Shrimp Pies

I made shrimp pies awhile ago ... To be more exact 10 months ago.

I have this thing with pies that from time to time I have to make one. I think they are so easy to make and taste soooo good that the time you spend making them is worth every minute. There are so many choices of pastries or fillings that I am sure anyone can have a favorite. I just love that they can be beautiful, delicious, comforting and impressive! Isn’t it amazing that people always say “I don’t know how you do that, looks so complicated!”. Ok, the truth is it can be complicated but it can also be really simple if you use frozen pie dough from you grocery store. Or you can do what I did: I used home-made shortcrust pastry for the bottom of my pies  and ready-made puff pastry for the top.

I’m not sure if you remember when I made minced beef pies, back in August. After finishing them I had some leftovers for shortcrust pastry and I’m sure you agree that I couldn’t waste it and that was when I decided I would make shrimp pies as well … But because the leftover wasn’t enough for all pies I made the tops with ready-made pastry. What does this tell you? First, that I was a bit lazy that morning and second that improvising is fine. You don’t need to be a chef or a super skilled cook to make a pie.

And this is how I did it :

My Shrimp Pies

Makes 6 small pies

shortcrust pastry (recipe here)

1 ½ sheets of store bought puff pastry

300g of shrimps

½ cup of chopped onions

½ cup of chopped green peppers

½ cup of tomato sauce

½ cup of chopped white mushrooms

1 tablespoon of olive oil

Salt and black pepper

1 egg yolk

Separate the sheets of puff pastry and divide each sheet in 4 squares. Pre-heat the oven to 180o C. Butter a muffin tray. Open the shortcrust pastry and divide it in 6 squares. Place 1 square of pastry in each whole.

To prepare the filling, add the olive oil to a medium pan and sauté the onions, add the green peppers, shrimps, mushrooms, tomato sauce and cook for 5 minutes in medium flame. Season with salt and black pepper. Fill each pie with 3 tablespoons of filling and cover each pie with another square of puff pastry.

Bring the tray to the oven and cook for 15 min or until golden.

And then you just have to enjoy!