

• Using your hands, tear bread, crust and all, into 1 1/2- to 2-inch pieces. (Alternatively, you can cut the bread with a knife, but I prefer the way the craggy bits toast and soak up the goods.) Place chunks on a rimmed baking sheet, and let sit uncovered at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours. If you're short on time, you can toast the chunks in a 300-degree oven instead, tossing occasionally, until lightly crisped, but not browned, on the outside.
• Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, combine olive oil and 4 tablespoons butter. Once butter has melted, add the garlic and leeks. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks are bright green and totally softened, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Add celery, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until bright green and tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Add white wine, and cook until reduced by about three-quarters, 3 to 4 minutes. Add red-pepper flakes, if using, and remove from heat.
• Whisk together broth and eggs in a medium bowl. Place bread in a large bowl (you want a lot of room for mixing, so go big), and add the leek and celery mixture, parsley, chives and marjoram. Stir to coat so that everything is evenly distributed, trying not to totally crush the bread. Pour the egg mixture over everything and toss a few times. Let sit a minute or two and give another toss. Repeat twice until all the liquid has absorbed and evenly distributed to each and every piece of bread.
• Transfer mixture to a 2 1/2- to 3-quart baking dish (a 9-by-13 pan also works), making sure not to pack it too tightly. (You want to keep the bread in the stuffing as light as possible.) Dot the top with the remaining 4 tablespoons butter, making sure to pay extra attention to the corners, where the stuffing will get the crispiest.
• Cover with foil and bake until the stuffing is sizzling at the edges and completely cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes. If it's not yet time to serve, remove stuffing from oven and set aside. (If you are nearly ready to serve, proceed directly to the next step and continue without pausing.)
• When ready to serve, remove foil and increase temperature to 425 degrees. Bake stuffing until crispy, crunchy and impossibly golden brown on top, 20 to 25 minutes. Scatter with celery leaves, if using, and serve.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. pie plate. Trim crust to 1/2 in. beyond rim of plate; flute edge. Refrigerate while preparing filling., Wipe mushrooms clean with a damp tea towel. Trim stems; quarter or slice large mushrooms., In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat. Add leek; cook and stir 2-3 minutes or until tender. Remove from pan., In same pan, heat remaining butter over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; cook 4-6 minutes or until tender and liquid has evaporated. Stir in leek, salt and pepper. Cool slightly., Sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese onto bottom of crust. Top with mushroom mixture; sprinkle with remaining cheese. In a large bowl, whisk eggs and cream until blended; pour over top., Bake on a lower oven rack until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 30-35 minutes. If desired, sprinkle with parsley before serving.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Put the leek whites, carrot and celery in a flameproof casserole dish with the butter, oil and a pinch of salt, and soften, without colouring, over a gentle heat.
• Meanwhile, brown the mince in a non-stick frying pan. Cook in batches to keep it brown and avoid it going grey and soggy. If you've used a lean mince, you may need to add a drop of oil. Break up the mince well with a wooden spoon as you go.
• When the veg is soft, stir in the bacon lardons, turn up the heat a little and cook until everything is golden. Stir in the mince, followed by the flour, 3 thyme sprigs, Worcestershire sauce and Marmite. Gradually stir in the stock and bring everything to a simmer, then cover and transfer to the oven. Cook for 2 hrs until the sauce is thickened and rich, and the beef tender, removing the lid and stirring in the leek greens halfway through.
• While the beef bakes, put the swede and potato into two separate pans. Cover with cold water, bring to the boil, then simmer until tender - about 20 mins. Drain both well, then tip back into their pans over a low heat to steam-dry for a few mins. When both (but particularly the swede) look dry, combine them in one pan with the butter, milk, nutmeg and lots of seasoning. Mash until smooth.
• Transfer the mince to individual dishes or one baking dish (or leave in the casserole if you prefer, discarding the thyme sprigs). Cover with the mash, using a fork to fluff up the top. Rub the cheddar into the breadcrumbs with the leaves from the remaining thyme sprigs and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Sprinkle this mixture over the mash, dot with small knobs of butter, then increase the temperature to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and bake for 30 mins until golden and crisp on top. Can be made ahead and chilled, or frozen and defrosted. Bake for an extra 10-15 mins until the sauce is bubbling.