More veggie pies.
I had picked up a bunch of celery stalks about a week and was reminded of its lovely presence, when I was looked in the fridge and thought
hmmm I better use these up before they become too limp. I decided to make a bean salad, but thought why not add celery to some mashed potato. Then I thought, well why not use this celery-potato as a pie filling. So glad I did, it worked a treat.
So may I present to you another portable pie to take into work; and if you want to make more of a meal of this, why not accompany with a cold bean salad.

The cauliflowers in the garden are starting to spurt too, so I have had to harvest some of them. So what was just going to be a celery and bean salad, had a steamed cauliflower added to it. There is cauliflower in the salad
honest, see the butter bean with the oregano leaf, follow it down and you will see a floret tucked there.
Celery, potato and Stilton piesMakes 4
Ingredients 2 tablespoons of olive oil
½ head of celery, about 6 stalks, peel the stringy outer skin of the celery with a potato peeler, wash and then thinly slice
6 shallots or 1 medium sweet onion, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
200g cold mashed potatoes,
Optional: 100g Stilton or blue cheese
MethodFor the fillingHeat the oil in a large pan, add the celery and the shallots, over and cook over low heat until soft and translucent. Remove from the heat. Stir in the mashed potatoes with seasoning and combine well.
For hot water crust pastry see this recipeFill half of the pastry with the mashed potato filling. Top with
optional cheese, then layer again with mashed potato topping. If not using cheese, just fill pastry shell with filling. Top with pastry lids and bake in oven until golden.
Marinated cauliflower, celery and bean salad
Serves 4 – 6 as an accompaniment
Ingredients
1 head of celery, about 6 stalks, peel the stringy outer skin of the celery with a potato peeler. Wash and cut into slices
1x400g butter beans, drained and rinsed
1x400g kidney beans, drained and rinsed.
Florets and stalks from 1 small head of cauliflower, steamed until tender. Set aside
For the dressing4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram
2 tablespoons chopped fresh celery leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
MethodIn a large bowl, mix all the dressing ingredients and stir to combine well. Add the celery, beans, cauliflower and seasoning to taste. Stir well. Leave to marinate for at least an hour before serving.