Paul Hollywood
PORK PIES
MAKES 6 / PREP 1 HOUR / BAKE 50 MINUTES
“A proper pork pie is such a great inclusion
in a lunchbox or party spread. These use a
traditional hot water crust pastry, and
are very easy to make.”
METHOD
INGREDIENTS
For the hot water crust pastry
130g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
30g strong white bread flour
30g unsalted butter, cubed
32g lard
½ tsp salt
65ml boiling water
1 egg, lightly beaten for glazing
For the filling
½ large onion, peeled and finely chopped
190g pork loin, finely chopped
50g unsmoked back bacon, finely chopped
Small bunch of parsley, leaves only, chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small sheets of leaf gelatine
¼ chicken stock cube
150ml boiling water
1. Heat your oven to 190°C. Have a 6 hole deep baking tin ready.
2. First make the pork filling. Put the onion, pork, bacon and parsley into
a bowl with some salt and pepper and mix well. To check the seasoning
of the mix, fry a tiny nugget of the mixture in a frying pan until cooked
through. Leave to cool, then taste and adjust your mixture accordingly.
Cover and set aside while you make the pastry.
3. For the hot water crust, put your flours into a bowl. Add the butter and
rub in with your fingertips. Heat the lard in a pan until melted. Dissolve
the salt in the boiling water, then add to the melted lard. Pour this liquid
into the flour. Mix with a spoon then, as soon as it is cool enough, tip the
dough onto a lightly floured surface and work together into a ball. Be
careful that the dough is not too hot when you start to work it. Once the
dough ball is formed, leave it to cool slightly. If it’s still lumpy, work it a
minute or two longer. Divide the dough in two, making one piece slightly
bigger than the other.
4. Working as quickly as you can, roll out the larger piece of dough to
about 3mm thickness; it should be glossy and still warm enough to
touch. Using an 11-12cm cutter, cut out 6 rounds to line the baking tin.
Put them into the moulds, shaping to fit the sides. The pastry should
come slightly above the rim of each mould. Roll out the other piece of
dough and use a 6-7cm cutter to cut out 6 lids. Lift away the trimmings
and re-roll the pastry if you need to cut more, but only once. As it cools, it
stiffens and becomes more brittle.
5. Put a heaped tablespoonful of the filling into each pastry case. Use a
chopstick or something similar to make a good-sized hole, about 5mm
in diameter, in the middle of each pie lid. Brush the pastry case rims with
beaten egg and place the lids on top. Crimp the edges together well to
seal. Brush the pastry lids with beaten eggs. Bake the pies for 50 minutes
until golden brown.
6. While the pies are in the oven, soften the gelatine in cold water to
cover for 5 minutes or so. In a jug, dissolve the chicken stock cube in
the boiling water. Drain the gelatine and squeeze to remove the excess
liquid, then add to the stock and stir in completely dissolved.
7. When the pies come out of the oven, enlarge the holes in the top if
necessary, then carefully pour in a little of the gelatine mixture. Leave
the pies to cool and settle overnight before serving. Or once cold, chill
for a couple hours.
Make It With…
Paul Hollywood Non-Stick
6 Hole Loose Base Deep Pie Pan
Harts Price: £18.99
This six-hole deep pie tin is designed to be extremely durable, and has a unique
champagne-coloured non-stick coating for outstanding non-stick performance. And
with its loose-base design, you can release your pies easily every time. This means
perfectly crisp crusts with no crumble.
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