The pie fillings – the fish pie

The first filling is fast – deliberately using a key ingredient already baked, from your stash of ready cooked baked potatoes. It uses another of my favourite sauces too.

Fast Fish Pie

Serves 4

2 large baking potatoes – stab carefully with a

paring knife, wrap in foil and bake for 1 hour at

180fan/200c/Gas 6 – already done!

Set aside to cool then slice thinly – skin on or

off – personal choice

500g of fresh fish, wrapped in foil and baked for

15 minutes

If you want to cook ahead you could bake your

fish for the last 15 minutes of your potato baking

time – don't forget to use your timer!

Cool the cooked fish and then place in a sealed

container ready to use

Your fish can be a mixture of whatever you choose – for example, mix smoked haddock or cod with salmon and prawns – it's whatever floats your boat – pardon the pun. If you're using cooked peeled prawns as part of your 500g of fish then don't add them until you're assembling your pie.

Next up the sauce for your fish :

Mornay Sauce

Serves 4-6

40g unsalted butter

40g plain flour

600ml of milk – I use semi skimmed

150g mature Cheddar cheese

(or a combination of Cheddar and Gruyere)

1 tsp Dijon mustard

salt and black pepper

Melt the butter in a pan and stir in the flour. Cook gently for a minute, stirring and add the mustard – make sure you don't brown the mixture. Gradually add the milk whisking constantly and eventually bring to the boil, whisking until it's smooth and thick. Lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes, then add the cheese and season. I'd taste before you add salt – there's salt in the cheese – adjust accordingly. Your sauce should be a stiff consistency.

You can make the sauce ahead, fridge or freeze.

Assembly, plus hints and tips up next …

The ice cream feedback!

As usual, the best I can do is to give you an extract of an email from Morag headed “Yummylicious”

“... Well about the ice cream – I think the heading says

it all, we thoroughly enjoyed it - how do you describe it?

Creamy smooth lovely texture not grainy little nuggets

of dark chocolate with … ? It was subtle … yet again

another winner!”

I replied :

“...Love the name! I was hoping you'd enjoy it and if

a “yes” then suggest you give it a name and thank you -

you've done just that! It's chocolate orange fudge, dusted

in cocoa, cut into tiny irregular pieces and folded into

the basic vanilla ice cream recipe. The orange element

is Valencian orange extract. Two for the price of one -

fudge if that's your bag and an ice cream too!”

We are now well and truly snowed in – hopefully not for long and my once a week grocery shopping trip is a no-go!

I'm so glad I decided after the debacle with “loo-roll gate” during the first lockdown that I would pay proper attention to my own store cupboard and have gradually, not greedily, created a spin-off store cupboard separate from the norm with basics and staples. I didn't expect that it would come into its own because of the weather – it's bad enough being in lockdown – snowed in too really puts the tin hat on it!

It's time for the pie fillings …

The ice cream doorstep delivery!

Yippee! Back came … how lovely to hear from you, the telepathy is working yet again as I've been yearning for some ice cream and I thought about getting in touch with you as I don't like how this Covid-19 is destroying relationships … we are so scared to be near or talk to our friends … yes please that will put a smile on our faces. Thank you so much.”

It's Sunday and the weather isn't looking good. I replied, we are walking up to you to deliver before it snows so see you soon!

We set off, clutching a bag of ice cream. It's a 15 minute walk – ish, 2 minutes after leaving the house it began to snow, the sort of snow that looks like icing sugar. We stuck to the main roads since it was now snowing hard - as if it meant it! Hurray, ice cream delivered - a five minute distanced chat and we set off on our return journey.

The return journey was exciting, now slippy underfoot – we were glad to get home, just in time, here's why :

it didn't take long!

Rose loved it!

Phew – a few minutes longer and we'd have needed a sledge – Rose is a little small to do a Husky's job but I'm sure she'd have given it a go.

It was great to deliver a treat to my friend albeit distanced and snowy - it felt good to do something nice and raise a smile. It's making the best of a bad job if you get my drift – couldn't resist the snow connection, sorry!

Feedback up next ...

The ice cream fudge fotos

Here they are :

the tiny pieces of fudge and cocoa

dust, ready to incorporate

the ice cream base and folding in

the fudge and cocoa dust

tiny pots of ice cream – ready for the

freezer

Hmm, now I need to taste test it!

Off went the following message to my friend Morag …

“Good morning, hope you're keeping sane and are both safe and well. I've made a new ice cream – not the weather I know – and have individual pots for you both if you'd like to try? If yes I could do a doorstep delivery later this morning?”

Doorstep delivery up next!

Remember the fudge … now for the ice cream!

Having made the fudge I thought I'd mess about and make a new ice cream.

