4 Savory Pies From "Pies For Everyone" 🌞

Last edited Thu Nov 6, 2025, 11:35 AM - Edit history (1)

TOMATO RICOTTA PIE

Makes one 9-inch (23-cm) pie

This pie comes together quickly and easily and is perfect with a side
salad for a casual summer brunch. Like any pie, its flavor is
completely dependent on the quality of produce you use, so seek out
the most vibrant and flavorful tomatoes you can find! Lackluster
grocery store tomatoes need not apply. It’s especially pretty when
you use more than one color of tomato on top—have fun layering
purple, yellow, and deep red slices. A rye or whole wheat crust
makes this pie especially wholesome, but it works beautifully with a
gluten-free or butter crust as well.

2 cups (490 g) ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 cup (100 g) grated hard cheese (Parmesan, Pecorino, or Gruyère)
2 tablespoons minced basil
1 tablespoon minced oregano
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 bottom crust of Rye Pastry Dough (this page), crimped
1 pound (455 g) heirloom tomatoes in various colors, cut in ¼-inch (6-mm)
slices
Toasted pine nuts, for garnish
Sea salt, for garnish
Olive oil, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C).

In a large bowl, whisk the ricotta, egg, and egg yolk until smooth. Stir
in the cheese, basil, oregano, garlic, salt, and pepper until the herbs
are well distributed.

Place the crust on a baking sheet and pour in the filling, making sure
to scrape the entire contents from the sides of the bowl into the pie.
Smooth the top, then layer the tomato slices so that they overlap,
alternating colors. The extent to which they overlap depends on the
size of the tomato slices.

Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350°F (175°C) and
bake for 25 minutes more. The filling will puff up slightly.

Transfer the pie to a cooling rack and allow to cool for 20 minutes.
Serve warm, cutting with a very sharp knife to slice cleanly through
the tomatoes. Sprinkle each slice with toasted pine nuts, sea salt,
and/or a drizzle of olive oil. The pie will keep for up to 3 days,
covered, in the fridge.


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CHEESE AND ONION PIE

Makes one 9-inch (23-cm) pie

Cheese and onion pie is an English classic that is typically made
with Red Leicester cheese or aged cheddar. I like to make this pie
with a bright orange Mimolette-style cheese called Harvest Moon,
made in Goshen, New York, which lends not only its beautiful color
but a nutty flavor as well. Alternatively, using an aged cheddar like
Cabot cloth-bound makes for a rich and intense filling, while a soft
farmer’s cheese makes a lighter and milder pie. Use red or yellow
onions for a bold onion flavor, or for a milder flavor use sweet or
white onions.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 onions, quartered and finely sliced
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 Yukon gold potato, coarsely grated
¼ cup (60 ml) heavy cream
¼ cup (60 ml) whole milk
6 ounces (170 g) grated hard cheese or crumbled soft cheese, about 1½
cups
2 tablespoons minced chives
1 recipe **Butter Pastry Dough , bottom crust prepared to make a
double-crust pie
Egg Wash
Sprig of thyme

Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C).

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the
onions, salt, and pepper and sauté, stirring frequently, until soft,
about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the potato and cook for 1 minute more.

Remove from the heat and stir in the cream and milk, followed by the
cheese and chives. Pour the filling into the bottom crust, making sure
to scrape the entire contents from the sides of the pan into the pie.

Top the pie with the top crust according to the instructions on this
page. Brush the top crust with the egg wash, then gently press the
sprig of thyme onto the egg-washed crust. Place the pie on a baking
sheet to collect any juices that bubble over. Bake for 15 minutes,
then reduce the heat to 350°F (175°C) and bake for 40 minutes
more, or until the filling has been bubbling for at least 10 minutes.

Transfer the pie to a cooling rack and allow to cool for at least 20
minutes before serving. Serve warm. The pie will ooze delicious
melted cheese, but that only adds to its appeal! The pie will keep for
up to 4 days, covered, in the fridge.

**BUTTER PASTRY DOUGH

It’s abundantly clear that I have a passion for butter crust, and if you
only use one of my pastry dough recipes, I hope it is my butter pastry
dough.

