Pork pies may look complicated but they are really easy and are always better than the shop bought ones that are all too often too peppery and leave you wondering what's in them, apart from the high fat content. I have tried various recipes in the last few years, but here is my favourite.
Makes 2 medium or 1 large Pork pie. Using a food probe will take the guess work out of measuring the temperature.
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| Extra large family pork pie |
Recipe
For the hot water crust pastry
450g/1lb Strong plain four
Extra flour for rolling
150g/7oz Lard
50ml/2fl oz Water
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| Inside the small pork pies |
50ml/2fl oz Milk
Salt & Pepper
1 Egg, beaten.
For the filling
300g/10oz Shoulder pork - chopped into small dice
50g/2oz Bacon chopped
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| Small and medium pork pies |
50g/2oz minced pork
50g/2oz sausage meat
50g/2oz Sage and onion stuffing mix
1 Small onion finely chopped and cooked
1 Garlic clove crushed
Salt & Pepper
For the Jelly
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| Easy pork pie roll. |
1packet/6g Vege-Gel
200ml chicken stock
Method
Pastry
1. Put milk, water and lard in to a pan and heat until all the lard has melted. Do not let the mixture boil.
2. Add salt and pepper to the flour and add to the liquid. Mix until all the flour is incorporated. Add a little more water if needed.
3. Knead pastry until it all comes together.
4. Wrap in cling film and leave to rest, use when warm or just cooled.
Filling
1. Mix all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl until well mixed.
2. Season with salt and pepper.
Assembly
1. Line a 2lb loaf non stick loaf time with a strip of baking parchment. Make sure it is a lot wider than your loaf
tin, you will use this to lift out the pie.
2. Take off a 1/4 of the pastry and reserve for the lid. Roll out the pastry to a thickness of of about 1cm and line the tin with the rolled out pastry. Leave the excess pastry on the edges till the lid is put on.
3. Fill the pastry case with the meat mixture. Pack down well.
4. Roll out the remaining pastry as a lid.
5. Paint egg all around the edges of the pastry base and put the pastry lid on top of the mixture.
6. Trim the pastry and crimp all around the edges.
7. Use any remaining pastry bits to decorate the top of the pie.
8. Make a 1cm hole in the middle of the lid and paint the whole of the top with the beaten egg.
9. Place in the oven preheated to Gas 4/350degf/180degC and bake for 2 hours. An inserted knife in to the centre should be really hot when touched on your lip, or be over 80degC.
10. If the pastry is starting to brown too much cover with greaseproof paper to prevent further Browning, until the pie is cooked.
11. Leave the pie to cool slightly.
12. Make the jelly as per instructions on the pack of vege-gel, using stock as the liquid .
13. Remove the pie from the tin using the parchment paper
14. Add the jelly liquid to the pie through the hole, fill until the liquid comes out of the top. You may have to do this more than once as the liquid seeps in to the meat inside the pie.
15. Leave to cool then refrigerate.
16. Refrigerate until the jelly has set.
To make the easy pork pie roll - roll out the whole of the pastry to 1cm thick. Put a line of meat mixture down the centre, leave a gap at each end of 2cm. Paint egg on all edges of the pastry. Bring one side of the pastry over the meat mixture and then the other. Bring the ends up to the top then place with the seal on the bottom on to a baking sheet. Make a hole in the top, brush with beaten egg and bake for about 1 hour, at gas 4. As before the temperature inside should reach above 80degC. Add the liquid jelly as before and when cooled, refrigerate.
I think I have covered everything, apologies for any mistakes. Any questions or queries, just message me. :o)
Enjoy
Merry Christmas all
