Thomasina Miers' recipe for lancashire cheese and ham pies
What could be more comforting than a pie? Especially one filled with silky-soft onions, creamy celeriac and succulent ham
Soothing and delicious: Thomasina Miers' lancashire cheese and ham pies. Photograph: Yuki Sugiura/The Guardian. Food styling: Aya Nishimura.
I always forget about pies. How foolish I am! When you have the time and inclination, you can spend a few blissful, therapeutic hours forgetting the world's turbulent times and making your own buttery, flaky pastry to dive into. Otherwise, cheat on the pastry and spend less than an hour assembling and baking a comforting, calming, nourishing creation that will make you beam inside and out.
Individual lancashire cheese, celeriac and shredded ham pies
The buttery, silky-soft onion, cheese and celeriac filling is soothing and delicious – with or without the ham.
- Prep 30 min
- Cook 45 min
- Makes 4
- 40g butter
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 onion, finely sliced
- ¼ nutmeg, grated
- Salt and black pepper
- 350g celeriac, peeled
- 100g cooked ham, shredded
- 180g lancashire cheese, grated
- 350g puff pastry
- 1 egg, beaten with a splash of milk
Heat the oven to 190C (170C fan)/375F/gas 5. Melt the butter in a small pan and add the bay, onion and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper, cook for eight to 10 minutes, until the onion is soft but not coloured, then take off the heat and leave to cool.
Meanwhile, cut the celeriac into quarters and use a mandoline to slice them as thinly as you can – or just use a sharp knife. Bring a pan of salted water to a boil and cook the celeriac for a few minutes, until tender, then drain.
On a floured surface, roll out the pastry to about 2mm thick. Use a bowl 10-12cm in diameter to cut out eight rounds of pastry, using the rolling pin to stretch four of them so they're about 1cm larger in diameter than the others.
Put the smaller rounds on an oven tray lined with baking paper, and prick all over with a fork. Arrange half the celeriac on the bottom of the rounds, leaving a 1cm gap around the edge, and season, then layer up with half the onion, cheese and ham. Repeat with all four layers for all the rounds, then brush the edges with egg wash and put the larger pastry round on top. Use a fork or your fingers to crimp the edges together, then brush all over with more egg wash.
Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes, until the pastry is golden. Serve with mustard and a green salad.
And for the rest of the week
Crisp, raw celeriac in a remoulade is a revelation in winter when you want a change from rich, heartier food. A mustard-heavy dressing is essential, then pair with masses of chopped parsley and smoked fish, a softly poached egg or the more traditional ham. Leftover lancashire cheese is great in a toastie, especially with anything pickled.