1 tablespoon sugar
1¼ teaspoons salt
¼ cup (60 ml) boiling water.1½ loosely filled cups (180 g) pastry flour, from the freezer
⅔ loosely filled cup (80 g) all-purpose flour, from the freezer
1 cup (2 sticks/225 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch (12-mm) pieces
Extra flour, for rolling



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CHILE VERDE PORK PIE

Makes one 9 by 13-inch (23 by 33-cm) pie or 10-inch (25-cm) deep-dish pie

This pie combines all the elements of a good chile verde—succulent
pork shoulder, tangy tomatillos, green chiles, fresh cilantro—and
tops it off with a crunchy cornmeal crust.

3 pounds (1.4 kg) boneless pork shoulder
2 poblano chiles
2 jalapeños
1 medium white onion, minced
6 cloves garlic, slivered
1 cup (135 g) minced tomatillos
1 cup (100 g) quartered tomatillos
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
2 teaspoons salt
Freshly ground black pepper
*** ½ recipe Corn Pastry Dough
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Juice of 1 lime
1 cup (40 g) chopped cilantro
Egg Wash (this page)

Preheat the oven to 275°F (135°C).

Separate the fat from the meat of the pork shoulder. Cut the fat into
¼-inch (6-mm) pieces and cut the meat into ½-inch (12-mm) pieces,
and place both in your baking dish (see Note).

If you’d like to keep a moderate spice level, remove the stem, seeds,
and ribs of the poblano and jalapeño chiles before cutting them into
¼-inch (6-mm) pieces. Take care when handling the chiles—avoid
touching your face and wear gloves, if possible. For those with a
high spice tolerance, include a portion of the ribs and seeds. Add the
diced chiles, the onion, garlic, minced and quartered tomatillos,
oregano, salt, and pepper to taste to the pork and toss to combine.

Cover the baking dish with a lid or aluminum foil.
Place the dish in the oven and cook for 4 hours, stirring every hour.
Remove the pan from the oven and increase the heat to 400°F
(205°C).

Roll out the corn pastry dough into a shape that will cover your
baking dish, using the method on this page.

Put the cornstarch in a small bowl. Remove ¼ cup (60 ml) of the
liquid from the baking dish and pour it over the cornstarch, whisking
it quickly to make a slurry. Mix the slurry, the lime juice, and the
cilantro into the dish.

Top the baking dish with the dough. Brush with the egg wash, pierce
the crust with a knife to make evenly spaced vents, then bake,
uncovered, for approximately 30 minutes, or until the crust is fully
cooked and golden brown. Transfer the pie to a cooling rack and
allow to sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Serve while still hot. The pie will
keep for up to 4 days, covered, in the fridge.

Note: This recipe is too large for a standard pie pan. A 9 by 13-inch (23 by
33-cm) baking dish or casserole dish, or a 10-inch (25-cm) deep-dish pie
pan are all good options.

***CORN PASTRY DOUGH
Corn doesn’t contain any gluten, so the bread flour makes up for that
in order to make a more cohesive dough. The distinctly corny flavor
works well as a stand-in for tamal masa or tortillas in the Chile Verde
Pork Pie . It’s also great with summer fruit pies such as
peach
.
1 tablespoon sugar
1¼ teaspoons salt
⅓ cup (75 ml) boiling water
2 loosely filled cups (225 g) corn flour (not to be confused with cornstarch)
¼ loosely filled cup (35 g) bread flour
1 cup (2 sticks/225 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch (12-mm) pieces
Extra corn or wheat flour, for rolling,

MAKING DOUGH BY HAND

I like making dough by hand because feeling the dough gives me
valuable feedback—whether there are still any large chunks of fat
that need to be broken down, for instance, or if the dough is getting
too warm or sticky and I need to put it in the fridge for a few minutes.

Whenever I teach this method of making dough, pie students start
getting nervous about halfway through. It seems like the flour and
butter won’t cohere into a dough, but I tell them to resist the urge to
add more water. Instead, compressing the dough swiftly and
repeatedly forces it to stick together. For this reason, having faith in
the method is just as important as using the right ingredients.

Stir the sugar, salt, and water together in a small bowl until the sugar
and salt are fully dissolved. Place the bowl in the freezer—the liquid
needs to be ice cold before it is added to the dough.

