Homity pie bites
Have you ever read the Cranks Bible? Don’t worry, I’m not getting all religious on you – it’s a vegetarian cookbook full of really interesting and original recipes. The kind of cookbook that you’ll ‘ooh!’ your way through as you turn down the corner of every single page. This autumn, Cranks are bringing out a brand new edition, with all new recipes, including a few by Michelin-starred chef Richard Corrigan (remember him from the Great British Menu?).
One of the most popular recipes from the original Cranks Bible is their homity pie, and Cranks challenged me to put my own spin on the recipe – hence, homity pie bites!
These pie bites are not quite bitesize – more like two or three bites, depending on the size of your mouth and whether or not you’re in polite company – but they’re super cute, and great for an occasion where a normal pie is just not quite posh enough.
If you don’t know, homity pie is basically a cheesy leek and potato pie. It’s a traditional British recipe – we sure did know how to make the most of things during the war. Since the filling of these little pie bites is on the stodgy side (which isn’t a bad thing – I love me a bit of stodge), I went light on the pastry, and just used a couple of sheets of filo. It’s much thinner and lighter than, say, shortcrust or puff pastry, and much lower in fat too.
So eat away! And don’t forget to submit your recipe for a chance to appear in the new Cranks cookbook!
Homity Pie Bites
If you’ve cooked this recipe, don’t forget to leave a star rating!
Print Pin Comment(if you suffer from allergies, please double check all ingredients before eating)
Ingredients
- 750 g potatoes ~5 medium potatoes
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 medium leek quartered lengthwise then sliced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 tbsp butter
- 80 g cheddar cheese ~1 cup grated, grated
- Small bunch fresh parsley chopped
- Salt
- Black pepper
- ~4 large sheets filo pastry
- Butter or spray oil for greasing
Instructions
- Cut the potatoes into chunks – the exact size doesn’t matter, but try to cut them evenly. I left mine unpeeled. Once chopped, add them to a pan of water, and boil for around 15 minutes, or until completely soft.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan, and add the chopped leek and minced garlic. Cook over a medium heat for around 5 minutes, until soft and fragrant.
- When the potatoes are cooked, mash them thoroughly, and add the butter, grated cheese, parsley, and cooked leeks. Mix thoroughly until the cheese and butter have melted through the hot potatoes. Season generously.
- Heat the oven to 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F).
- Cut the filo pastry into squares that measure approximately 3 inches (I was able to get 12 squares out of each sheet of pastry, so cut 48 squares altogether, which was enough for 24 homity pie bites).
- Grease two cupcake trays with butter or oil, and press one square of filo into one of the cups. Spray the pastry lightly with oil, then place a second piece of pastry on top, at a different angle to the first. Gently press the pastry into the cup. Repeat with the other cups until all the pastry squares have been used up.
- Divide the potato mixture between the pastry cups. Lift the corners of the pastry, and gently press them together on top of the filling to create a pocket. Spray once more with oil, then place in the oven and bake for around 25 minutes, until golden brown and crispy (check that they’re crispy underneath too!).
Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on your exact ingredients. Please calculate your own nutritional values if you require accuracy for health reasons.
Ah I remember the homily pie- these little bite sized versions are great. Lovely as appetisers.
The homity pie bites look delicious and very easy to make. I will be trying them soon! :) x
These look adorable! I love the Cranks Bible – it’s a book I use again and again for reliable, delicious recipes.
Mmm those little pies look so delicious!! Love crispy pastry!
I am banned from new cookery books but when the occasional new one slips through I can’t help but squeal a little!
Haha I love that you’re banned from getting more cookbooks! They’re so addictive aren’t they ;)
Amazing idea, I am going to try it. Lovely photographs.. !!
Thanks Krati :)
These look amazing! Makes me wanna eat them just by looking at them, right up my street and very homely! :) xx
Mmmm…. Homity pie! I haven’t made one for about two years! I’ll have to make these soon.
when i lived in london I used to eat at Cranks….and have their original cookbook. I rarely use it due to the measurements being in grams (I’m in the USA) but you’ve made me think about going and pulling out the old dog-eared cookbook and revisiting everything. It’s where I learned about adzuki beans and so much more!!
Oh the memories! I used to go to the Cranks restaurant in London and always chose the homity pie! Gorgeous food :) I love your bites x
I never went but would have loved to! The cookbooks will have to do for now :)
These sound really delicious. Good tasty food made to look so pretty – how could we go wrong! :)