to the 15th century, meaning raised pork pies were absolutely
ancient hundreds of years before Mrs Beeton’s time, so it’s a pity
our experience of pork pies tends to be limited to the very pink
and unnatural mass-produced shop-bought variety today.
Originally, raised pork pies were so called because the pastry
was pulled up or raised around a jar or a thick collar of greaseproof
paper to get its shape, and some people, including my sister-in-law
Claire (who gave me her recipe) still make them this way; far too
demanding for people like me who only have as much dexterity
and patience as it takes to fill and unload a spring-release cake tin.
You can’t knock one up in a few minutes flat either – there’s a
long cooking and waiting time – but home-made pork pies are
actually very easy to make, and so much better than the
aforementioned pink ones that they’re definitely worth doing
occasionally, especially as they’re also pretty economical if you
think about it. The amount of meat in this recipe, roughly 3 lb
(1.5 kg), costs around £6; the other ingredients are cheap store
cupboard items, and the result is a huge, impressive-looking pie,
made in an 8–9 inch (20.5 cm) tin, which is enough to feed at least
a dozen people.
You can either use boneless leg or shoulder of pork cut into
cubes, or minced pork and good-quality sausages, which could be
pork and herb, pork and apple, Cumberland or Lincolnshire, or a
combination of any of these, but there’s no point in making a
home-made pie with value sausages or cheap sausagemeat. You
may as well not bother.
Finally, although all traditional pork pie recipes involve making
aspic for pouring into the pie at the end, I can’t see the point of
making jellied stock or, heaven forbid, boiling up veal bones for
the real thing, which adds at least two more stages to the method,
makes the pastry soggier than it needs to be and contributes very
little to the whole pork pie eating experience since I’ve never met
anyone who doesn’t immediately remove the jelly and leave it on
the side of their plate. (Although admittedly, home-made jelly is a
lot nicer than the thick, white glutinous stuff in shop-bought pies.)
Anyway, I’ve included the jelly-making bit just in case, so put
it in or leave it out – it’s up to you.
For the pastry
1lb (500 g) plain flour
1 level tbsp salt
4 oz (100 g) lard (or Trex)
1⁄2 pint (250 ml) water
For the filling
1 lb (500 g) minced pork
2 packets x 6 good-quality sausages, total 2 lb (1 kg)
1 big tsp each of sage, parsley, marjoram, nutmeg, onion salt and
black pepper
1⁄2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 egg, beaten
For the jelly
1 stock cube
1 bouquet garni
1 bay leaf
1 sachet of gelatine
1⁄2 pint (250 ml) boiling water
Method
1. Put 1⁄2 pint (250 ml) of water and the fat into a small saucepan
and bring to the boil; meanwhile sift the flour and salt into a
large mixing bowl and make a well in the centre.
2. Once the fat has melted and the water has just reached boiling
point, pour the liquid into the well and quickly beat in the
flour with a wooden spoon to make a dough. (Don’t worry if
the dough looks a bit dry and doesn’t come together perfectly
at this stage; it will once you start working it by hand.)
3. Start pinching the dough together with your fingers (do it
carefully, it’s still very hot) and knead well until it becomes a
smooth, shiny ball. Cover the dough with a damp cloth or cling
film and leave in a warm place to rest for about half an hour.
4. If you’re making the jelly, dissolve the stock cube in 1⁄2 pint
(250 ml) of boiling water in a measuring jug at this stage, add
a bay leaf and a bouquet garni bag and leave to cool for about
half an hour before covering and keeping in the fridge.
5. While you’re waiting for the dough, preheat the oven to Gas
Mark 4–5 (180–190ºC) and baseline the tin with greaseproof
paper, lightly oiling the whole inside of the tin. Prepare the
meat mixture by squeezing the sausages out of their skins and
mixing them with the minced pork, herbs and spices, then
squishing it all together with your hands.
6. Roll out 2⁄3 of the dough on a lightly floured surface till it
makes a rough, thick circle slightly larger than the base of the
tin. Put the circle of dough in the tin and raise it up the sides
of the tin by gently pressing and stretching the dough from
the centre, outwards and upwards.
7. Fill the pie with the meat mixture in a dome shape to give the
finished pie a more pleasing appearance than if it was just flat
across the top.
8. Roll out the remaining 1⁄3 of the dough into a rough circle
about the same size as the first one to make the lid. Cover the
pie with the lid, trimming the lid into shape and firmly
pinching the edges and sides of the pastry together with your
thumb and forefinger all the way round to make a crust.
9. Use the pastry trimmings to decorate the pie by cutting out
leaves with a small sharp knife, or making any shapes you like
with pastry cutters. Make a hole about the size of a pencil in
the centre of the pie if you’re making jelly later and glaze the
pastry with the beaten egg.
10. Bake the pie on Gas Mark 5–6 (190–200ºC) for about half an
hour, then turn the oven down to Gas Mark 3–4
(170–180ºC), cover loosely with foil and bake for another 2 1⁄2
hours until the pastry is a deep golden brown.
11. Release the spring immediately and remove the ring leaving
the pie on the base to cool down for about 1 hour. Put the pie
in the fridge as soon as you can and leave for at least 4 hours
and preferably overnight to become completely cold.
To make the jelly
It’s very important that the jelly is cold when you pour it into the
pie; if it isn’t the hot stock will warm the meat up just enough to
create a haven for bacteria. Don’t try and pour warm jelly into a still
warm pie either; the pastry will soak it all up and turn to mush.
And although you’re making 1⁄2 pint (250 ml) of stock you won’t
need this much so pour it into the pie really slowly.
1. Remove the bouquet garni and bay leaves from the stock and
heat it thoroughly, either in the microwave or by bringing it to
boiling point in a small saucepan.
2. Sprinkle about 2⁄3 of a sachet of gelatine into the boiling hot
stock, whisking with a fork for about a minute until you’re sure
the powder has dissolved.
3. Put the stock into a very big oven dish or similar; anything with
a large surface area that will cool the stock right down in a
matter of minutes so it’s completely cold while it’s still in liquid
form. (If you leave it to cool slowly the jelly will set.)
4. Transfer the stock back into the measuring jug and pour slowly
and carefully through the hole in the middle of the pastry.
5. Refrigerate the pork pie for at least another 2 or 3 hours then
remove the base of the tin and the layer of greaseproof and
stand the pie on a plate.
6. Keep the pork pie in the fridge and use within one week.
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