© J Sainsbury plc 2020
Pork pies
It’s hard to beat a homemade pork pie, and while they have a reputation for being tricky to make, keeping the size to smallish reduces the degree to which the filling is likely to leak. That said, a little juice is likely to seep out as they cook, but it’s nothing to worry about. There are two great tweaks on the classic pie here: the hot water pastry uses olive and coconut oils in place of butter and lard, and substituting the usual meat jelly for redcurrant jelly brings a touch of sweet/sharpness, a little festive flavour and eases back on the richness just a touch. The space for jelly at the top of each pie is never the same, so spoon in what you can.
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Ready in 4 hours (includes chilling time)
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Cooking time 40 minutes
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Prep time 30 minutes
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Serves 4
Ingredients
- 200g good quality pork sausages, cases removed
- 100g lean ham, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp finely chopped sage leaves - around 6 leaves
- 1 free-range egg yolk, beaten
- White or black pepper
- 2 tbsp red currant jelly
- 300g wholemeal plain flour, plus extra to dust
- 45g olive oil, plus a little to grease
- 45g coconut oil
Method
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1
Heat 100ml water in a pan with the oils and salt over a high heat. As soon as they have fully melted remove from the heat and pour in the flour, mixing vigorously with a wooden spoon. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then wrap in a tea towel and leave to one side
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2
Mix the sausage meat, ham and sage in a bowl, seasoning with extra pepper and divide into 6 even sized balls
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3
Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan and grease a 6 hole tin with oil
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4
Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to 3mm thick (about the thickness of £1 coin). Using a 10-12cm cutter or glass to cut out 6 rounds for the pie bases and carefully press into the holes of the muffin tin, then fill each with the meat mixture and brush the edges of the.pastry with egg
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5
Cut another 6 circles, about 8-10cm then put on top of each pie, pressing and crimping the edges to seal
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6
Brush the top with egg and make an approx 1 cm hole in the centre of each lid with the end of a pointed knife (like a small triangle). Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the pies from the oven and let them cool. Use the end of a sharp knife to make sure the holes in the top of the pies are clear
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7
When the pies are cool, warm the jelly in a pan over a medium heat until just liquid, then use a teaspoon to drizzle the liquid jelly into the pies through the holes to fill. Leave to cool completely, then chill until the jelly is set.
