A pork pie will keep you full and satisfied for hours.
Raised pork pies have been around for hundreds of years. The traditional pork pie recipe we know today is from a raised pork pie that became popular in England during the Victorian era. This heavy, savory dish is as much a part of England's cuisine as fish and chips. With many ingredients and hours of preparation, the pork pie isn't a quick dish to throw together, but done well it is worth the effort. There are three parts to the raised pork pie: pork jelly, pastry and filling. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Instructions
Preparation
1. Make the jelly. Put all of the ingredients into a large pan with water, cover and bring it to a boil. Keep the pan covered and simmer gently for 3 hours. Strain through a very fine sieve into a clean pan. Boil the mixture vigorously until it has been reduced to 2 cups.
2. Make the filling. Cut the pork and bacon into 1/2-inch pieces. Put half the pork and 20 oz. of the bacon into a food processor, and press the pulse button until it is coarsely chopped. Scrape it into a bowl, and then add the rest of the pork and bacon in addition to the spices, herbs, anchovy essence, salt and a pinch of freshly ground black pepper.
3. Make the pastry. Sieve the flour and salt into a food processor. Stir in the butter until the mixture looks like fine-grain bread crumbs. Beat 2 eggs with the egg yolk, and gradually stir into the mixture. Mix until it becomes a soft dough. Knead briefly, and separate 1/3 of the dough to become the lid of the pie.
4. Roll out the larger piece of dough. Line an 8-inch clip-sided cake pan with it. Allow the excess dough to hang over the sides of the pan.
Cook and Assemble the Pie
5. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
6. Spoon the pork filling into the pastry-lined tin. Allow the top to be rounded, to give the pie its shape.
7. Beat the remaining egg in a bowl, and brush the edges of the pastry with the egg. Roll out the pastry you separated out for the top. Cover the top of the pie with it.
8. Cut a hole in the center of the lid with a small, ovenproof pastry cutter. Remove the plug of pastry in the center of the pie and leave the cutter in to retain the cut-out center.
9. Brush the pastry lid with the remainder of the beaten egg. If you wish, further decorate the pie with pastry leaves. This is a traditional way to present the pie, but is not necessary.
10. Place the pie in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F and cook for 1 1/2 hours. Check the pie periodically to see if it's browned. Once it is, place a triple-thickness sheet of grease paper on the top for the remainder of its time in the oven.
11. Remove pie from the oven. Warm the jelly either on the stove top or in the microwave until it is liquefied. Pour the jelly into the center hole in the top of the pie and remove the pie cutter. Allow the pie to cool overnight.
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