Pie and Beer

I have already written about my love of pie. All types of pie. as long as there is lots of pastry and lots of filling, then I'm there. I also love beer. Proper beer. Real ale. As far as I'm concerned the two go hand in hand.

This weekend was the annual Bradford Beer Festival. One of the highlights of my year. Local friends and London friends all descend upon Saltaire to sample the finest beers that the UK breweries have to offer. To mark the occasion I decided to bring a pie. A pork pie. I've been obssessing over making my own pork pie for weeks and decided that it would be perfect to bring one along with me.



Beer + Pie = Perfect combination!

Now I know that a pork pie is something that not very many people tend to make at home these days - quite possibly because it is so easy to buy decent pies. However, I'm always concerned about what has actually gone into the pie so by making your own means you know exactly what's in it. Using good quality meat is a must.

There was something really enjoyable about the whole process. The making of the soft, tactile pastry and the meticulous chopping of the meat. This pie needs time, I made it over 2 days...but you will be rewarded, and I highly recommend you try it.

It was bigger than anticipated but it did really well in feeding around 12-15 people - washed down with beer it was amazing.

The recipe comes from Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall's River Cottage Meat book, on page 444.

Hugh's Pork Pie

Ingredients

For the pastry:
550g plain flour
100g butter
100g lard
200ml water
2 eggs
1 1/2tsp salt 

For the filling:
1kg pork shoulder - chopped into 5cm dice (takes time and a sharp knife is a must!)
250g streaky bacon - chopped finely
250g pork belly - minced. I whizzed it up in the food processor
2 large sprigs of thyme, finely chopped
12 sage leaves, finely chopped
1tsp salt
1tsp black pepper
1tsp white pepper
1/2tsp mace
A pinch of cayenne pepper

For the jelly
200ml chicken stock
1x 15g sachet powder gelatine

Melt the butter and lard together in the pan, with the water. While the fats are melting, mix 550g of plain flour and one and a half teaspoons of salt together in a large bowl, form a well in the flour and then break two eggs into the bowl. Mix the eggs into the flour slightly and then slowly pour in the fat and water, mixing all the time. I used my mixer and a dough hook, but can easily be done my hand.


The dough will come together. You may need to add more flour or water, depending on whether it feels too sticky or dry. the dough will be very soft and pillowy! Briefly knead the dough, then wrap it in clingfilm and let it rest in the fridge for an hour or so.

For the filling, mix all of the ingedients thoroughly in a large bowl. The reason for the different cuts of meat is for texture, the shoulder provides a "meaty" texture, the bacon flavour and the belly provides much needed fat, and also act as a glue for the meat mixture.

Now to assemble the pie. Cut off about a third of the pastry and put it to one side for the lid, then roll out the rest into a large round, appox 1cm thick. Slide the pastry into a greased cake tin with a loose base and press it down so that the pastry reaches the top of the tin. I used an 18cm cake tin with high sides, the original recipe asks that you use a 20cm tin. so if you use a 20cm, then make sure the pastry reaches approx 3/4 up the sides. By using a spring form tin with a clip on the side will make the ‘getting the pie out’ operation much simpler.

Now, getting the pastry into the tin seems much simpler than it sounds - the pastry is very soft a slippery and it will try to fall down, be vigilant and confident with it. Make sure there are no holes in the pastry walls.

Then fill the casing with the filling. Really cram it in until it can't take any more. Remember, the pie filling will shrink up on cooking.

The roll out the remaining pastry into a lid and crimp it onto the top of the pie - make sure you use a beaten egg to seal the lid, as it is the only thing strong enough to keep everything in the pastry. For an extra bit of decoration I cut out a couple of leaves from the leftover pastry. Make sure you also cut a 1cm hole in the middle of the lid for steam to escape.

Ready for the oven

Bake at 180c for half an hour, then reduce the heat to 160c and continue to cook for a further hour and a quarter. After this time, take the pie out of it’s tin and brush the top and sides with beaten egg, returning it to the oven for another quarter of an hour to brown.

Then you'll need to wait for the pie to cool before adding the jelly. Probably an hour or so, but as it was 11pm by the time the pie came out of the oven, I left it to cool overnight, then put it in the fridge until the evening.

The recipe details stock made from pigs trotters, boiling them down for a couple of hours. I didn't really have the time, so I bought a tub of ready made fresh chicken stock, heated it up gently and dissolved the gelatine into it.

Once the jelly is ready, you'll need to pour it into the hole - use a turkey baster if you have one - I poured it in using a measuring jug. Pour it in slowly, giving it time to settle in the pie, filling in the cavities left by the shrunked meat. Pour it in until you can't fit in any more.

Filled with jelly

Now the subject of jelly in a pork pie is a contentious one - some people hate it, but I think it is integral to a good pork pie - it is there to fuse the meat to the pastry and without it, the pastry just falls away from the meat once cut.

Once the pie is filled refrigerate, until the jelly is set - ideally overnight but it should be ready after 5 hours.

The pie will keep in the fridge for about 2 weeks - I think the next time I make it I might add in a few boiled eggs. If you don't want to make a huge pie, then you could make individual pies by lining a muffin tin. After the first 30 minutes of cooking time, take them out, brush with egg and cook for a further 25 minutes.

Thanks Hugh!

Belly Nice!

My friend Dan is a very good cook - I've never disliked anything he's made and he's great at giving foodie hints and tips. We both subscribe to BBC Good Food Magazine and in February's edition there was a brilliant recipe for pork belly. Dan made it for the murder mystery party I went to the other week and I was hooked. The pork was melt in the mouth and the crackling crisp. It looked really professional too and I'm all about the presentation!

