A new Vanity Fair clip and a recipe

see first a new beautiful Vanity Fair clip here.Brits on Brits
and for more news please see our main site: damian-lewis.com

and now after you have watched it you know about Damian Lewis`s  favorite British food
you might want to have a deeper look into pie and mash....no problem:-)))

Pie and mash is a traditional London working-class food, originating in East London. Pie, mash and eel shops have been in London since the 19th century, and are still common in east and south east London and in many parts of Kent and Essex. The shops may serve either or both steamed and jellied eels.

 During the Victorian era, industrial air pollution tended to be worse in the east and south east of London due to the prevailing westerly wind, with the result that the East End was settled more by the working classes, while the western part of the city was home to higher social classes.^[1] The working class were poor and favoured foodstuffs that were cheap, in plentiful supply and easy to prepare.

The savoury pie had long been a traditional food, and its small handsized form also made it a transportable meal, protected from dirt by its cold pastry crust. European eels baked in a pastry crust became a common worker's meal since eels were one of the few forms of fish that could survive in the heavily polluted River Thames and London's other rivers at that time.^[1] Supply was plentiful through to the late 1800s, particularly from theDutch fishing boats landing catches at Billingsgate Fish Market. Adding cheap mashed potatoes made it a plate-based sit-down meal, and a sauce made of the water used to cook the eels, coloured and flavoured by parsley, made the whole dish something special.

Later, and for a higher price, mutton or inexpensive minced meat could be alternatively ordered as the pie filling. After World War II, as the eel supply dwindled and beef often became cheap and in far greater supply from overseas sources, minced beef became the more popular pie filling.

In recent years, the popularity of eel based pies again rose along with the propensity of people to investigate their roots and origins and the associated customs and cultures.^{[citation needed]} However, since 2010, as revealed in a joint-study by the Zoological Society of London and theEnvironment Agency, the number of eels captured in research traps in the River Thames fell from 1,500 in 2005 to just 50 in 2010,^[2] meaning most eels used in Pie and Mash shops are now from the Netherlands and Northern Ireland.

he main dish sold is pie and mash — a minced beef and cold water pastry pie served with mashed potato. There should be two types of pastry used, the bottom or base should be suet pastry and the top short. It is common for the mashed potato to be spread around one side of the plate and for a type of parsley sauce to be present. This is commonly called eel liquor sauce or simply liquor (although it is non-alcoholic), traditionally made using the water kept from the preparation of the stewed eels. However, many shops no longer use stewed eel water in their parsley liquor. The sauce traditionally has a green colour, from the parsley.^[1] Sometimes a gravy is served instead (normally Oxo or Bisto).

more here:

the recipe:


Fill-up on this authentic British dish of beef pie with a hearty suet pastry case and all the traditional trimmings.

ingredients:

For the filling

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 450g/1lb minced beef steak or beef mince
• 1 tsp English mustard
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 beef stock cube
• vegetable oil
• 150ml/5fl oz brown ale
• 100ml/3½fl oz beef stock
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the suet pastry

• 350g/12oz self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
• 225g/8oz beef suet
• large knob of butter, softened, for greasing

For the pie crust

• 450g/1lb ready-made shortcrust pastry, for the top of the pie
• 1 free-range egg yolk, lightly beaten

For the mashed potatoes

• 2 large potatoes (preferably Rooster or Nadine), peeled, cut into chunks
• 100ml/3½fl oz hot milk
• knob of butter
• drizzle chilli oil (optional)

For the parsley liquor

• 50g/2oz butter
• 50g/2oz cornflour
• 500ml/18fl oz chicken stock
• generous bunch parsley, leaves only, chopped
• 1-2 garlic cloves, roasted and puréed, to taste

To serve

• jellied eels

Preparation method

1. For the filling, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and fry the onion and garlic for five minutes or until softened. Add the mince and cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally, or until browned and cooked through.
2. Stir in the rest of the filling ingredients, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and set aside to cool.
3. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
4. For the suet pastry, sift the flour into a mixing bowl with the suet and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Gradually mix in about four tablespoons of cold water, or until you have a moist but firm dough.
5. On a lightly floured work surface roll the dough out to a 2mm thickness.
6. Generously butter two individual pie dishes then line each with the suet pastry, so that it covers the base and sides completely. Divide the filling mixture between the two dishes.
7. For the pie crust, roll out the shortcrust pastry on a lightly floured work surface to a 2mm thickness and use it to cover the two pies, pushing down the edges to seal. Brush generously with the egg yolk and make a hole in the middle of the lid to allow steam to escape.
   Watch technique2:11 mins
8. Place the pie dishes into a deep-sided roasting tin and pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the pie dishes, taking care not to get any water on the pastry. Transfer to the oven and cook for 20-30 minutes, or until the pastry is crisp and golden and the filling steaming hot.
9. Meanwhile, for the mashed potatoes, steam (or boil) the potatoes for 20 minutes or until tender. Scald the milk then mash the potatoes with the hot milk, butter and plenty of salt and freshly ground black pepper until smooth. Drizzle with a little chilli oil, if using, and keep warm.
10. For the parsley liquor, melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat and whisk in the cornflour to make a paste. Gradually stir in the stock, bring to a simmer, then stir in the parsley and garlic and stir until thickened and smooth.
11. Serve the hot pies with the mash, parsley liquor and jellied eels on the side 

well at least I learned something new today thanks to Damian Lewis:-))

source:damian-lewis.com