Picnic Pork Pies
Pork pies are one of the best things in the bakery - if I’m not buying Belgian Buns, I’m buying pork pies (or cheesy buns, or cream horns, or bread and butter pudding, or…) but for this Summer, we thought we’d give our wallets a rest and make our own. This is our original pork pie recipe, but one of the greatest things about pork pies is how versatile they are. Add a few jalapeños, lime juice and chopped coriander for a spicy Mexican-inspired pie, or maybe some cheese and pickle for even more of a picnic feel! The possibilities are endless - what would be your favourite flavour?
Ingredients
Filling
750g minced pork
2 tbsp fresh sage - finely chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme - finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Pastry
450g plain flour
¼ tsp salt
130g lard
225ml water
2 egg yolks
Egg to glaze
Pie Jelly
1 pork or chicken stock cube
425ml boiling water
4 leaves gelatin
Method
Preheat your oven to 200°C
Mix the minced pork, herbs, salt and pepper in a large bowl until combined, and then set aside.
For the pastry, roughly combine the flour, salt and egg yolks in a bowl and then set this aside also.
In a saucepan, heat the water and the lard together until the fat melts. Continue heating until the mix starts to boil, but take care as the fat may spit.
Once boiling, pour the liquid into the flour and mix well with a wooden spoon until the pastry is smooth.
Tip the pastry out onto a work surface and knead until the dough comes together in a ball.
Cut ⅓ of the dough and wrap it in cling film, and set aside - this will be the lids of the pies.
Divide the remaining ⅔ of the dough into 10 equal pieces and then roll each piece into a circle that fits into a muffin tin. Gently mould into the edges and press the pastry so it is stretched just above the top of each muffin hole.
Divide the filling into 10 equal pieces and roll each of these into balls. Place a ball into each prepared pastry case.
Take the rest of the pastry you set aside and cut it into 10 equal pieces. Roll each one into a disc that it is slightly bigger than the top of each pie.
Brush each lid with a beaten egg and place the brushed side down on top of each pie. Make sure to press the edges together well.
Make a hole in the top of each pie - this needs to be about the diameter of the large end of a chopstick.
Brush the top of the pies with another beaten egg and bake at 200°c for 20 minutes - reduce the temperature to 180°c and cook for a further 20 minutes. We covered the top of the pies for the final 5 minutes of cooking with foil to prevent burning.
Leave to cool, and then place in the fridge overnight.
Melt a stock cube in boiling water, then add the gelatine leaves according to instructions on the packet.
When the gelatin and stock has cooled (but not set), pour carefully into the pies and then return to the fridge until the gelatine is completely set.