Mmmm Pork!!

Now I've made pork belly in the past where I've roasted it long an slow in the oven with good results but I really think this is the only way I'm going to cook this cut of pork. Be warned though - this is a 2 day process but the main bulk of the cooking is done on the first day and is ideal for entertaining as it only needs pan frying at the last moment.


I was missing a few ingredients for the braising stage, and because I was only feeding the 2 of us, the piece of pork belly was smaller - it was enough to serve 2, but can be easily doubled. So below is my recipe. (Note that some of the pictures aren't brilliant as they were taken with my phone. The good ones were taken by the Husband)


Cider Braised Pork Belly (Serves 2)


Ingredients
1 large carrot , chopped
1 leek , roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves , smashed
A bunch of parsley stalks
2 bay leaves
300ml good-quality cider
small splash cider vinegar , plus extra to season
1 litre chicken stock
800g piece unscored boneless pork belly (mine was scored though, it didn't really make a difference)
2 tbsp sunflower oil


Day 1:
Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 4. Place all the ingredients except the pork and sunflower oil in a pan that will fit the pork. Season, bring everything to the boil then turn down the heat and slide the pork into the pan. The pork should be totally covered - if it isn't, top up with water. Cover the dish with a lid and place it in the oven for 3 hrs.

After 3 hours, leave it to cool slightly in the stock. Line a flat baking tray with cling film. Carefully lift the pork into the tray and make sure you remove any veg or other bits from the surface of the pork as it will end up pressed into the pork. Cover the pork with another sheet of cling film and cover with a flat tray or dish - the tray must be completely flat as any indentations will be pressed into the pork.

Weigh the pork down and leave to cool in the fridge overnight. I used my heavy stone mortar along with a couple of cans to really weigh it all down. You want to flatten the pork so with ends up all the same thickness. Strain the juices into a jug or small saucepan, cover and chill.


Day 2
Unwrap the pork and place on a board. Trim the uneven edges so that you have a neat, straight piece of meat. Cut the meat into equal pieces and set aside until ready to cook. Skim off any bits of fat (should be easy as it will be set) from the braising juices and tip what will now be jelly into a saucepan, then bubble down by about two-thirds until starting to become slightly syrupy. Add a few more drops of vinegar, to taste.

Heat the sunflower / veg oil in a large frying pan until hot, then turn the heat down. Make sure you don't use olive oil as it will burn.


Add the pork to the pan, skin-side down - be careful as it will spit and attack you! I placed a tray partially over the pan so the it didn't cover everything in oil. Sizzle the pork for around 5 mins until the skin is crispy. Flip it over and cook for 3-4 mins until browned.


Et voila, perfect pork! Thanks Dan for making this first, as I wouldn't have tried it otherwise, purely because of the 2 day process!

I served ours with champ (but made with leeks) and also some mustard cabbage, a drizzle of the reduced sauce and a nice glass of red. It would also pair well with cider.

How I met your Father....

My husband often tells me that the reason he married me was because of my meatballs. They are one of his favourite things to eat and I often end up making them at least a couple of times a month. My usual ones are of the Italian variety and I serve them with tagliatelle or spaghetti.

I have to say that I never really tend to stick to a tried and tested recipe, I like to try different variants every time, just to see if I can make them that little bit better.

This time, I made a few tweaks, namely the inclusion of breadcrumbs to the meatball mix (I have never really seen the point of using them before but have heard these really keep them tender) baking the meatballs rather than frying them off, and the addition of a bay leaf to the sauce.

Spiced Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

For the meatballs
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed (depends if you like garlic!)
500g minced beef / pork or a mixture of the two
60g breadcrumbs (I used an old pitta bread and blitzed it)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 a freshly grated nutmeg
Grated zest of 1 lemon
small bunch of parsley, finely chopped (I used parsley because I had some in my fridge, but feel free to use whichever herbs you choose, I often use basil).

For the tomato sauce
1 large jar (650g?) passata
1 med - large onion, finely chopped
2 sticks celery, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic,
a few sprigs of thyme, leaves picked (Again or use whichever herbs you have at hand)
1 bay leaf
1 chilli (optional) - deseeded if you don't want too much heat or leave them in if you do. 
glug of olive oil
1 tbsp sugar

To serve
Tagliatelle or spaghetti
Chopped parsley
Grated parmesan

Preheat the oven to 200°C / gas mark 6

Firstly, make the meatballs. Simply mix all of the ingredients into a bowl (or whiz up in a food processor like I do) and season well. Form the mixture into walnut sized balls and place on a greased baking tray.

Then place the meatballs in the oven for about 10-15 mins or until golden brown. (They don't need to be cooked through)

Whilst the meatballs are in the oven, make a start on the sauce. Add a glug of olive oil to a large pan and add the onion and celery. Soften for around 5 minutes, taking care not to brown them too much. Then add the garlic, herbs, chilli and bay leaf. Stir and soften for another 3 minutes and then add the passata and the sugar. (The sugar takes the acidity away from the tomatoes). Then fill the passata jar  a third full with water and add that too.

Allow the sauce to come to a simmer then add the meatballs to the sauce.

Leave the meatballs and sauce to rumble away on a low heat until the sauce has thickened. (This can take from 30 - 45 mins, but it's worth the wait!)

Cook the pasta and stir it into the sauce and meatballs. Serve in a large, heated shallow bowls and scatter with parsley and serve with grated parmesan

Enjoy with a glass of red (or white or pink of you prefer!)