Mid-nineties or so I visited a British Tea Shop in New York City with Marta, who knew about such interesting places; the shop is called
Tea & Sympathy and although I don't remember what she ordered, I tried the Tweed Kettle Pie, which I remembered over the years as tweed pie. Who doesn't love a protein pie topped with mashed potatoes? This one included fish, maybe a little veggie like pea, or that was served as a side, and the toasty mashed potato top. I loved it. This was the same visit, by the way, where Petula Clark and her brother were in the shop having tea, because apparently if famous British people are in New York City, this is where they show up because it is so much like their home; this
slide show indicates how cozy it is there. Here's an example of their
menu.
So just a few years back, I went on the search for a "tweed pie" recipe because I wanted to make it. Never found one. Googled tweed fish pie which also didn't catch it. There are lots of recipes out there now for fish pie - British and Irish origins. But I stayed curious about the Tea & Sympathy version. Voila! Turns out the name is
Tweed Kettle Pie, and I found the Tea & Sympathy recipe...fish pie here I come!
Tweed Kettle Pie
Serves 6-8
Preparation Time: 1 hour
- 1 lb. fresh salmon, skinned, boned and filleted
- 1 lb. fresh cod, skinned, boned and filleted
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3 ½ cups whole milk
- 2 bay leaves
- ¼ cup (1/2 stick) butter
- ½ cup flour
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- Salt and pepper
- 1 portion of Mashed Potato
- Grated Cheese
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Cut both fish into small pieces, and place in a large saucepan. Add
the onions, milk and bay leaves; simmer over low heat for 10-15 minutes,
until the fish is cooked.
Strain the mixture, reserve the liquid and discard the bay leaves.
Heat the butter in a saucepan and gradually add the flour, stirring constantly until it becomes a thick paste, 2-3 minutes.
Slowly add the milk stock, stirring constantly, then the heavy cream. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat.
Add the chopped parsley and remove the pan from the heat.
Add the fish and salt and pepper to taste. Pour the mixture into a
10- 12-inch pie dish and top with the mashed potato. Sprinkle with
grated cheese, if you like.
Bake for about 30 minutes, until golden brown. We suggest you serve it with peas.
So it turns out that Tweed is a large river in Scotland, and a great river for catching salmon. Tweed kettle is a dish originating in Edinburgh, Scotland, honoring the river and includes poached cubed salmon, white wine, and mushrooms. Tweed Kettle Pie is a lovely fish pie with salmon and cod or halibut, sometimes shrimp. And those mashed potatoes on top. Try it!
