Pie - Tapa blanda

One way or another,whether we buy or make them,we eat pies by the millions. From the football terraces to the family table, pies have always held a special place in food history. A pie is an ingenious idea - meat, vegetables or fruit develop their finest flavours when cooked in their own juices and encased in a pastry crust. Pies have been enjoyed since at least the 9th century,when the Abbey of Fontenelle in France received an order for 38 goose and 95 chicken pies. Both filling and crust have equal importance and over the years a multitude of recipes have been developed, each one proclaiming to be the best. Pie presents the story of this tasty dish. Each pie has a story to tell, a history of provenance, pie-makers, innovation and experimentation. Pie shows you how to master the art of pastry making and how to transform even the most frugal filling into a luxurious meal. Simple to make and impressive to serve, pies can be enjoyed in an infinite variety of styles, from the portable Cornish pasty to the comforting and hearty steak and kidney pie or the delicious and more exotic calzone.

Angela Boggiano is an experienced writer and food stylist who has worked for numerous magazines, including BBC Good Food, Olive, Delicious, BBC Vegetarian Good Food, Food and Travel, and the Guardian magazine. She has worked as a food stylist on a range of TV programmes including the 'Nigella Bites' series, 'Ainsley's Big Cook Out', 'Meals in Minutes' and 'Friends For Dinner'.