Go Pies!

This wintery weather is making me crave lots of yummy things. And there is just something cheeky and yummy about a pie, especially a mini pie, it means you can eat more than one as they are small and delicate, right?

I made these over the weekend with cries of 'more, more' from the family, but beware they are quiet full on with over an egg a piece, but just try stopping at two!  I like vegetarian options and had a zucchini to use up so made some grilled zucchini and feta pies just for me, and they were a yummo.
If you don't have puff pastry, you can make these with slices of bread, crusts off, cut with a pastry cutter into a round shape and roll out with a rolling pin and use as pastry.

Great to make if you have a lot of people coming for breakfast or with soup on a rainy Sunday night for dinner like we did.  I can tell you now, they didn't make breakfast the next day.

mini egg and bacon pies ~ makes 8

1 egg 

1/2 cup sour cream
dash of milk

salt & pepper
4 rashers of bacon, keep eye whole but chop up ends

8 eggs, one for each pie

2 sheets puff pastry, thawed and each sheet cut into 4

Preheat oven to 200c. Spray your 12 whole muffin tray with cooking spray. Place pastry into holes, overlapping at corners if needed. In a pan fry the bacon, I used a grill pan which gave it a nice chargrilled look.  Cut the eye's in half.  Mix together the sour cream, 1 egg, salt & pepper and a dash of milk in a jug for easy pouring.  (you can make these without the sourcream mixture) Evenly put the chopped bacon in the bottom of the pastry cases.  Add a dollop of sourcream mix, not too much, maybe a tablespoons worth.  Crack a whole egg into each pastry case. Put the eye bacon around the egg in a circle. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Place in oven for 15 minutes or so. Make sure there is still a wobble in the egg, you want it to be still a little runny. Or if you want a hard egg, leave for a little longer.  Allow to cool for a minute in tray then onto a wire rack. 

For the zucchini & fetta ones ~ Slice zucchini into angled rounds and fry in grill pan with salt & pepper and thyme.  Place a few strips in each pastry case and pour sourcream mixture half way and add some crumbled feta and a strip or two more of zucchini.  Place in oven for 15 minutes. Allow to cool for a minute in the tray then onto a wire rack. Serve with a sprig of mint on top and homemade chutney.

These pies are so simple.  A sin really.  You could make these with anything you have in the cupboars or fridge; grilled vegies & olives, bacon,egg & sundried tomato, salmon & avocado, tuna & corn, cooked leftover potato, spinach & parmesan, roasted mushroom & feta....I could go on and on....let your imagination run wild really, but add some herbs too.

I made this take on tomato and onion pie my nan makes a few nights ago. I had a few ingredients I needed to use up; some tomatoes, the butt of the bread I made on the weekend, and half a red onion.

After a trip to the garden, I found some herbs, mint, oregano & thyme, and some spinach and beetroot leaves.  I popped it in layers with the bread made into crumbs with some garlic infused olive oil drizzle over it, s & p and a few dobs of butter....delicious!

above is the first layer, then put spinach & beetroot leaves,
then more tomatoes then bread crumbs & herbs

Bake in the oven at 200c for 35-40minutes, is a great side dish to your Sunday roast too.  I had it the next day for lunch tossed through some penne pasta which was tasty.

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Just an update on the decluttering challenge. Sadly, a house was badly damaged by fire in our local community last Friday and our school put a call out yesterday for groceries and linen.  So I've parted with 6 towels, 4 tea towels  a few face washers, a single bed woolen underlay and a few bags of groceries from my stockpile which I had grown these past few months.  What a blessing to have them on hand to give away. My heart goes out to this family of 5 children and made the giving of my things an easy decision, the attachment went straight away.  If you live in my area and have anything worthwhile to donate to this family, please private message me through my link to 'a gluttonous wife' on facebook and I will make sure it gets to them.  

How are you going with your decluttering?

Ciao, Jan