PORK PIES

Pork pies are such a British thing.  I remember them fondly when having a picnic or a served on a ploughman's platter.  They are always eaten cold with a chutney or relish and i thought it fitting to add this to my basket of goodies. 

There seems to be a lot of work involved but once you have made one you will soon get the hang of it.

Give them a go as they are delicious and a wonderful gift.

Makes 6

Ingredients 

Stuffing 

1 onion, finely diced

1 apples, cored, grated with skin

1 Tbsp fresh tarragon or thyme leaves, finely chopped

50g blue cheese (optional) crumbled

2 Tbsp breadcrumbs

½ tsp salt 

¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Filling

450g sausage meat

1 Tbsp sage leaves, finely chopped

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp ground pepper

Pinch freshly grated nutmeg

Hot water pastry

800g plain flour, plus 
extra for dusting 

1 ½  tsp fine salt


320g lard 
 

1 egg, beaten

Method

Preheat the oven to 190 ̊C

Begin by making the pork stuffing.  In a medium mixing bowl, place all the ingredients and mix together.  Set aside.

In another bowl add the sausage meat, herbs and seasoning mix together well.   Divide into 6 rough balls (about 170-180g each) .  Using damp hands flatten each ball out, place 2 spoons of filling into the middle and mould the sausage meat around the stuffing.  Continue until all the filling is done.

To make the hot water pastry mix the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Put the lard in a small pan with 240ml water and gradually bring to the boil. Quickly pour over the flour, mixing it with a spoon until mostly incorporated. Knead the dough in the bowl for a few minutes, until smooth (take care as it’ll be warm). Transfer to a clean work surface, divide into 6 even pieces (about 230g each) and cover.

Dust the work surface with flour. Take one ball of dough at a time, remove about 70g and set aside and cover.  This will be for the lid. With the remaining dough, mould and flatten into a round about 7 ½ cm in diameter.  

This part may seem a little odd but I found the best way to get the pastry to a good shape and size was to lightly grease the base of a jam jar or something similar.  Place the dough over the base and shape it around the base, pressing it evenly up the sides of the jar, until it is about 8 cm in height. Chill for 5 minutes or until it just firms up but be careful as you don’t want it to dry out or it will crack.

Once chilled, carefully remove the jar. 

Mould one of the pork balls so it is firm and will comfortably fit into the pastry shell.  Using your hands, turn the pastry so it fits snugly around the filling. If needed, lightly stretch the dough so that it is higher than the filling.

Flatten or roll the dough you set aside for the lid so that it is slightly larger than the top of the pie. Lay it over the pie and pinch it firmly to seal to the sides.  Crimp with your fingertips to make the top of the pie attractive.

Tidy up the pie by cupping it in your hand to retain the shape of the pie.

Place onto a baking paper lined tray.  Cut a 1 cm hole in the top of the pie.

Repeat with remaining dough to make 6 pies.

Glaze the pies all over with the beaten egg; bake for 25 minutes, until starting to turn golden. Remove, brush with more egg and bake, with the tray rotated, for a final 15 minutes, or until deep golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

The pies will keep in the fridge for up to 
3-4 days (or can be frozen for up to 3 months).