Serves 6
110 min
Pickled Onion Pork Pies
Recipe GLPR340a99f9b93ef6
Savory hand pies filled with a tender pork and bacon mixture encasing a pickled onion, baked in a golden hot-water crust pastry. A traditional British favourite with warm, aromatic spices and a satisfying pastry shell that's both flaky and sturdy.
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Ingredients
1 tbsp butter
1 onion, very finely chopped
100g smoked bacon, finely chopped
250g pork mince
1 garlic clove, grated
¼ tsp ground mace
¼ tsp cracked black pepper
½ tsp dried thyme
1 egg
30g fresh breadcrumbs
6 small pickled onions
250g strong white flour
50g polenta
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
75g cold lard, diced
2 egg yolks, beaten
Salt for seasoning and pastry
Directions
Melt the butter in a small pan over low heat. Add the finely chopped onion and cook gently for about 5 minutes until soft and translucent, stirring occasionally. Do not allow it to brown.
Transfer the softened onion to a large mixing bowl. Add the smoked bacon, pork mince, grated garlic, ground mace, cracked black pepper, thyme, egg, and fresh breadcrumbs. Mix everything together thoroughly until well combined—using your hands to knead and squeeze the mixture together works best. Divide the mixture into six equal balls, then carefully press a pickled onion into the centre of each ball, ensuring it is completely surrounded by the filling.
Place the filled meat balls on a plate and refrigerate for about 1 hour until chilled and firm.
While the filling chills, prepare the pastry. Combine the strong flour, polenta, and bicarbonate of soda in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. In a separate small pan, bring 100ml water, the diced cold lard, and ½ tsp salt to a boil, stirring gently. Pour the hot liquid mixture onto the dry ingredients and mix until a cohesive dough forms. Allow the pastry to cool slightly until it is workable.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan or gas mark 6).
Lightly grease a six-hole muffin tin with extra lard. Roll out the pastry to the thickness of a coin. Using a 12cm cutter, cut out six circles and carefully press each into a hole in the prepared muffin tin. Re-roll any trimmings and cut out six smaller 8cm circles for the lids; set these aside.
Gently press a chilled meat ball into each pastry-lined muffin hole. Brush the exposed edges of the pastry with a little of the beaten egg yolk, then position a pastry lid on top. Press the edges together firmly with your fingers to seal, then crimp the join decoratively. Using a small sharp knife, poke a small hole in the centre of each pie top to allow steam to escape.
Brush the top of each pie generously with the remaining beaten egg yolk to achieve a golden glaze. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until the pastry is deep golden brown.
Remove the pies from the oven and allow them to cool completely in the tin before carefully turning out. These pies can be made up to 2 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.
