Spinach and Goat's Cheese Pies

This is what I did with the rest of my hot water crust pastry, I made individual pies using up stuff in the fridge! I actually froze the pastry and it came out absolutely fine. The pastry is lovely and crunchy and the filling is delicious.

















Spinach and Goat's Cheese Pies (from Allotment 2 Kitchen)
(Makes 12 Individual Pies or 1 large)

For the filling
2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, finely sliced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 leeks, chopped
6–8 spring onions, sliced
450g fresh spinach, washed and chopped
1 large courgette, grated
1 tbsp dried dill
1 tbsp cider vinegar
200g goat's cheese, crumbled
50g sliced black olives
2 tbsp raw rice
Salt and pepper to taste

For the pastry

650g plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

200g vegetable fat - I use Trex

350ml water

Heat the olive oil in a large pan and sauté the onions, garlic, leek and courgette until they are soft and beginning to colour. Add the spring onions, dill, chopped spinach and toss everything together until the spinach wilts. Cover and keep cooking on low heat for about 10 mins.

Uncover, raise the heat and stir occasionally for a few minutes more until the excess moisture completely cooks away. Stir in the cider vinegar and move from the heat. When cool, add the raw rice, crumbled goat's cheese and sliced olives. Stir well to combine.

To make the hot water pastry, mix together the dry ingredients.

Melt the fat in the water and heat until about to boil.

Add the liquid to the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until a dough is formed.

Mould a ball of pastry into the shape of the individual muffin holes leaving a bit of the pasty hanging over the edges. Brush the edges with milk.

 

Once the muffin tin or cake tin has been lined with the pastry, spoon in the filling before topping with lid. Brush with pastry and pierce a hole in each lid. Bake at 200C for 30 – 35 minutes for individual pies or 45 – 55 minutes for a large pie. Serve.