Its British Pie Week (6th-12th March) and we have a great recipe here for you to try. These little pies are great for in your lunchbox or snack or even a picnic, well an indoor picnic with the way the weather is. We have made these pies based on a recipe by Andy Bates. Please see below for ingredients and instructions.
Ingredients
•400g pork mince
•200g black pudding, chopped
•1 large diced pear
•1 tbsp chopped fresh sage
•1 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
•Salt
•Freshly ground black pepper
For the pastry:
•450g plain flour
•200ml water
•170g lard
•1 free-range egg yolk, beaten
•Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1) Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2) For the filling, mix all ingredients together and season well. Then divide into four 150g portions.
3) For the pastry, sift the flour and salt into a bowl and set aside.
4) In a pan, heat the water and lard together and gradually bring to a simmer, or until all the lard has melted. Bring the mixture up the boil and then pour this onto the flour mixture. Mix well with a wooden spoon to create a firm dough.
5) Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and Technique: Kneading A way to mix and work dough to form a smooth, elastic ball, ready to shape and cook. Knead the dough quickly for a few minutes. Roll the dough out flat, take one of the pie portions and place on the pastry. Cut around the portion leaving enough room for you to fold the pastry around the mix creating a parcel. Repeat this with the remaining portions.
6) Roll out the remaining pastry then stamp out with pastry cutters 4 mini circles for the lids. Brush the lids with beaten egg yolk, then place the pastry on top of the pies and press down to seal. Cut a small hole in the top of each pastry lid and transfer into the oven for 35 minutes, or until the pastry is golden-brown and the meat is completely cooked through.
7) Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
