Italian Pork Pie Recipes

PORK PIE

Steps:

• Brown ground beef and ground pork over medium heat until thoroughly cooked. Drain off grease.
• Mix together cooked meat, potatoes, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
• Line a 9 inch pie dish with pastry. Spoon pork mixture into pie crust, and top with second pie crust. Brush top crust with egg white. Shield crust edges with aluminum foil to prevent burning.
• Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 45 minutes. Remove foil for final 15 minutes of baking to brown edges.

TOURTIERE (FRENCH PORK PIE)

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, mix together the ground pork, cloves, cinnamon, onion, salt, celery, bay leaf and water. The water will help break up the raw pork. Simmer over medium-low heat for about 3 hours, or until the water has evaporated. Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaf.
• Towards the end of the pork cooking time, place the potatoes into a separate saucepan and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and mash potatoes. When the pork is done, stir the mashed potatoes into that pan until evenly blended.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line two 9 inch pie plates with bottom crusts. Spoon equal amounts of the pork filling into each crust. Cover with top crusts and flute the edges to seal.
• Bake for 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until crust is golden brown.

ITALIAN PORK TENDERLOIN

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the prosciutto, sage, parsley, sun-dried tomatoes, and onion 5 minutes, until onion is tender. Mix the pork strips into the skillet, and brown about 10 minutes, turning once.
• Stir the broth and heavy cream into the skillet, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pork reaches a minimum temperature of 145 degrees F (63 degrees C) and sauce is thickened.

PORK PIE

Steps:

• For the double crust leaf lard pastry: In a bowl, mix the flour and salt together with 2 knives. Cut in the lard until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the ice water over the mixture, a spoonful at a time, stirring with a fork and adding just enough water so it holds together. Shape into a ball, press into a flat disc, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
• For the pork filling: Heat a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp; remove to a plate. Add the pork and a pinch of salt and brown for 2 minutes; remove to a plate. Add the potatoes, celery, celery leaves, parsley, savory, garlic and onions and sweat for 3 to 5 minutes. Deglaze the skillet with 1 cup of water, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Add the pork and bacon back to the skillet with the cinnamon, cloves and a large pinch of salt, and simmer until the liquid has evaporated, 20 minutes.
• While the mixture is simmering, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly flour a work surface. Roll out the chilled pastry into two 13-inch rounds for a 10-inch double-crust pie, or into one 14-inch round for a single-crust pie. If using the double-crust method, line a 10-inch pie plate with one of the pastry rounds and fill with the meat mixture; cover with the remaining pastry. Trim and crimp the edges to seal, and cut small steam vents. Brush the top of the pastry with the egg yolk and milk mixture. If using the single-crust method, place the meat mixture in a 10-inch pie plate and cover with the single pastry round. Trim, press the edges into the sides of the pan and cut small steam vents in the center. Brush the top of the pastry with the egg yolk and milk mixture. Bake until the crust is golden, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes and serve warm.