For anyone who’ll be standing outside on Tuesday, looking up at fireworks in the night sky, might I suggest a hand-warmer in the form of a pie? They’re November’s answer to the party canapé, passed around and eaten by hand, and passing on their heat. Hosts can also delight in the fact that any crumbs will fall outside the house and that, if need be, said pies can be made in advance and frozen. These are also recipes to file away for the weeks ahead, as the nights draw in but the gatherings go on. Napkins, chairs and tables are an acceptable addition for those who prefer to eat inside, but cutlery absolutely not.
Mozzarella, spinach and curry-spiced hand pies (pictured above)These can be constructed and refrigerated a day ahead (or frozen for up to a week), so all you have to do is (defrost and) bake them as and when required – if you do chill them, increase the baking time by a minute or two. If you like, serve them with a herby dip, lemony tahini or just some plain yoghurt. We’ve used store-bought pastry, but if you fancy making your own, our recipe here works perfectly.
Prep 20 min
Cook 1 hr 10 min
Makes 10
2 tbsp sunflower oil
2 large onions, peeled and thinly sliced (360g)
1½ tsp hot curry powder (or mild, if you prefer)
⅛ tsp chilli flakes (optional)
Salt
20g unsalted butter
150g baby spinach
50g sun-dried tomatoes, drained and finely chopped
20g desiccated coconut
20g coriander leaves and tender stems, roughly chopped
200g low-moisture mozzarella, coarsely grated
2 tbsp plain flour
2 sheets 325g ready-rolled shortcrust pastry
1 egg yolk, whisked
Nigella seeds, to garnish (optional)
Put the oil, onions, curry powder, chilli flakes (if using) and two-thirds of a teaspoon of salt in a medium saucepan and put it on a medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes, until the onions are lightly caramelised, then add the butter and cook, still stirring often, for 15 minutes more, until the onions are a deep golden brown; add a splash or two of water, if need be, to stop them catching.
Stir in the spinach, tomatoes and coconut, and cook, stirring, for another five minutes, until the spinach has wilted. Off the heat, stir in the coriander and mozzarella, and leave to cool.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one of the pastry sheets into a roughly 40cm x 30cm rectangle that’s about 1mm thick. Using a 14cm round pastry cutter (or a similar-sized bowl), cut out four circles from the sheet. Bring together the offcuts, roll out again, then cut out a fifth circle. Repeat with the second pastry sheet, so you have 10 pastry circles.
Spoon 55-60g of the spinach mix just off centre on to each circle. Lightly brush water around the edges of the filling, then fold over the pastry and press around the edges to seal; if you like, crimp them with a fork. Put the pies on an oven tray lined with greaseproof paper, then refrigerate for 30 minutes, until the pastry is good and firm.
When you want to bake the pies, heat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7. Brush the egg yolk liberally over the top of each pie. Using a serrated knife, cut three 2cm-long diagonal slits into the top of each. Sprinkle over the nigella seeds, if using, then bake for 25 minutes, until golden brown.
Take the tray out of the oven, put on a rack for no more than five minutes, to cool slightly, then serve hot.
Sour cherry and sumac hand piesYotam Ottolenghi’s sour cherry and sumac hand pies.These are a spin on my colleague Verena Lochmuller’s take on that childhood favourite, the pop tart. Ideally, use a jam with lots of pieces of fruit in it, and play around with whichever jams and frozen fruit you have to hand. Freezing the pies before they’re baked helps to stop the jam escaping during the cooking.
Prep 10 min
Rest 30 min
Cook 25 min
Serves 6
130g cherry jam, sour or regular
100g frozen cherries, roughly chopped from frozen
1 sheet ready-rolled all-butter puff pastry (325g)
1 egg yolk, beaten
40g demerara sugar
1 tsp sumac
¼ tsp flaked sea salt
For the drizzle
40g cherry jam, again, sour or regular
60g icing sugar, sifted
Mix the jam and cherries in a bowl, then put in the freezer until needed.
Lay out the puff pastry on a sheet of greaseproof paper, then roll it out to a roughly 36cm x 26cm rectangle. Using a sharp knife, cut the sheet into six 6cm-wide rectangles, then prick them all over with a fork.
Take the filling mix out of the freezer and put a 40g spoonful on one half of each pastry rectangle. One by one, fold over the pastry to cover the filling, then press down and seal the edges to encase it. Press around the sealed edges with the back of a fork, to make a decorative crimp, then arrange the pies on a paper-lined oven tray that will fit in the freezer. Brush the tops with the beaten egg yolk, then sprinkle the demerara sugar all over them. Using a serrated knife, cut three diagonal 2cm-long slits in the top of each pie, then freeze for at least half an hour (and up to a week), until the pastry is frozen solid.
Try this recipe and many more featuring pies, hand or otherwise, on the new Feast app: scan or click here for your free trial.When you want to bake your pies, heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Take the tray out of the freezer, then bake for 20-25 minutes, until the pastry is deeply golden. Remove from the oven and put the tray on a rack to rest and cool for five 10 minutes, so the pies are not burning hot.
Meanwhile, make the drizzle. Put the jam and icing sugar in a bowl and mix well (if your jam has pieces of cherries in it, smoosh them down with a fork). Drizzle the icing all over the hot pastries, scatter over the sumac and salt, and serve warm.