pork pie

This CELTIC PORK MINCE TART recipe can be made year-round and can be served and eaten cold or warm. 

Celtic Pork Mince Tart

pork

apples (or dates)

cheese(Parmesan, Cheddar,

eggs, beaten

salt

ground pepper

ginger

nutmeg

cardamom

lemon

(9 inch) pastry shell

all-purpose flour,

unsalted butter,

egg beaten

milk

Instructions for the filling:

In a medium bowl, mix together the ground...

In a medium bowl, mix together the ground pork with apples, cheese, eggs, spices, and the lemon zest. 

Spoon the mixture into the pastry shell and...

Spoon the mixture into the pastry shell and bake for 45 minutes at 375 degrees, or until the meat is cooked through. 

Instructions for the pie crust:

Sift the flour and salt into a mixing...

Sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl. 

Using your fingertips, rub in the butter until...

Using your fingertips, rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Make a well in the center and add...

Make a well in the center and add the egg and milk. Mix everything to make a smooth dough.

Turn the pastry out on to a lightly...

Turn the pastry out on to a lightly floured surface and lightly knead two or three times until it comes more together and form a disk.

Cover the crust with plastic wrap and chill...

Cover the crust with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes before using. 

Once it is ready to be used, flour...

Once it is ready to be used, flour your rolling surface and rolling pin.

Place your chilled disk-shaped dough onto the floured...

Place your chilled disk-shaped dough onto the floured surface and roll it out, rotating it as you go, and applying even pressure rolling away from you and back.

Rotating the disk as you go, flip it...

Rotating the disk as you go, flip it occasionally so you have an even circle, and if your dough starts feeling sticky, apply a light dusting of flour.

When the dough is a little less than...

When the dough is a little less than a quarter of an inch thick, transfer it into a pie plate, and set it down so that it covers the entire plate, and using your fingers gently push it into the bottom and sides.

If it is too big, trim the edges...

If it is too big, trim the edges using scissors, but make sure you leave a ½-inch border along the edge. You want to be able to fold the dough a little so that it creates a little border that rests on the lip of the plate.

How To assemble the tart:

Preheat oven to 375F.

Spoon mixture into the prepared pastry shell and...

Spoon mixture into the prepared pastry shell and bake for 45 minutes or until the meat is cooked through.

The tart can be served warm or cold.

We've taken Andrew's delicious recipe and made it suitable for a normal cake tin so you can easily try it at home – no specially commissioned pie moulds required. 

For this recipe you will need a 20cm/8in deep, round springform cake tin and a baking tray large enough to sit the cake tin in.

Pork pie with chicken and apricots

flour,

grams/3½oz strong white flour

grams/4½oz butter,

grams/5½oz vegetable fat (such as

325 milliliters/11fl oz boiling water

egg,

onion,

200 grams/7 ounces boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces

150 grams/5½oz dried apricots, thinly sliced

lemon thyme, leaves picked (normal thyme also works)

potato,

salt and black pepper

British Pork Pie recipe

flour

water

lard

egg (beaten)

pork shoulder (diced)

sage

tsp pepper

pig trotter

onion (halved)

tsp white pepper

Preheat the oven to 180.

Sieve the flour into a large, ovenproof mixing bowl and pop in the oven to warm. You're not trying to cook the flour, just warm it and the bowl through, so reduce the heat as necessary if you don't get to work on the pastry straight away.

Place the water and lard into a saucepan. Gently bring to a boil and when the lard has melted, pour into the flour and salt mixture.

Stir with a wooden spoon until well combined. Working quickly, knead the dough when it is cool enough to handle. It will feel just lovely!

Place on a floured board and cut off 1/3 of the dough. Replace this into the mixing bowl with a tea towel over the top to keep the heat in. This off-cut will be 'lid' to your pie or pies.

With the remaining 2/3 you are going to make the 'body' of your pie. If you are making one large pie, keep it as is. However if you are making smaller pies like I have in the pictures, divide the pastry into as many pies as you are making.

Work on one portion of dough at a time, keeping the rest in the warm bowl.

Making the Hot Water Crust Pastry

I use pigs trotters for my savoury pork pie jelly, but you can also use gelatin sheets if you prefer.

Place the cleaned trotter into the slow cooker along with the water, onion, salt and white pepper. Cook on high for 4 hours, or on low overnight.

I like to split the trotter halfway through the cooking time to allow more of the gelatin to be released into the cooking water.

