Pork and pickle pies
- 4 generous pies
- A little tricky
Make these pork pies the night before your picnic and serve them cold
These little pork pies use a hot-water crust as a sturdy shell to support the filling, which is possibly the easiest of all pastries to make – no rubbing in and trying to keep it cool as you roll. Make the night before you picnic and serve cold, just like a traditional pork pie, except these ones have their pickle inside rather than on the edge of your plate, making them perfect for picnics. A few salad leaves and a handful of cherry tomatoes are a great accompaniment.
Ingredients
For the hot-water crust pastry
- Plain flour 300g
- Fine salt 1 tsp
- Egg 1
- Cold water 110ml
- butter 60g, diced
- Lard 60g, diced
For the filling
- Pork mince 500g
- Smoked streaky bacon 6 rashers, chopped
- Dried mixed herbs 1 tsp
- Nutmeg 1/2, freshly grated
- Chutney or pickle 4 large tsp
- salt and black pepper to taste
Method
To make the pastry
-
Step 1
Mix the flour and salt in a mixing bowl, making a well in the centre. Crack the egg in the well and flick a little flour over to cover it completely.
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Step 2
Add the water, butter and lard to a pan and set over a medium heat. Stir as the fats melt and as the water comes to the boil, tip into the mixing bowl, stirring well to form a soft ball.
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Step 3
Tip onto the worktop and knead briefly for a minute then cut into four even pieces – this helps it cool quicker – and chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes to firm.
For the filling
-
Step 1
While the pastry is chilling, mix the pork, bacon, herbs and nutmeg in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Tip onto the worktop and divide into four balls.
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Step 2
Flatten each ball to a disc of around 1cm thick and spoon the chutney into the centre, before bringing up the sides to seal it completely in the middle. Set aside on a plate.
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Step 3
Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4.
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Step 4
Take the pastry out of the fridge and cut about a third off each, reserving to make the lid. Using your hands, flatten the larger piece to a 5mm thick disc, then set a ball of filling in the middle
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Step 5
Shape the smaller piece of pastry to a 5mm disc and drape over the top of the filling to create a lid. Bring up the sides of the bottom pastry to meet the lid and press together to seal the filling inside completely.
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Step 6
Repeat with the remaining pastry and filling, making four pies. Use a skewer to pierce a large hole in the top of each to let the steam out, and sprinkle over a few sea-salt flakes and grind of pepper.
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Step 7
Spread on a baking sheet and cook for about an hour until the pastry is crisp and golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Recipe by Genevieve Taylor
