Broccoli, Leek & Blue Cheese Pie

I've got to confess that I've been feeling a little despondent about blogging lately.  Not that I've been short on inspiration for things to cook, but now that we're in the very depths of autumn (in fact, getting perilously close to winter, even) I'm often finding these days that, by the time I get a dish finished and onto the plate, night has fallen.  Those of you who are also bloggers know that this means just one thing - the dreaded "orange" photos.  And so it is that several dishes I've made for you over the last couple of weeks have been rendered completely unblogworthy by the lack of a decent photograph.

One thing I'm not despondent about, however, is this Broccoli, Leek & Blue Cheese Pie - it's so good, in fact, that I've made it twice in the last week.  This is something of a rarity for me, but I can tell you that it won't end there - I will definitely be making this one again and again.

This pie is both easy and economical to make, tastes great both hot and cold, and reheats well should you be lucky enough to have leftovers.  In actual fact the leek filling tastes so good that I ate half of it before it even made it into the pie, and I imagine it could be used as a great accompaniment to some grilled or roasted chicken.

This dish comes from one of my favourite cookbooks, "Plenty: Vibrant Recipes from London's Ottolenghi" by Yotam Ottolenghi, and is my contribution this week to Cookbook Sundays.

Yes I know I have already shared several recipes with you from this book, and it would have been good to introduce you to another one of my books, but a couple of things I had planned for you fell foul to the previously mentioned unblogworthy photographs - obviously I will just have to have another go at some of those things.  In the meantime, hope you'll have a go at this pie, and try to imagine that it tastes a whole lot better than these photos might suggest.

Broccoli, Leek & Blue Cheese Pie

Adapted from a recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi

from "Plenty: Vibrant Recipes from London's Ottolenghi"

Serves 4

Vegetarian

Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

1x packet puff pastry

1x head broccoli, cut into florets

1 tablespoon butter

2x leeks, thinly sliced

2/3 cup cream

handful of fresh tarragon leaves, chopped

1-1/2 tablespoons wholegrain mustard

flaky sea salt

black pepper

100g (3.5 oz) blue cheese

1x egg, lightly beaten

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C (400 degrees F).  Lightly grease a 23cm (9 inch) tart dish (a loose-bottomed tin is ideal if you have one).

Roll out two-thirds of the pastry into a circle that is large enough to line the base of the tart dish.  Prick the pastry base all over with a fork, then line with parchment paper and fill with baking beans.  Bake blind for about 15 minutes, then remove the paper and baking beans and bake for a further 5 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling.  Bring a medium sized pan of water to the boil, add the broccoli and allow to cook for about two minutes, until just tender.  Drain, refresh immediately in cold water, then drain again and leave to dry.

Melt the butter in a saute pan over gentle heat, add the leaks and saute until soft, but not browned - about 10 minutes.  Add the cream, tarragon, mustard, salt and pepper.  Stir to combine everything and remove from the heat.  Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.

Spread the leek mixture over the base of the pastry case, and strew the broccoli over the top, nestling the florets into the leek mixture.  Crumble over the blue cheese.

Brush the rim of the pastry case with the beaten egg.  Roll out the remaining pastry for a lid and place over the filling, pressing firmly around the edges to attach the lid to the base.  Tuck in or trim off any excess.

Brush the lid with the beaten egg, prick in a few places with a fork to allow steam to escape, and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from oven and allow to stand for a few minutes before serving.

I'm sharing this pie this week at Cookbook Sundays, where my friends are delving into their cookbook collections and sharing some of their recipes.  Do stop by to see what they're cooking - you might even feel inspired to link up a recipe from one of your own cookbooks.