Once cooked, drain well, keeping all of that wonderful stock. The debris can be disposed of and any extra stock can be frozen in ice cube trays and used in sups, stews and casseroles to enrich and boost nutrition.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Making the Pork Pie Jelly

Dust a Pork Pie Dolly or an upturned glass with flour, then mould the warm pastry into an even layer with your hands.&nbsp;There should be a small overhang to seal the lid on, and you don't want any gaps or splits.

Repeat with the remaining dough. carefully remove the pastry from the glass, and tie a strip of folded baking paper around the 'belly' of the pie to help hold it up.&nbsp;

Mix together the pork, sage, salt &amp; pepper. Carefully fill each pie with 1/3 of the mixture, pressing down as necessary and leaving the meat in a dome shape in the middle.

Divide the 'lid' pastry into as many pies as you are making, and roll each piece out into a circle.

Brush the overhang area with the beaten egg, and place the lids on.

Now seal the edges of the lids and body pastry together. You can simply press the pastry together firmly, or crimp it as in the pictures.

Using the tip of a sharp knife, pierce a hole in the pastry and twist the knife to make the hole round &amp; a little larger. This is where you will pour in your stock once baked, so the hole needs to be big enough to fit your funnel tip.

Making the Pie

Brush the pies generously all over with egg wash. The more egg used, the shinier the pies will be.

Bake the pies in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.&nbsp;Then reduce the oven to 160, and continue cooking for a further 50 minutes.

Halfway through the cooking time, take out of the oven, remove the baking paper sleeves if using, and brush again all over with egg wash. Return to the oven to finish cooking.

It is essential that pork reaches a minimum of 65 to be safe to consume.

Set the cooked pies to cool on the kitchen counter. When at room temperature, move to the fridge to let cool fully.

Baking the Pies

Take your cold pies and gently insert the tip of the funnel into the hole in the lid.

Pour your hot stock into the hole slowly. You don't want it to overflow so allow it time to soak down into all the gaps and crevices.

When the pies are full of stock, return them to the fridge to fully cool again. Do not cut into them until the stock has had plenty of time to solidify, preferably overnight.&nbsp;

When ready to eat, cut the pie into wedges to see your work of art, and enjoy!

Filling the Pies with Jellied Stock

Encase the flavours of pigs in blankets – sausage and bacon – with hot water crust pastry for a striking pie, sure to be the crowning glory of your Boxing Day table

Jewelled pork & pistachio pie

rashers smoked streaky bacon, finely chopped

boneless pork shoulder rind removed, chopped into 1cm chunks (prepared weight)

sausagemeat

nutmeg nutmeg

sage leaves, finely chopped

dried cranberries

dried apricots, chopped

pistachios

lard,

butter,

plain flour

egg, beaten

Tip the bacon, pork and sausagemeat into a large bowl, then grate in the nutmeg and add the sage, cranberries, apricots, pistachios, ¼ tsp salt and a good grinding of black pepper. Mix to combine, then cover and keep chilled while you make the pastry.

Tip the lard and butter into a small pan with 150ml water and bring to a simmer. Weigh the flour out in a heatproof bowl with ½ tsp salt. When the butter and lard have melted and the mixture is steaming, pour it over the flour and quickly mix to form a scraggy dough. Tip out onto a surface and knead briefly until smooth. Cut off a third, then wrap and set aside.

Roll the remaining pastry out to the thickness of a £1 coin, then lift using a rolling pin and unroll into a deep 20cm loose-bottomed cake tin. Press the pastry into the edge and up the side – don’t worry if it doesn’t reach the top, just press into an even layer and ensure there are no holes.

Spoon the filling into the pastry case and pack in with the back of the spoon to expel any air pockets. Mound it up in the centre to create a dome, leaving about 1cm of the pastry edge protruding.

Roll out the reserved pastry to the same thickness as before, then use a plate as a template to cut out a 20cm circle. You can either top the pie with the pastry lid as it is, or create a lattice effect. To do this, you will need to use a lattice cutter or ruler and knife. Hold the ruler over the pastry circle and, starting from the left or right side, cut 1cm vertical lines in the pastry going from top to bottom, leaving 1cm gaps between the incisions. After completing one line of cuts, move the ruler ½cm to the side and make another line of cuts. Continue all the way along the pastry. Gently tease the holes open with your fingers to create a webbed lattice effect, then use the same 20cm template to retrim the lid. Carefully lift it over the pie, folding over the excess pastry and crimping all the way around the edge to seal. Brush the pastry with some of the beaten egg. Re-roll any offcuts and use to decorate the pie, if you like (we cut out star shapes). Stick these on and brush with more beaten egg. Will keep covered, uncooked, in the fridge for up to 24 hrs.

Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Bake for 2 hrs until the pastry is deep golden brown. If you have a food thermometer, the internal temperature should reach 70C. Leave to cool completely in the tin, then chill for at least 4 hrs before serving. Will keep covered in the fridge for up to five days.

Make these pork pies the night before your picnic and serve them cold

Pork and pickle pies

salt 1 tsp

Egg 1

Cold water 110 milliliters

Butter 60 grams, diced

Lard 60 grams, diced

Pork mince 500 grams

Smoked streaky bacon 6 rashers, chopped

herbs

Nutmeg 1/2, freshly grated

Chutney or pickle 4 large tsp

Salt and black pepper,

Gordon's delicious pork pie recipe is perfect for a buffet, picnic or grown-up lunch box

Pork & ham pie

eggs

pork sausagemeat

sage leaves

onion

Tabasco sauce

gelatine (optional, see Know-how)

tbsp milk

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, then boil the eggs for exactly 7½ mins. Cool in cold water, peel and set aside. Tip the pork, sausagemeat, ham, sage and onion into a large bowl. Season generously and add a few shakes of Tabasco. Mix well with your hands until completely combined. Take about 1 tbsp of the mix, shape into a small burger and fry in a pan. Taste for seasoning. Slightly over-seasoned is perfect.

Melt a few tbsps lard, brush a 1-litre terrine dish with an even layer of the melted fat, then dust with flour. To make the pastry, tip the flour into a bowl with 2 tsp salt. Put the lard and milk into a pan with 150ml water, then heat until the lard has completely melted. Pour into the flour and beat with a wooden spoon until combined. Tip onto the surface and knead until it all comes together.

Cut a piece of baking parchment to fit the bottom and long sides of the terrine dish with some hanging over the edge. Take about two-thirds of the pastry dough and shape it into a rectangle roughly the width and length of the dish. Lay the dough into the terrine and, using your fingers, press it into the bottom, the corners and up the sides of the dish until it comes to the top and hangs over the rim a little.

Take half the meat mixture and pat it into a shape that will fit the terrine dish, then lay it in. Use your fingers to make a trench down the middle of the meat. Trim the tops and bottoms off the eggs, lay them, in a row, along the trench, then season. Trimming the eggs like this ensures that each slice of pie will contain both egg white and yolk.

Take the rest of the meat mixture, pat it out to a rectangle that will fit over the eggs, and press it over the top. Brush the overhang of the pastry with the beaten egg, then roll out the rest of the pastry to fit over the pie.

Pinch edges together to fix the top. Brush top generously with egg and pierce three holes along the top. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Place pie on a baking sheet and bake for 30 mins. Lower the heat to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4, then continue to cook for another hour. Leave to cool. Carefully turn dish upside-down onto a board and use the sides of the paper to pull the pie out of the dish. If sides aren’t brown enough, return it to the oven on a baking tray at 200C/fan 180C/gas 6 until coloured. Cool, then chill in the fridge.

If you want to fill the pie with jelly, soak the gelatine in cold water and warm the stock until hot, but not simmering. Remove the gelatine from the water and squeeze to remove excess liquid, then stir into the stock to dissolve. Leave to cool to room temperature, then transfer to a squeezy bottle. Pour the jelly into one of the holes until it comes to the top. Place the pie on a dish in the fridge until the jelly has set, then repeat twice more, so the jelly has filled each hole. Leave to set in the fridge overnight.

This is a traditional Luxembourg dish – a wonderful meat pie into which a fragrant Riesling jelly is poured and left to set. We were very keen to track down this recipe, as when Dave worked in Luxembourg for a couple of years a while back, he used to eat one of these pies for his lunch every day. 

Top 7 pork pie recipes from across the web

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Top Tags

Celtic Pork Mince Tart

Pork pie with chicken and apricots

British Pork Pie recipe

Jewelled pork & pistachio pie

Pork and pickle pies

Pork & ham pie

Top 7 pork pie recipes from across the web

The most viewed pork pie recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Celtic Pork Mince Tart

Pork pie with chicken and apricots

British Pork Pie recipe

Jewelled pork & pistachio pie

Pork and pickle pies

Pork & ham pie

The most viewed pork pie recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine