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!

I'll Beetroot-ful, this soup is delicious!

Yes, another post, another bad pun. I'll see if I can keep this going, but I'll try. I won't be beet-en!

Ok, so beetroot. I hated beetroot as a kid. As someone raised mainly on a Chinese diet as a child, and having never seen a beetroot in my whole life, I have memories of "Salad Day" at my primary school, at the age of 6 and being forced to eat this disgusting purple stuff that was cold, flabby and soaked in vinegar. I think a lot of people have had similar experiences which is probably why a lot of people don't like it. 

Past experiences were enough to put me off beetroot for life but my stance was turned around after trying honey glazed roasted beetroot a number of years ago and I was converted. Now I can't get enough of the stuff and sometimes I do even treat myself to the pickled variety, but only sometimes.

There was a massive glut of beetroot at my local farm shop and ended up buying a couple of kilos in order to make this fantastic soup that was served up at my friend Dan's murder mystery party the other week. I found myself making this at 6.30am on a Wednesday morning after not being able to get back to sleep....

The recipe kind of a Middle Eastern take on the classic Russian borscht and can be eaten hot or cold. I had it hot for lunch one day and then chilled the next. They were both delicious but there was something about the chilled version, really refreshing and perfect for a warm day.

I have adapted the Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall recipe slightly and added a touch of ginger for warmth and instead of the spiced yoghurt he suggests, I opted for soured cream as a nod to its Eastern European roots. 

This is a really quick, really easy soup to make, plus it's the most amazing colour that really cheers you up. Suffice to say I love garish colours, so this soup is perfect for me, really beet-iful! (yes yes I know!!)

Beetroot and Cumin Soup 

Ingredients

50g butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1 fat clove garlic, peeled and chopped
1/2 thumb sized piece of ginger
1 tsp cumin seeds
750g beetroot, peeled and cut into small chunks
750ml vegetable or chicken stock (or water)
Salt and ground black pepper
1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Get a large pan over a medium heat. Add the olive oil to the pan and then add in the onion, garlic, ginger and cumin and cook gently for five to 10 minutes, until the onion, ginger and garlic are soft but try not to colour them too much.

Add the beetroot chunks, stir everything around then add the stock. Bring to a simmer, stick on a lid and cook for around 20-25 minutes, until the beetroot is tender.

Blend up the soup, return it to the pan and season to taste. If it seems too thick, thin it down with a little more stock or water to get it to the right consistency.

Serve the soup, hot or chilled, with a dollop of soured cream swirled in just before serving and some parsley sprinkled on top.

Beets me how a soup can be so simple and so good!

Pie....

I officially suck at keeping up to date with my blog. Its been a few hectic weeks at work and also at home, and whilst I have been whipping up a number of treats, I have just been too lazy to write. I'll give myself a D- and must do better.

Pie...NOM!

 

Last Sunday was a cold, wet, horrible day. One of those days that made you want to just stay indoors, watch trashy TV and eat. I had one thing on my mind that day and that was pie. I love pie. Any pie, but in particular savoury. Pie is also a bit of a topical choice, as it is apparently a key food trend for 2011 (see here for the full story). In my opinion, pies aren't something that you can consider a "trend" food they've always been around, from schools, to football terraces and to pubs. they're among the top of the foods I have in my "comfort food" list. I defy any non vegetarian who doesn't love a pork pie and brown sauce! 

Anyway, aside from the pie rant, I actually made a really good steak, ale and stilton pie. Homemade pastry and everything, which I was particularly proud of. Steak, beer, cheese and pastry are four of my favourite foods, so to combine them all = winner!

The pie filling was an adaptation of Jamie Oliver's Steak, Guiness and Cheese Pie. The base recipe can be found on Mr Oliver's site. 

My changes to the recipe was that I used a lovely British Stout by Hook Norton instead of the Guiness and insead of the cheddar cheese I used the classic cheese of choice in this kind of pie - Stilton! So not to over power the pie, I used about 120g of Stilton.

This is brilliant, long slow cooking at its best. The only real bit of "cooking" is frying of the pie filling before whacking it in the oven for a couple of hours.

Whilst the pie filling was in the oven, I got on and made the pastry. I've never made pastry before, basically because I've always thought it would be too difficult and it's much easier to buy my own. However, I took the plunge and used Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall's Rough Puff Pastry recipe from his River Cottage "Meat" book. However, you can also find the recipe for it on the C4 Food site

Puff pastry relies on layers and layers of butter and flour - rough puff essentially a halfway house between puff and flaky pastry, but eeasier to make.

The key to achieving a good flake to the pastry is not to rub the butter in too much, you want to see lumps of butter - rather than cube the pastry as in the recipe, I grated it whilst super cold and then bright it together with the flour and the water. 

You also need to work very quickly and try and keep the pastry as cold as possible. If you feel that it is getting too warm, then pop it in the fridge for 30 mins and continue. Roll and fold the pastry at least a dozen times and chill until you need it.

When the pie filling is ready and you have added the cheese, line the pie dish with 2/3 or the pastry, fill with the meat mixture and top with the other 1/3 of pastry. Roughly crimp the edges, seal with egg wash and cook in the oven for 45 mins at 190°C.

The beauty of this dish is that you can make the pastry and filling in advance, the pastry and filling freeze really well too.

We just ate it with peas, and a glass of Hook Norton Stout!