Lunch pie with green stuff and bacon

I’m trying to get back on top of life again and have had a couple of bags of mixed frozen vegetables in the freezer for a couple of weeks now, waiting for inspiration.

Yesterday I actually managed to get a pie crust made, and today hurrah hurray I finally got the filling made.

And it’s yummy.

So here’s the recipe:

Pastry

300g plain (all-purpose) flour
100g cold cubed butter
50g cold cubed lard
water to mix

Rub the fat into the flour (I had a warm kitchen yesterday and very warm hands so I used a food processor for this, because you don’t want to fat to start melting) and add just enough water to bind into a dough (next time I make it I’ll pay more attention to how much water I used). Wrap in clingfilm and leave to rest and chill in the fridge until needed.

Roll out onto a floured surface and line a large flan/quiche dish with it. Trim the edges. Blind bake: prick the pastry all over with a fork, line with baking paper and fill with baking beans (or sacrificial dried beans like me). Bake at 180C for 15-20 mins. Remove the paper and beans and cook for another 3-4 minutes until fully cooked but not burned. Remove from the oven and immediately brush with an egg wash to seal the pastry. Once it’s dried you can either use the pie crust straight away or cover it in clingfilm once cool, and keep in the fridge until needed.

Filling

1 red onion, chopped
200g pack diced bacon
500g bag frozen mixed green spring vegetables
450g bag frozen mixed beans
200g grated cheddar
3 eggs, beaten
oil, water and seasoning

Cook the onion slowly, in oil and water, seasoned well, on a high heat in a large wok/frying pan, until almost translucent. Add the bacon and fry off still on a high heat. Add the frozen vegetables and beans and cook (still on high) until they are all completely defrosted and some of the water is finally boiling off.

Ladle the vegetables and bacon into a bowl, leaving the liquid behind (you don’t need it). Add 150g grated cheddar, seasoning, and beaten egg, and mix really well to combine.

Pour into the pie crust (and hope it fits – if it really doesn’t, you can add whatever won’t fit to another beaten egg and turn it into an omelette), spread the rest of the grated cheese on top, and bake for 20 minutes at 180C.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool until cool enough to handle.