Pie Day Friday - Another Under Rated Pie To Try

"QUALITY CANNED FISH FOR OVER 50 YEARS. CONTAINS OMEGA 3. GLENRYCK PILCHARDS are of the finest quality and freshly caught from the ocean for canning. "In value for money, GLENRYCK PILCHARDS provide more first-class protein than does beef steak." GLENRYCK PILCHARDS contains more calcium than cow's milk. A serving of GLENRYCK PILCHARDS can provide 33% of the "Recommended Daily Intake". (One can contains four servings). "Omega-3 fatty acids naturally found in GLENRYCK Pilchards add to the dietary value of a good, hearty meal". Allergy Advice Free From Additives, Free From Artificial Preservatives Ingredients South Atlantic Pilchards (64%), Tomato juice from concentrate (34.7%), Salt, Modified Maize Starch, Thickener - Guar Gum, Spices" 
(Taken from the Information on the can).

Sounds like good stuff to me.  Not to anyone else in the house though.  I am continuing with my plight to work my way through our 'Store Cupboards' and the Freezer.  If I get on my hands and knees and feel about in the back of the cupboard, I am coming across all sorts of things like these Pilchards.  It is a shame to throw food away if it is edible.  As a child I can remember eating Pilchard Sandwiches, Pilchard and Tomato Sandwiches, Pilchards on Toast and once a delicious Pilchard Pie made by my Uncle.  Uncle Keith whose name was Dave was my dads older brother.  There was a lot of that in those days wasn't there?  Jack who was Reginald, Nancy who was Kathleen, Bill who was James, I have never really understood how that happens.  Uncle Keith went back to being called Dave after about thirty years, but I never got the hang of it, he was always Uncle Keith to me.  He sticks out in my memory for many things, he was an ex Paratrooper and suffered with a very bad back.  He told me 'You are not safe unless your feet are on the ground!'  That makes perfect sense to me.   He had four children and I think home cooked nutritious meals that did not break the bank were crucial to many families.  I can remember a very tasty Pilchard Pie that he bought to our house for my Dad.  Pilchards seem like a 'super' food to me if you read their nutritional resume.  My sons would rather go hungry than eat a pilchard though!  Not for all the tea in China would they eat a Pilchard.  I am on my own again with this Pie.  I am really getting the hang of this 'Pie Making' lark and can rustle one up in about ten minutes, I used to think pies were tricky but like anything the more you make them the easier it gets.


Ingredients
2 x 150g Cans of Pilchards in Tomato Sauce
1 tablespoon of Olive Oil
1 Large Onion Peeled and finely chopped
1 small yellow pepper finely diced
1 small red pepper finely diced
1 small green pepper finely diced
1 tablespoon of tomato ketchup
A Jolly good squeeze of lemon juice
Salt and pepper


Method
Line a pie dish with shortcrust pastry and roll out the top of the pie crust.
Fry the vegetables in olive oil until they are tender.  Mix all the ingredients together well and season well to taste.
Put the pie filling in to the pie and place the pastry lid on.  I liked decorating the top of my pie with two little smiley fish, with little swishy tails and scales and everything!  Ok I had a bit too much fun making little fishies to decorate the pie.

Bake in a medium to hot oven until it is golden.
Serving suggestions:
This pie is tasty hot served with New potatoes and green vegetables such as peas or beans or it is also delicious served cold with a salad.