A Traditional
Raised Pork Pie
Recipe

This is most definitely, my all-time favorite pork pie recipe. It was created by world famous British chef, Rick Stein. Unlike some variations, this is not over seasoned, contains only best quality ingredients, and although fairly time-consuming to prepare, is actually very easy to make. This is a perfect dish as part of a celebration buffet for Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year.

However, if time is short, you can "cheat" quite a bit though and still make a very good pie. For example, you can buy frozen pastry, although you won't find it has quite the same texture. You can also make a decent jelly using tinned stock and gelatin rather than boiling a pig's trotter to make it.....other than you, no one will notice the difference!

In my opinion, this pork pie recipe is as good as any Melton Mowbray that I've eaten! It makes an ideal light lunch or anytime snack, and is absolutely perfect as part of the main course for a summertime picnic. Refrigerated, it will keep for up to 7 days, and is always served cold.

A Classic British Pork Pie Recipe

INGREDIENTS
Serves 10

For the Filling:
2˝lb/1.2kg boned pork shoulder
8oz/225g lean bacon
1 tablespoon chopped, fresh sage
˝teaspoon each ground mace, freshly grated nutmeg & ground allspice
2 teaspoons anchovy essence
salt & freshly milled black pepper

For the Jelly:
2lb/900g pork bones
1 pig's trotter
1 carrot
1 onion
1 bouquet garni (celery, bay leaf, thyme & parsley)
12 black peppercorns

For the Pastry:
1lb/450g plain white flour
1 teaspoon salt
10oz/275g chilled butter, cut into pieces
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
2-3 tablespoons cold water

For this pork pie recipe you will need an 8 inch/20cm clip sided cake tin (the type that unclip, and open outwards)

METHOD

• To make the jelly, put all of the ingredients into a large pan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer gently for 3 hours.
  

• Then carefully strain the hot liquid through a very fine sieve into a clean pan. Boil vigorously until reduced to 1 pint/600ml. Season to taste and leave to cool.
  

• To make the filling, cut the pork and bacon into ˝ inch/1cm pieces. Put half of the pork and 2oz/50g of the bacon into a food processor and process using the pulse button until coarsely chopped.
  

• Scrape into a bowl and stir in the rest of the diced pork, bacon herbs, spices, anchovy essence, 1 teaspoon of salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Mix well.
  

• Fry a small piece of the mixture in sunflower oil, taste and adjust the flavorings if necessary.
  

• To make the pastry, sift the flour and salt into a food processor or mixing bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.
  

• Beat the whole egg with the egg yolk and water and gradually stir into the dry ingredients to make a soft dough. Knead briefly until smooth then cut off one third of the mixture and set it aside for the lid.
  

• Roll out the larger piece and use to line the base and sides of an 8inch/20cm clip-sided cake tin, leaving the excess pastry overhanging the edges.
  

• Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C/Gas 6.
  

• To assemble the pie, spoon the pork filling into the tin and slightly round the top of the mixture to give the finished pie a nice shape.
  

• Brush the edge of the pastry with beaten egg. Roll out the remaining pastry and use to cover the top of the pie.
  

• Cut a small hole into the centre of the lid with a small metal pastry cutter, remove the plug of pastry and leave the cutter in place to retain the hole during baking.
  

• Brush with more beaten egg and decorate with a twisted rope of pastry and pastry leaves. Brush the decorations with beaten egg.
  

• Place on a baking sheet and bake the pie for 30 minutes. Then lower the oven temperature to 350°F/180°C/Gas 4 and continue to cook for a further 1˝ hours, loosely covering the pie with a triple-thickness sheet of greaseproof paper once it is nicely browned.
  

• Finally, remove the pie from the oven and leave to cool for 2 hours. Then warm through the jelly and pour into the pie through the hole in the top. Remove cutter used to make the hole. Once cold, refrigerate overnight.

.....and there you have it, Rick Stein's, Classic Pork Pie Recipe.....ENJOY!

This gourmet pork pie recipe takes a good deal of time and effort to prepare, but believe me, it's worth it! Served with some really crusty French bread, best butter, a freshly tossed side salad and some pickles, you have the makings of a classic picnic lunch!

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