Christmas Leftover Pie

You’ve eaten, you’ve drank and been merry. Your pants no longer fit, but that’s ok as you the shorts you received from Santa are elasticated and have an extra-long draw string. You’ve managed to survive the visiting extended family with the aid of gallons of wine and ale, and nursed the subsequent hangover with a past its prime roasted potato or two or hastily torn off chunks of ham from a vinegary damp sack in the fridge.

You shamefully sneak extra pieces of gingerbread house on the way past the kitchen and have yet to be sprung by your life mate chugging custard from the carton.

You’ve showered off after nearly drowning in pork sweat and now feel that you have never craved a green vegetable more than you do right now… but… you have so many leftovers to get through. The shelf space in your fridge looks like you’ve lost a game of Tetris, with unlabelled containers packed with pudding and pav. 

The solution: combine your leftovers cold cuts and roasted meats with some fresh greens. You don’t want to have Christmas withdrawal symptoms by diving into health food cold turkey (pun intended), so ease into it by stuffing it into a buttery pie case.

So, my post-holiday partygoers, serve a slice of The Culinary Barbarian’s, Christmas Leftover Pie.

Ingredients:

300g of leftover roast meat (I used pork and turkey bit it could also include ham or other meats)

2 cup diced leftover roasted veg

or

(200g steamed broccoli 200g steamed cauliflower)

1 large onion, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp of leftover gravy (optional)

2 tbsp plain flour

2 tsp corn flour

1 cup chicken stock

4 tbsp butter

4 sheets thawed shortcrust pastry

1 egg, beaten

Cooking spray

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (180 fan forced)
2. Grease a pie tin with cooking spray and press the pastry into the pan ensuring to press the pastry into the corners so there are no air bubbles. Use an additional sheet of pastry to patch any gaps to guarantee there is sufficient overhang to form a crust edge (about 2 cm) roll the edge and pinch. Prick the base of the pie crust with a fork to prevent steam bubbles. Cover with a sheet of baking paper and will with baking weights or dried beans and blind bake for 15 minutes. Take out from the oven and remove the baking paper and beans and return to the oven for another 8-10 minutes until the base is golden.
3. Chop the roast meat into bitesize pieces. In a large saucepan sauté the onions and garlic with 1 tbsp of butter until translucent. Add the meat and roasted veg and fill with water to cover. Simmer until the meat breaks apart with a fork. Drain and reserve the liquid from the stew.
4. In a medium sized saucepan melt the remaining butter until bubbling. Add the flour and whisk to make a roux. Whisk until the roux begins to change colour and turn a golden brown. Pour in the stock, the reserved liquid and the leftover gravy and whisk until thick and smooth, ensuring no lumps. Pour over the stew and stir through.
5. Ladle the stew into the pie crust making a slight mound in the centre. Create a pie lid with the remaining pastry; I like to weave the pastry but a flat sheet will do. Be sure to vent the lid with fork pricks. Press the edges of the pastry with a fork to seal, brush with beaten egg and bake for 20 minutes or golden.
6. Serve with mash and peas