The ice cream on its own is very easy, the only extra prep is to cut your fudge into tiny pieces. Your fudge is already in 2x2cm pieces, cut each piece into four again, preferably on kitchen roll so that you preserve any cocoa dust and you're ready to roll!

Here's the basic recipe :

Vanilla ice cream

1 x 397g tin sweetened condensed milk

1 x 600ml double cream

2tsp vanilla bean paste

Put the condensed milk, cream and vanilla into a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric hand whisk until the mixture is quite thick and stiff, like pipeable whipped cream.

You will need 260g of fudge cut into tiny irregular pieces

including the cocoa dust too

Fold the tiny pieces of fudge and the cocoa dust gently through the ice cream so that you achieve a ripple effect with a hidden surprise of fudge!

Spoon the mixture into a lidded freezer-proof containers and freeze for at least 6-8 hours or until firm. You might also want to consider freezing individual portions as well as larger pots, just in case you need an ice cream fix for yourself – as the cook you need to taste!

Bear in mind that you need to take the ice cream out of the freezer at least 15 minutes before serving to allow it to soften.

Photo guide up next …

Curry sauce for a pie anyone?

If this curry sauce recipe has a downside it's the time it takes to produce – I can only say that it's definitely worth it and now you have the time!

It not pretentious - it's a typical chip shop curry sauce, more usually found in a Chinese chippy. If you have stock (or liquid gold as I prefer to call it) in your freezer from a slow cooked chicken with star anise, then it is perfect for this curry sauce and would make an excellent partner for a pie filling.

Chip Shop Curry Sauce

50g unsalted butter

2 large onions, finely sliced and chopped

1 tsp of ginger paste

4 roasted garlic cloves

3 tbsp mild curry powder

3 tbsp malt vinegar

½ tsp star anise powder

500ml of the slow cooked star anise chicken stock

2 tbsp slaked cornflour

2 tbsp lemon juice

160ml coconut cream

Using a large saucepan melt the butter and add the onions, garlic and ginger. Fry gently until soft – about 15 minutes, make sure there's no colour. Add the curry powder, star anise powder and vinegar, fry for another minute. Add the chicken stock, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 25 minutes, stir occasionally, you don't want it to stick.

Add two tbsp of water to the cornflour, mix and pour into the sauce. Simmer for another 5 minutes, stir until you've got a silky, thickened sauce. Blitz with a hand blender until smooth, add the lemon juice.

You will get approximately 630g of thick curry sauce - I'd divide in half - 315g into two boxes and deposit in the treasure chest!

The sauce freezes well and I'd suggest you might want to do so in portions you know will suit you best. Remember, you can always take out more than one box, infinitely better than wasting part of a larger one.

Defrost the sauce in the fridge, then tip into a medium saucepan and warm it through. If you want to loosen the thickness but enrich the sauce add 160ml of coconut cream and stir until thoroughly absorbed.

It's difficult to get the right balance of “heat” and “spice” in a curry sauce and inevitably you can't please everyone. Chip shop curry is not as strong as traditional curries. To give you an idea of “heat” and “spice” I'd say it's not as hot and spicy as a rendang and not as mild as a korma, so middle for diddle, suitable for everyone.

By the way, you don't have to use the anise chicken stock, ordinary chicken stock is fine or vegetable stock if you want a veggie version.

I do love a useful sauce, especially one that can be used in different ways. The purists out there may sneer and would never set foot inside a chippy – it's their loss – I don't care – there's a place for any recipe made with love and care, particularly when it's part of a pie!

Before we continue with the pie fillings here's a sweet treat.

Batch cooking and freezing your own pies

If you've been used to buying ready-made pies for emergencies you may have been disappointed. One thing is for sure they are not cheap so if you finish up with only half a filling and the remainder is fresh air it's not good for your meal or for the money you've wasted. That's why I make my own – it doesn't have to take forever – you don't have to go learn the art of pastry making – cheat, buy the sheets – either puff or shortcrust – like I've said the pastry police are in lockdown too!

If you feel brave you could have a go at batch cooking and freezing your own pies – there's every shape and size of foil pie dishes known to man to suit everyone – single deep dishes, shallow versions and larger too. Equally there's the same choice of enamel pie dishes or ceramic if you prefer.

The world is your lobster – you can spend very little or mega bucks. Personally I find that foil is convenient and doesn't take up too much space in my freezer although I do get that you wouldn't want to serve a glorious pie for a supper/dinner party in a foil tray so may be treat yourself for special occasions.

Have a go – you've nothing to lose and everything to gain. In these miserable times when you're having to produce meals every day just think how great it'll feel when you can pull out your own from the freezer!

There are loads of different pastry recipes and styles but I don't want to drone on ad nauseam so we'll take a break – here's another sauce idea.