Going, going…alomst gone! 

This free-form Memorable Leek Pie is one of my husband’s favourite childhood dishes, hence the term “memorable”. Yet in almost 17 years of marriage this is the first time I have ever made it. I have to add that the timing is not great.  You see the person who has the recipe for this dish that my husband talks about with a nostalgic edible yearning, is my mother-in-law who is away on holiday. Fortunately she has enthusiastically taken to using technology to keep in touch whilst overseas, and so sourcing recipe advice was only an email away. 

Like with many family recipes it is best to watch the home cook in action which obviously I wasn’t able to do on this occasion. I have therefore been liberal in my interpretation of the quantity of ingredients. This shows just how easy this rustic family friendly recipe can be adapted to suit a quiet meal for two or a table of many enthusiastic eaters (and all the conversations that go with a crowd!). 

It is important to sauté the leeks slowly over a low heat as this brings out their natural and unique savoury-sweet flavour. For such a humble looking vegetable, leek always adds impressive flavour to a variety of dishes and in this case, holds centre stage as the key ingredient. 

The thought of making pastry can make a home cook smile or shudder (it’s the same with icing), but with a light touch, practise and confidence the task becomes straight forward with satisfying results. This is a great beginner’s pastry featuring no yeast and a certain amount of freedom when it comes to rolling and filling with the savoury mixture. 

I have used two 26cm pizza trays to bake my pies, but any large, shallow round baking pan will suffice. My mother-in-law had an impressive pan made especially for her pies, fashioned from metal by a dear family friend. My husband said that the pastry would be folded over most of the surface of the pie with a small hole left in the centre through which the filling would peak out, golden and glistening. My version didn’t end up with as much pastry on the top but still presented well, sliced into portions easily and best of all, was enjoyed immensely by everyone. Even 20 month old Maksim eagerly reached for more. I think my mother-in-law would be impressed by my efforts this evening. 


Pastry Ingredients
500 grams plain flour – I used Anchor brand 00 super fine mid-protein flour. If you only have regular plain flour in the pantry that will work just as well. 
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
375ml – 400ml warm water – start with 375ml and have the extra 25 ml on hand if needed.


Place the flour in a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Add all of the other ingredients and with a clean hand, mix together until a sticky dough forms. 

Sprinkle a little extra flour on a clean bench and turn out the dough. Dust extra flour on your hands and kneed the dough for 5 minutes. Don’t skimp on the time as this step develops the elasticity of the dough. It will turn the sticky, lumpy mass into a a smooth, pliable ball. 

Drizzle a little more olive oil around the edges and base of the bowl and return the now kneaded dough. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 30 minutes to rest. 

In the meantime, prepare the filling…

Leek and Cheese Filling Ingredients
Olive oil
50 grams unsalted butter
3 fat leeks – I remove the tough fibrous dark green leaves and use the long white stalk. It’s important to wash leeks well as there can be sand stuck between the layers. I always cut a slit lengthwise part way though each leak and rinse well under running water. 
1 bunch chives finely chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
sea salt and black pepper to taste
200 grams feta – crumbled or roughly grated
2 tablespoons of double thickened cream, spreadable cream cheese or creme fraiche
2 large eggs

In a wide pan, melt the butter with a good splash of olive oil and add the leeks and chives. Sauté over a very low heat for 15 minutes until the leeks soften and take on a refreshingly green and glossy appearance. When ready remove from the heat to cool a little. 

Meanwhile, crack the eggs into another bowl and add the feta and cream (or similar). Whisk until combined. Add the cooked leeks to this eggy mixture and stir evenly. Set aside while you roll out the pastry. 

Bring it all together…

Cut the ball of dough in half. Sprinkle the bench with a little flour and rub some along the length of a rolling pin. Roll out the pastry into roughly a circular shape. Don’t worry if it’s not an exact circle. It just needs to be larger than the pan being used to bake your pie. An overhang of at least 5 centimetres all the way around should be sufficient. Gently pull up the pastry and place over the oiled baking pan. 

Scrape half of the leek-cheese mixture into the middle of the pastry and smooth out evenly across the entire base all the way up to the edge as shown. 


Lift the over-hanging pieces section by section, pulling gently as you go, to further extend the pastry over the filling (below).  


Melt a little extra butter and using a pastry brush paint this over the top of the dough. 

Repeat the process with the remaining dough and filling. 

Place in a preheated oven (very important!) at 200 degrees fan forced for 25 – 30 minutes, until the pastry is cooked though and the filling is golden brown. 

Remove from the oven and when ready, use either a sharp knife or kitchen scissors to cut into triangles and serve. 

This is also delicious eaten at room temperature which makes it ideal as a picnic food or packed in an insulated container for school lunches.