Does a pie actually need pastry? Not according to these rule-breaking new recipes

I love a pie as much as the next person. Possibly more. But sometimes I want the comforting innards of a pie without entering into a Stockholm syndrome-style relationship with pastry.

Don’t get me wrong, pastry is wonderful. But it is also needy. It demands resting, rolling, chilling, and the sort of patience I don’t possess midweek when it’s freezing and I want dinner now. Which got me wondering: does a pie really need pastry?

Answer: Absolutely not.

Because once you stop worrying about convention, a whole world of toppings opens up. Here, I’m using everything from Jatz crackers (I think this is elite) to my local fish-and-chip shop potato scallops/cakes, and I’ve treated a packet of supermarket roti like rough puff. The results are glorious.

And while these pies might be pastry-free, their richness calls for something green and fresh alongside for bite and contrast. Think just-steamed green beans, a crisp mixed-leaf salad with a tart dressing, or some delightful butter-lashed peas.

These are pies for real life. Pies for weeknights. Pies for people who want the bubbling, rich, deeply comforting filling but are entirely uninterested in pastry management.

Yellow curry chicken pie with roti ‘rough puff’

A few non-negotiables straight out the gate. Do not – under any circumstances – skimp on the ginger. This pie is unapologetically ginger-heavy, and both the flavour and your immune system will thank you for it. Also, treat yourself to the best quality curry paste you can find. I’m a devotee of the Church Farm pastes.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 100g fresh ginger, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
• 1 onion, finely sliced
• 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 180g Thai yellow curry paste (or to taste; brand strengths vary)
• 1kg chicken thigh fillets, trimmed and cut into 3-4cm dice
• 450g (about 3 cups) potato, peeled and cut into 3cm chunks
• 400ml coconut milk
• 3 tbsp shaved palm sugar
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 5 makrut lime leaves, torn, stems removed
• 225g can bamboo shoots, drained

To top

• 1 packet frozen roti bread (about 400g), thawed
• fried shallots, to serve
• fried thinly sliced pieces of ginger, to serve

METHOD

1. Melt the coconut oil in a pan over low heat. Cook the ginger and onion, stirring regularly, until soft and fragrant. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant. Tip in the curry paste and cook for a minute or until the paste coats the onion and ginger mixture and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.
2. Toss in the chicken and cook until lightly browned on all sides. Pour in the coconut milk and tip in the potato, then cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until the potato is tender enough to pierce with a fork and the sauce has reduced and thickened. You may need to add 100ml-150ml of water if the sauce is thickening too rapidly.
3. Stir through the palm sugar, fish sauce, makrut leaves and bamboo shoots. Simmer uncovered for another 2-3 minutes to let the flavours marry. Taste the sauce – it should be a perfect balance of salty, sweet and spicy. Remove from the heat and transfer the mixture into a large baking or pie dish.
4. Preheat the oven to 180C fan-forced (200C conventional).
5. Gently separate the thawed roti sheets. Tear them into generous pieces, then haphazardly layer them over the curry filling. You want big bits, small bits, wrinkles and folds.
6. Transfer the dish to the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the roti topping is puffed, deeply golden brown and crisp. Scatter generously with fried shallots and crispy fried ginger before serving.

Serves 4-6

The lazy genius seven-ingredient fish pie

I’m not going to lie – the only effort here is toddling off to your local fish-and-chip shop for the real McCoy potato scallops. Trust me, they give this fish pie the ultimate deeply comforting edge.

INGREDIENTS

• 250-300g hot-smoked salmon fillet broken into large pieces
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced

White sauce (makes about 3 cups)

• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 350ml (1½ cups) full-cream milk
• 125ml (½ cup) rich dashi broth (see note)

To top

• 4-6 cooked potato scallops/cakes (see note)

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180C fan-forced (200C conventional).
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat until it’s foaming but not browned. Whisk in the flour and continue to stir constantly for 1-2 minutes. The mixture will look like wet sand and will bubble. Remove the pan from the heat briefly (or lower it to the minimum setting). Gradually add the milk in a thin stream, whisking vigorously. Whisking well at this stage is the secret to a smooth, lump-free sauce.
3. Return the saucepan to medium heat and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce comes to a gentle simmer. It will thicken and become glossy in about 5 minutes. Whisk in the dashi, gently stir in the salmon pieces and spring onion, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Transfer the salmon mixture to a medium (1.5-litre) pie dish. Top the salmon with the potato scallops and pop in the oven for 20-25 minutes until the scallops crisp up and warm through. Serve piping hot.

Serves 4-6

Notes

• Dashi is a rich, sweet-salty umami broth. For an easy shortcut, use a store-bought dashi concentrate or substitute fish or vegetable stock.
• If you don’t have a handy fish-and-chipper, you can swap the potato scallops for thawed hash browns.

French onion beef and Jatz pie

Topping a rich beef stew with mini Jatz crackers is exactly the kind of thrill cold weekends need. You can, of course, use whatever-sized Jatz you can get your hands on, and if you’re a die-hard Savoy or Ritz fan, grab those instead. Honestly, don’t ask why. Just make it, and you will find yourself nodding vigorously while quietly asking yourself, “Why the hell not?”

This one’s a slow and steady weekend project that begins with the deliberately low and slow cooking of the onions. The softer they become, the more unctuous the pie. My suggestion? Double-batch it.

It’s glorious as a pie, and any leftover filling is magnificent served over heavily buttered mash. You can also loosen it with a splash of beef stock to create a slurpy, cold-weather stew – perfect for scooping up with a hunk of crusty bread.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 8 onions, finely sliced
• sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
• 1-1.5kg whole chuck steak, cut into 4cm chunks
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 litre (4 cups) beef stock
• 6 tbsp chopped soft herbs (such as flat-leaf parsley, tarragon, chives and thyme)
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• ¾ cup gruyere, shredded
• 170g box Jatz Minis

METHOD

1. Add the butter and olive oil to a large Dutch oven and place over low heat. Once the butter is lightly foaming, add the onions and turn the heat as low as it will go. Cook the onions until they are soft, sweet and slumped, without taking on much colour. This is where the richness of this dish starts. Season lightly with sea salt flakes, then push the onion to one side of the pan.
2. Turn the heat up slightly. Add the beef, browning it on all sides. Add the flour, stirring well to coat everything. Pour in the beef stock, season and add the chopped herbs. Simmer, covered, over low heat for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
3. Uncover and cook for another 30 minutes or until the liquid has reduced to a thick, glossy gravy and the beef is melt-in-the-mouth tender. Stir occasionally and keep a close eye on it to ensure the bottom doesn’t burn – the time will vary depending on your stove’s temperament and the beef.
4. Preheat the oven to 180C fan-forced (200C conventional).
5. Stir the balsamic through the beef, then transfer the filling to a large baking or pie dish. You may have some left over.
6. Sprinkle the shredded gruyere evenly over the hot beef filling. Haphazardly tile the Jatz crackers over the top until the meat and cheese are covered. Don’t worry about it looking perfect; rustic is the goal here. Finely crack a little extra black pepper and sea salt over the Jatz and bake for 20 minutes, or until the cheese underneath is gooey and melted, the filling is bubbling, and the Jatz are toasted. Serve piping hot.

Serves 4-6