Pork Rabbit Pie Recipes

PORK & RABBIT PIE

Steps:

• Start with the pie filling. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over a low heat. Add the onions and cook for 10-15 mins until soft, but not coloured. Leave to cool, then put in a big mixing bowl with the pork mince, pork belly, rabbit, nutmeg, mace, mustard seeds and powder, apricots and parsley. Add 1 tsp freshly ground pepper and 2 tsp salt, then use your hands to mix really well, squishing everything together. Cover and put in the fridge until ready to use.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Lightly grease a 20 x 30cm tin with a removable bottom with lard (or use a shallow 22-23cm round springform or loose-based tin), then line the bottom with a piece of baking parchment. To make the pastry, mix the flour with 2 tsp salt in a big bowl and make a well in the centre. Heat the lard and 400ml water in a saucepan on a low heat. Once the lard has melted, turn up the heat and bring to the boil. As soon as the liquid is boiling, pour it into the flour well, then mix with a wooden spoon into a dough - you may have to knead a few times with your hands to a smooth dough, but wait until the pastry is cool enough to handle.
• Working quickly while the pastry is still soft, roll two-thirds of it on a lightly floured surface until big enough to line the base and sides of the tin with an overhang. If any tears or holes appear, patch them as well as you can with scraps of pastry - it's important to plug any gaps for when the jelly is poured in. Tip in the filling and flatten the top.
• Roll out the remaining pastry large enough to make a lid. Brush the edges of the pie with a little of the egg, then lift and stick the pastry lid on top. Trim some of the overhanging pastry with scissors and pinch the rest to seal - make sure the pastry is inside the edge of the tin or you won't be able to lift it out at the end. Make a large hole in the centre of the pie, and smaller holes about 1cm in from each corner. Pop in metal piping nozzles if you have them - this will keep the holes open and help you fill it later. Decorate the pie with pastry scraps, cut into leaf shapes, and brush the top with more egg. Sit the pie tin on a big baking sheet and add 4 more pastry leaves to the sheet to cover the corner holes once the pie is done.
• Bake the pie for 1 hr. Check the extra leaves 20-30 mins into the cooking time and remove once they are golden. Remove the pie after 1 hr and if there is any liquid bubbling around the pastry, carefully tip this into a jug (save for the stock) so the pastry can dry out. Leave the pie to cool for 20-30 mins until stable, then remove the tin sides and brush the pastry on the top and sides with another layer of egg before baking for a further 15 mins to crisp up. Leave to cool completely, then chill for a few hours.
• For the jelly, soak the gelatine in cold water for 10 mins until the leaves soften. If you have any juices saved from the pie, top up with stock to 400ml. Heat a quarter of the stock in a saucepan until just steaming, then take off the heat. Squeeze out the gelatine leaves and stir, one by one, into the stock. When the leaves have dissolved, stir back into the rest of the stock. Leave the stock at room temperature until cold. Check the pastry for any holes - if you find any, fill with a little softened butter to seal. Use a funnel to gradually pour the stock into the pie through the holes until full, then return to the fridge and chill for at least 3 hrs until the jelly is set. Scrape off any excess butter that has been used to plug the holes, cover the corner holes with the extra pastry leaves, and chill for up to 48 hrs (see tip).

MR MCGREGOR'S RABBIT PIE

Steps:

• Toss the rabbit joints (or diced meat) with half the flour and some seasoning. Heat half the oil in a flameproof casserole dish and brown the meat on all sides. Lift out the meat, add the remaining oil, the leek and fennel seeds, and fry gently until softened. Stir in the remaining flour until it has disappeared. Add the cider and scrape up any stuck bits on the dish as it comes to the boil, then add the stock, return the meat to the dish, and bring to a simmer.
• Cover and cook for 40-45 mins until the rabbit is really tender and falling from the bone. Lift out the meat and, while you're shredding it from the bones in big chunks (if you've used joints), boil down the cooking liquid to about a third.
• Stir the cream and mustard into the liquid, taste for seasoning, then stir the rabbit back in. Spoon into a small pie dish or baking dish.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Stick a thin strip of pastry around the edge of the dish. Slice the remaining pastry into 2.5cm-wide strips with a floured knife, then weave into a tight lattice. Lift up carefully, using a rolling pin to help you, then stick on with a little beaten egg. Trim the edges to finish. Brush the top with more egg and bake for 25 mins until golden.
• Meanwhile, bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the carrots for 2 mins, then the radishes for 2 mins, followed by the peas for 1 min. Drain. When the pie is done, melt the butter in a small frying pan. Add the drained veg with the sugar, turn up the heat and fry to caramelise a little. Serve immediately alongside the pie.

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.