You will need:- 3-4 Good Sausages ( Skin removed ) 250g Good back bacon, roughly chopped
300g HAM, CHOPPED
1 Tsp. GROUND MACE
1 tsp. GROUND PEPPER
CURLY PARSLEY, FINELY CHOPPED
400g MINI CHICKEN FILLETS
18 SOFT APRICOTS
3 GELATINE LEAVES
1 CHICKEN STOCK CUBE
FOR THE PASTRY
450g PLAIN FLOUR
100g LARD OR BUTTER
4 Tbsp. MILK
I EGG BEATEN
YOU WILL NEED :-
METAL LOAF TIN (WE USED DE BUYER LOAF GEO FORME)
PASTRY BRUSH
BAKING PARCHMENT
TO MAKE THE PORK FILLING
- Into a large bowl squeeze the sausage meat from the sausages
- Chop the bacon and the ham
- Place all into a food processor
- Add the mace, pepper and salt
- Pulse until all is coarsely chopped
MAKE THE PASTRY
- Tip the flour into a bowl with 2tsp of salt
- Place the lard or butter into a pan with the milk
- Add the water and heat gently until the fat melts
- Do not let it boil
- Pour the hot liquid into the flour mixture
- Beat with a wooden spoon
Use your hands to knead the dough until it comes smoothly together.
Grease the loaf tin and then line it with baking parchment. Make sure this comes over
the edge of your tin. Dust the inside of the tin with a fine dusting of flour.
Wrap a third of the pastry in cling film and roll out the rest to roughly 1.5cm thick pastry
Roll the pastry over the rolling pin to help you lift over and into the tin. Use your hands to mould the pastry into the tin, pressing it firmly into the edges and up the sides to give an even thickness and overhang all the way around your tin
CONSTRUCT
- Start layering your pie. Use a quarter of the pork filling, pressing into the tin until firmly packed. Top with just over half of the chicken fillets to make an even layer.
- Top with the apricots
- Top with the pork mix again.
- Pile on any remaining mixture to make a dome shape.
- Roll out the remaining pastry to a little bigger than the top of the pie.
- Brush some egg over the overhanging pastry edges on the pie, then lift on your pastry lid
- Cut away the excess pastry from the edges
- Crimp around the edges to form a pretty pattern
- Make a small hole in the centre of the pie for the air to escape
- Brush the top all over with more beaten egg.
- Soften the gelatine leaves in some cold water and pour 500ml boiling water over the stock cube to make stock. