Welsh Cold Pork Pie Recipes

WELSH COLD PORK PIE

Steps:

• FOR THE FILLING: Mix all of the ingredients together, except the crust, and place in a 8 inch deep dish pie plate. Bake covered, in a preheated oven at 375°F for 1/2 hour. Remove from the oven and pour off the accumulated fat. Make the pie crust and use only 1/2 of the recipe, freeze the other half for future use. Cover with the crust and return to the oven for 45 minutes, or until the top crust is golden brown and flaky.
• Allow to cool completely before serving.
• This is great for a first course, a midnight snack, or a luncheon dish.
• FOR THE BASIC EASY CRUST: In a medium size bowl stir the flour and salt together. Cut in the shortenings using a pastry blender. Keep working the flour and shortening until the mixture is rather grainy, like coarse cornmeal. Mix the egg and vinegar together and, using a wooden fork, stir the mixture into the flour. Add enough ice water so that the dough barely holds together. Place on a marble pastry board or a plastic countertop and knead for just a few turns, enough so that the dough holds together and becomes rollable.
• I roll out my dough on a piece of waxed paper. It is easy to handle that way. I sprinkle the table with water and then put a piece of waxed paper on top, this way the paper does not move around as I am rolling. If you have a marble rolling it will be even easier. If you a wooden rolling pin, be sure to dust a teaspoon of flour on it a couple of times when you are rolling out the dough.
• NOTE: This recipe will make enough dough for one 9-inch pie with two crust, top and bottom, or two single pie crusts. Serves 6.

RAISED PORK PIE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. In a large bowl mix together all the ingredients for the filling.
• To make the pastry, put the flour in a large bowl, then put the lard and water into a small pan and heat gently until the lard melts. Bring just to the boil and then stir into the flour using a wooden spoon. When the mixture is cool enough to handle, (it should still feel very warm) knead well until smooth.
• Cut off 1/4 of the dough, wrap in cling film and reserve for the lid. Roll out the remaining dough to a circle and then place in the base of a non-stick 20cm springform cake tin. Working quickly while the dough is warm and pliable, press the dough evenly over the base and up the sides of the tin. Make sure there are no holes. Fill with the meat mixture and pack down well. Roll out the dough for the lid. Place on top of the pie. Pinch all around the edge to seal the pie. Make a hole for steam in the centre, using the handle of a wooden spoon.
• Cook in the oven for 30 mins then reduce the heat to 160C/140C fan/gas 3 and cook for 90 minutes. Brush the top with beaten egg and return to the oven for a further 20 mins. Leave until cold.
• Soak the gelatine in cold water for about 5 mins, then remove and squeeze out the excess water. Heat the stock until almost boiling. Remove from the heat and stir in the gelatine. Leave to cool to room temperature.
• Use a small funnel to pour the stock into the pie through the hole in the top. Pour in a little at a time allowing a few seconds before each addition. Place in the fridge to set overnight.Watch our pork pie video for techniques and tips.

PORK PIE (RAISED)

Steps:

• Put first four ingredients into a saucepan, cover with water.
• Heat to a simmer for 20 minutes, then boil to reduce liquid to about half to three quarters of a cup.
• Strain and cool.
• Mix pork with spices and herbs, salt and pepper.
• Bring milk,water and lard to a boil, gradually beat it into the flour and salt in a bowl.
• Knead 3-4 minutes.
• Roll out two thirds of the pastry, line an 8" spring form pan.
• Add the meat mixture and 4 Tbsp.
• of the meat stock to the pie case.
• Roll out remaining dough to form lid, seal edges well with water.
• Make a hole in center of pie.
• Glaze with beaten egg.
• Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes.
• Cover loosely with foil, reduce heat to 350 degrees, and bake a further two and a half hours.
• Cool pie.
• Warm the remaining jellied stock, then pour into the center hole in the pie.
• Chill.
• Note: If you don't have bones for the stock, use 2 tsp.
• of Gelatine to 1/2 pint stock.

WELSH DRAGON PIE

Steps:

• In a saucepan melt the butter and sweat the leeks without browning for five minutes on a medium heat until soft and buttery. Add the cumin and cayenne pepper and cook for a further five minutes. Put onto a tray to cool.
• In a bowl add the ground pork, leeks and season. Mix well and then divide into four balls. Cover with plastic wrap and put into the fridge until needed.
• To make the pastry, mix the flour and salt in a bowl and make a well in the centre. Bring the water and lard to the boil in a saucepan then stir it into the flour with a wooden spoon to form a smooth dough. Divide into four portions and leave the pastry for 10 minutes to cool.
• Lightly grease each individual pie pan. Place it on a baking tray.
• Take two thirds of each quarter of pastry and on a lightly floured table, roll it to fit the pie pan and overlap the edge. Carefully press into the corners and allow it to just hang over the edge. Roll the remaining pastry into an circle for the lid. Repeat this process with the remaining portions of dough.
• Fill each pie with the pork filling. Brush the pie edges with egg wash and place the lid on top. Pinch the lid edge and the top of the pastry edges together with your thumb to crimp the pie and create a seal. Trim the edge with a knife so no pastry is hanging over the edge.
• Pre-heat an oven to 350°F Brush the top of each pie all over with beaten egg yolk, make a hole in the middle of the pastry lid and cook for one hour.
• Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Once the pie is cold, refrigerate for two to three hours.
• Follow the instructions for the gelatin and add to the stock to make a firm jelly and refrigerate. Once the pie is cold, check around the pastry for any holes and fill them with softened butter so that the jelly doesn't escape. Take the jelly/stock from the fridge, remove the layer of fat from the surface and gently reheat to melt the jelly. Pour the stock into the round hole in the top of the pastry until the pie is filled. Cool in the fridge until the jelly is set.

MELTON MOWBRAY PORK PIE

Steps:

• 1 Egg, lightly beaten Mix the meat, salt, pepper, herbs and spices and set aside.
• To make the stock, boil bones, onions, bay leaf, herbs salt and pepper in 4 cups of water for two hours or until the liquid is reduced to 2 1/3 cups.
• Cool, degrease and refrigerate until it starts to jell.
• To make the pastry, rub 2 oz of the lard into the flour mixed with a teaspoon of salt until it is the consistency of breadcrumbs.
• Boil the rest of the fat with the milk and water.
• Make a well in the mound of flour and while stirring with a wooden spoon, mix in the boiling liquid.
• Knead and leave to rest for 10 minutes.
• To make the casing or"coffyn", roll out three-quarters of the dough into a circle 3/4" thick.
• Flour the outside of the tin and stand it in the centre of the dough.
• Work the dough up the sides of the tin and then gently remove the tin leaving you with a pie casing.
• Fill it immediately with the meat mixture as it is likely to collapse.
• Roll out the remaining dough into a circle slightly larger than the diameter of the casing, to form the lid.
• Preheat the oven to 400F degrees Dampen the top edge of the pie and gently press on the lid.
• Crimp the edge.
• Make a hole in the centre of the lid and decorate it with pastry leaves.
• Place on a baking dish and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes and then reduce the heat to 300 degrees F and bake for 1 3/4 hours.
• If necessary place some aluminim foil on the top to prevent burning.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
• Pour the chilled stock through the hole in the lid and refrigerate Serve Cold.