To bake an Olyve-Pye

Origin: British      Period: Elizabethan

Original Recipe

To bake an Olyve-Pye (The English Houswife)

To make an excellent Olyve Pye: take sweet hearbs as Violet leaves, Strawberry leaves, Spinage, Succory (chicory), Endive, Tyme and Sorrel, and chop them as small as may be, and if there be a Scallion or two amongst them, it will give the better taste. Then take the yolks of Hard Eggs, with Currants, Cinnamon, Cloves, and Mace, and chop them among the hearbs also; Then having cut out long Olives (thin slices) of a leg of Veal, roule up more than three parts of the hearbs so mixed within the Olives, together with a good deal of sweet butter. Then having raised your crust of the finest and best paste, strow (scatter) in the bottom the remainder of the hearbs, with a few great Raisins, having the stones pickt out. Then put in the Olives, and cover them with great Raisins, and a few Prunes: then over all lay good store of butter, and so bake them. Then being sufficiently bak't, take Claret Wine, Sugar, Cinamon, and two or three spoonfuls of Wine Vinegar, and boyl them together, and then drawing the Pye, at a vent in the top of the lid, put in the same, and then set it into the Oven again a little space, and so serve it forth

Modern Redaction

Ingredients:

5 or 6 slices of beef topside minute steaks
200g spinach
150g sorrel
50g chicory
15g strawberry leaves (if available)
15g violet leaves (if available)
30g endives
3 spring onions, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
60ml red wine
generous pinch of salt
2 hard boiled eggs, finely chopped
1 hard boiled egg yolk, finely chopped
30g currants
30g raisins
30g stoned prunes, finely chopped
A pinch each of cinnamon, cloves and mace
60g softened butter

For the Pastry:
225g flour
90g softened butter
2 egg yolks
6 threads saffron ground into 1 tbsp water in a pestle and mortar

Method:

To make the pastry for the pie crust sift the flowr into a bowl, add the saffrom threads and their steeping water along with the egg yolks and mix together well. First add 3/4 of the softened butter and mix in well. If all the flour does not come together into a dough add a little more butter. Once the dough comes into a ball cut it into two pieces (one slightly larger than the other. Roll the larger piece of dough out and use this to line a 22cm flan dish (and deep-sided dish will do). Cut off the excess pastry around the edge and place baking beads or dried beans in the pie base and blind bake in an oven pre-heated to 200°C for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 180°C and continue baking for a further 5 minutes. Then take the pastry from the oven and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, roughly chop the greens. Place a pan on the heat, add the wine to this and add the chopped greens, thyme and spring onions into the pan. Add a generous pinco of salt, cover and cook on medium heat for about four minutes (or until the greens have begun wilting). Drain immediately and reserve the cooking liquid.

Prepare the meat by beating it out until thin and flat. Set aside and start making the filling. Place the chopped eggs along with the currants, spices and two tablespoons of the reserved cooking liquid in a bowl and mix together. Divide this mixture amongst the steaks and top with a knob of butter before rolling the meat up neatly (these, in Elizabethan terminology are the 'olives'). Secure these with a cocktail stick.

Place the wilted greens in a bowl, add the raisins and prunes and mix togehter well. Use this to line the bottom of the pastry and arrange the 'olives' (the rolled beef) on top. Dot with the remaining butter and place in an oven at 190°C for about 35 minutes (or until the beef has cooked). Remove the cocktail sticks from the meat and serve.

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