Put the flour(s) in a large bowl and dump the butter, lard, or
coconut oil into the flour. Toss to coat the pieces of fat in the flour.
Working quickly,

use your thumbs and index fingers to squeeze each chunk of fat
into a thin sheet, between ⅛ and ¼ inch (3 and 6 mm) thick. Shake
the contents of the bowl to ensure the sheets are well-coated in flour.

Sprinkle the ice-cold sugar-salt solution over the fat and flour.

Use your fingers to lightly toss the contents of the bowl around to
disperse the liquid.

Squeeze the shaggy mess with your fists, repeatedly and
quickly, until the chunks get bigger and more cohesive.

At first it will be crumbly and seem as if it won’t come together,
but with continued compression, you can begin to make two mounds
of dough of roughly equal size.

Flatten your mounds into 1-inch- 2.5-cm-) thick disks.

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MEAT AND POTATO PIE

Makes one 9 by 13-inch (23 by 33-cm) pie or 10-inch (25-cm) deep-dish pie

This pie is deeply satisfying in the colder months, and you can use
any red meat you like—lamb, venison, beef, or even goat. This pie is
made in a pot-pie style (with the crust only on top), and the wholewheat
crust makes a very hearty and savory topping.

¼ cup (½ stick/55 g) unsalted butter
1 large sweet onion, chopped into ½-inch (12-mm) pieces
2 tablespoons minced garlic
½ cup (70 g) finely diced carrot and/or parsnip
1 cup (140 g) finely diced Yukon gold potato
1 pound (455 g) stew meat (beef, venison, goat, or lamb), cut into ½-inch
(12-mm) cubes
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 stalks celery, diced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 cup (240 ml) red wine
1 cup (240 ml) chicken or beef stock
***½ recipe Whole-Wheat Pastry Dough
**Egg Wash

In a large saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter over
mediumhigh heat. Add the onion, garlic, carrot, and potato
and sauté until the onion turns translucent, about 5 minutes.
Transfer the vegetables to a bowl and set aside, leaving as
much butter as you can in the pan.

In a medium bowl, toss the meat with the cornstarch, salt, and
pepper, and add it to the pan with the remaining 1 tablespoon butter.
Cook over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the meat has
browned.

Add the celery, tomato paste, brown sugar, and rosemary and stir to
combine. Add the sautéed vegetables back to the pan. Pour in the
wine and bring to a simmer, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any
caramelized bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the stock, return to
a simmer, then reduce the heat to low and cover the pot with a tight
fitting lid. Simmer for 1 hour, or until the meat is tender.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Roll out the rye
pastry dough into a shape that will cover your baking dish, using the
method on this page.

Transfer the filling to your baking dish (see Note on this page). Top
the baking dish with the dough. Brush with the egg wash, pierce the
crust with a knife to make evenly spaced vents, then bake for 1 hour,
or until the crust is deep golden.

Transfer the pie to a cooling rack and allow to cool for at least 15
minutes before serving. Serve hot. The pie will keep for up to 4 days,
covered, in the fridge

***RYE PASTRY DOUGH

Rye flour isn’t gluten-free, but it contains less gluten than wheat flour.
In order to make up for that and help the dough come together, this
recipe contains a small amount of bread flour. Use the rye pastry
dough to impart an earthy, nutty flavor to a savory pie.

1 tablespoon sugar
1¼ teaspoons salt
⅓ cup (75 ml) boiling water
2¾ loosely filled cups (225 g) rye flour
¼ loosely filled cup (35 g) bread flour
1 cup (2 sticks/225 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch (12-mm) pieces
Extra rye or wheat flour, for rolling

**HOW TO MAKE AND APPLY AN EGG WASH

Makes enough to coat many pies

Egg wash gives fruit pies and savory pies a deep golden hue and
pretty sheen. It also equalizes the color tone between the crimped
edges of a double-crust pie and the crust that tops the filling.

1 egg
2 tablespoons sugar

In a small bowl, beat the egg and sugar with a whisk until smooth.
Before baking, brush the surface of the pie(s) with the egg mixture,
avoiding the crimped edges and taking care not to allow the egg
wash to pool in any recessed areas. Discard any excess egg wash.
Bake immediately.

All From "Pies For Everyone"
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51075411-pie-for-everyone

Yum! It's Baking Time!!