Love from Pookie

The Humans have gone out for a walk – so I thought I’d take a turn as “guest contributor”.  The Wife has lots to do – but I can tell the Husband is getting a bit bored with lock down and words have been spoken about not going out.  I’m loving it – it’s great having someone here all the time to attend to my every need – food, water, cuddles and combing my fur which has got a little bit messy over winter (I am nearly 20 years old and things aren’t as easy as they were).  The Humans are doing their best and I can’t really complain. I can see, though, we are all in need of a bit of comfort – and by that I mean comfort food – and my absolute favourite (possibly because I am sometimes given a portion to myself if any left over) is Fish Pie. So that’s what I am giving you today. You can use any fish you may have – probably frozen just now – but you could use tinned mackerel, kipper fillets or tuna.  I’m not totally au fait with what the Wife has in her cupboards so I’ll just wing it with some suggestions.

POOKIE’S FISH PIE –  serves 2 Humans + 1 Neighbour (or one cat)

• 1 leek, sliced and rinsed
• butter 50g
• plain flour 1 tbsp
• white wine 125ml (or water)   ) or 225ml milk
• double cream 75ml                    )
• flat-leaf parsley ½ small bunch, chopped
• firm white skinless fish such as cod or haddock 150g, chunked
• skinless smoked haddock 150g, chunked
• cooked peeled prawns 100g
• 2 halved boiled eggs (optional)
• Maris Piper potatoes 300g, peeled and chunked

Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Gently cook the leeks in half the butter until really soft. Stir in the flour and cook for a couple of minutes. Gradually stir in the wine until you have a sauce and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the cream and bring gently to a simmer for a couple of minutes. Stir in the parsley, fish and prawns, then take off the heat. Tip into a baking dish. To make the mash, boil the potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain, then tip back into the pan over a low heat to dry out slightly. Add the rest of the butter, a splash of milk and some seasoning. Mash really well. Spoon over the fish, then spread out using a fork so you end up with a rough surface. Dot or brush with more butter for a golden top. Bake the pie in the oven for 30-35 minutes until the top is crisp and golden, and the filling is bubbling.

Alternative toppings to the pie could be: Puff Pastry / crumpled sheets of Filo Pastry/  or Peel the potatoes then roughly grate on the coarsest side of a box grater. Melt the rest of the butter and pour over the grated potatoes. Season, then use 2 forks to toss the butter through the potatoes. Spoon the rösti mix on top of the fish as lightly as you can (don’t pack it down or it won’t crisp). Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until crisp and golden on top.

For something completely different, make Fish Pie Jackets : Bake 2 big potatoes – scoop out the potato, mash with butter and set aside.  Make the pie filling as normal and fill the potato skins. Top with mash and some grated cheese and put under the grill till browned.

Humans are coming back so I better get back to my position on the sofa. It’s tiring, all this blogging . .. .