Let’s not pretend pie is a health food. But this blog is meant to be about me hunting for a healthier approach to life, for me part of that is not being on a diet and eating pie sometimes. And this is an incredible one.

I usually make this once each winter, it takes time so is there to slow Sunday activity. That time means loads of flavour. I’m not including a pastry recipe as Margaret Fulton is my go to for that! Or just buy it! I do have a recipe for spelt flour and olive oil pastry that makes a great pie crust and is a lighter option than buttery short crust. I’m also not great with pastry as can be seen with this shot…

The osso bucco filling is brimming with vegetables, and enriched with the bone marrow. After cooking it for about 2 hours all up you pull the meat from the bones and break it up to mix with the vegetables and bone marrow to make the most heavenly pie filling. Honestly, it’s the stuff dreams are made of.

Serves 6-8 (it’s rich so serve with a salad on the side!)

Ingredients

1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

800g osso bucco

2 carrots, roughly chopped

3 sticks of celery, roughly chopped (including leaves and finer tops, if you buy sticks rather than bunches then you’ll need 5 of those little guys)

3 garlic cloves, peeled

1 Tbs finely chopped rosemary

1 cup white wine

1 can chopped tomatoes

500ml Passata

1 cup beef stock

1 bay leaf

4 sheets of puff pastry (you can put short crust on the bottom if you’re making it)

1 lightly beaten egg for brushing the pie top

Directions

Preheat oven to 170 degrees.

Heat a large heavy based oven proof pan (that has a fitted lid) on medium high heat.

Once got add the oil and then the meat. Sear on each side.

Once seated remove from the pan, add all the vegetables and the rosemary. Cook for at least 5 minutes over medium heat until starting to colour. Add the wine, stock, Passata and tomatoes along with the bay leaf. Add the meat and make sure the sauce is covering it. Cover with the lid.

Bring the mixture to a simmer, then transfer to the preheated oven. Cook for 1 hour and 40 minutes, or until the meat is falling off the bone. If it’s drying out just add a little water.

Once cooked remove the meat from the bone and tear into smaller bite sized chunks. Scrape out the marrow and stir this and the meat through the sauce. Remove the bay leaf. Set aside while you prepare the pastry.

Grease a pie dish and lay pastry over it allowing for some over hang. Seal any seams from using sheets of pastry. I don’t find there’s any need to blind bake so you can just add your pie filling now.

Top with the remaining pastry and seal the sides with a fork. Make some pricks in the top and brush with egg wash (one beaten egg) or a little milk.

Bake for 45 minutes or until the pastry is puffed and golden.

HH. x