Traditional Czech Cottage Cheese Pie Food

TRADITIONAL CZECH COTTAGE CHEESE PIE

Steps:

• Slightly mash cottage cheese.
• Stir in eggs, milk, sugar, and lemon juice; mix well.
• Stir in raisins.
• Pour into pie shell.
• Bake in 375 degree Fahrenheit oven for 40 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

TRADITIONAL ENGLISH COTTAGE PIE

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a pan on a medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, thyme and bay leaf and fry over a medium/low heat for 10 minutes, or until softened but not coloured.
• Add the beef mince and cook for a further 10 minutes, or until brown.
• Add the tomato purée, worcestershire sauce and Tabasco, then stir and cook for 2 minutes.
• Turn the heat up to high and add the red wine. Let it bubble away and reduce for 5 minutes then add the stock and reduce to a medium heat. Simmer for a further 20 minutes, stirring often.
• Meanwhile, cut the potatoes into halves and quarters so they're all a fairly even size. Cook in a pan of boiling, salted water for 15 to 20 minutes, or until cooked through. Drain in a colander and leave to steam dry.
• Preheat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5.
• Taste the mince and season accordingly with salt and pepper. Transfer it to an ovenproof dish (approximately 20cm by 30cm).
• Mash the potatoes with the butter, milk and a pinch of salt and pepper then spread over the top of the mince.
• Finely grate over a little parmesan cheese then cook for 45 minutes, or until golden and bubbling.
• Serve with buttered peas or a simple side salad.

TRADITIONAL ENGLISH COTTAGE PIE WITH CHEESE AND LEEK TOPPING

Steps:

• To make the pie filling:.
• Fry the onions and carrots if using, in the butter or beef dripping until they are soft.
• Add the minced/chopped beef and cook for about 10 to 20 minutes or until the onion and carrot have browned and the minced beef has taken on some colour and is firm. (It also depends if you are using cooked or raw minced beef.).
• Season well with salt and pepper, then add the mixed herbs. Stir in the flour, and mix well.
• Mix the tomato puree and Worcestershire sauce with the stock and add it to the meat mixture, bringing it all to simmering point. Simmer until the stock has reduced by aboout a third, add the peas if using and take off the heat. Set aside whilst you make the topping.
• To make the topping:.
• Boil the potatoes in slightly salted water then mash them well, adding half of the butter and all of the milk gradually. Season to taste.
• If using fresh leeks, fry the leeks gently in the remaining butter, until soft and slightly coloured.
• Stir the cooked leeks into the mashed potato mixture and give it all a good mix.
• Assemble:.
• Put the meat mixture into a large and deep well greased baking dish and spread the potato mixture on top; then sprinkle with the grated cheese. You can also use 4 - 6 smaller pie dishes if you wish.
• Put into a pre-heated oven, 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6 for about 25 to 30 minutes until the topping is crusty, golden and bubbling.
• Serve with an assortment of fresh seasonal vegetables and a jug of gravy.

COTTAGE CHEESE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425º F.
• Place cottage cheese in strainer and let drain for about 1 hour or until most of liquid has been drained.
• Combine all ingredients except egg whites; mix well.
• Beat egg whites until firm.
• Fold into batter until smooth.
• Pour into pie crusts.
• Bake for 15 minutes then reduce oven to 350º and bake for an additional 25 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.
• Cool on racks.
• Refrigerate.
• Flavor improves if served a day after baking.

COTTAGE CHEESE PIE

Steps:

• For the dough: dissolve 1 teaspoon salt in water and mix it with flour and vinegar.
• Knead for 10-15 minutes to get a soft dough.
• Divide the dough into at least 5 little balls and roll each into 10-15 cm circle.
• Melt the fat and mix it with oil in a pot. Do not heat it too much over room temperature!
• Put the 5 rolled dough circles into the pot containing fat and oil mix and let it rest for about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile mix the ingredients for the fill: cottage cheese, salt, sour cream.
• I suggest you use a plastic tablecloth to protect the table from fat and to have a nice even surface for stretching the dough.
• Take one of the dough circles from the fat and put it on the table. Press on it with your hands to spread it as much as you can and then begin stretching it by lifting the edges and carefully pulling towards yourself. Stretch it from all sides as much as you can. Don't worry if a few holes start appearing.
• Scatter some of the fill on the thinly stretched dough.
• Fold the dough a few times to close the fill inside and set it aside.
• Repeat the same with other 3 dough circles but leave at least one aside.
• When you have at least 4 stretched, filled and folded portions, stretch the last one, put a little less fill on it than before, then put the previous 4 portions in the center of it, put some fill on them and fold the edges over them.
• Very carefully transfer this gentle mass into a baking pan and bake at 200°C for 50 minutes until it gets a dark golden colour.
• It is advisable to turn it over after 25 minutes of baking so the juices inside spread more evenly.