Homity Pie Recipe

“This is a sponsored post by Robinson's Fresh Foods. All reviews and opinions expressed in this post are based on my personal view.” 

Homity Pie Recipe, an open vegetable pie made with shortcrust pastry and a filling of onion, garlic, leeks, potatoes, cheese and cream. It's a dish that sums up British comfort food: simple, hearty, made with fresh ingredients that are easy to find all year round. 

Homity Pie might not be a term you come across often, unless you have grown up in a time when food rationing was in place, and you had to make the most of whatever ingredients you had around.

Potatoes and leeks are 2 basic ingredients that have been a staple food for generations, and they still top the charts when it comes to best ingredients to use.

We might live in a time when food is plentiful, but these comfort food recipes will always be treasured, as they bring up childhood memories or just fond memories from the past. And the best thing about this homity pie is that it can be made 100% with locally sourced ingredients that won't break the bank.

While the shortcrust pastry could be shop-bought, I prefer to make it from scratch, it's way simpler than you'd think. And the filling is super easy to make too.

HOW TO MAKE HOMITY PIE

As promised, this recipe is super easy to make. Just look at the list of ingredients used: all simple fresh ingredients that you already have around, and you probably use very often too. As I live in the Isle of Man, all ingredients are local, but you can, of course, use any brands you have around.

TO MAKE THE SHORTCRUST PASTRY

The ingredients needed: plain flour, butter, egg and cold water. And nothing else, no nasty ingredients at all.

• in a large bowl, sift the flour, add the cold butter cut into cubes, and use your fingertips to rub them together until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs
• add the beaten egg together with 1-2 tablespoons of cold water, and knead it well until you get a dough that does not stick to the hands
• cover with clingfilm and refrigerate for 20 minutes
• use a rolling pin to roll it to a thickness of about ½ cm, then arrange it over a pie dish
• use a fork to prick the dough in a few places, cover with kitchen foil or non-stick paper, and fill the dish either with dry pulses or baking ceramic beans
• bake for 10 minutes at 190 degrees Celsius (375 Fahrenheit), then remove the foil and pulses, and bake for a further 10 minutes until golden

HOW TO MAKE THE FILLING

Once the pastry is done, we can get on with the filling.

• peel and chop the potatoes, and add them to a pan with salted cold water
• boil until the potatoes are tender, then set aside
• in a large frying pan, melt the butter, then add the chopped onion with a pinch of salt, and fry until golden
• add the chopped garlic and leeks, and sauté for 10-15 minutes until the leeks are soft
• in go the cooked potatoes and mix well, breaking the potatoes slightly
• add half of the grated cheese and the cream, and mix well
• season with salt and pepper, then add the filling to the pastry
• top with the remaining cheese and bake for 25 minutes until golden

TIPS AND TRICKS

This beautiful dish is so deliciously hearty, it can be a meal on its own. But it can also be enjoyed as a side for any meat of your choice. We had ours with sausages, but any roast or ham would work well too. Unless, of course, you'd rather keep it as a vegetarian meal.

The filling can also have meat added to it too, chopped cooked bacon, ham, or any leftover roast would make it even more filling and nutritious.

It can also be transformed into a potato and leek pie by using the shortcrust pasty at the top, rather than at the bottom. In its original form, it actually reminds me more of a quiche, the texture is not too different from the one of my Ham, Cheese and Potato Quiche.

It's also a great dish to be enjoyed during Lent. What a treat this is! A cosy dinner or supper for the whole family! Do give it a go, even meat lovers will enjoy the wonderful taste of this comfort food.

If you’ve tried my HOMITY PIE or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.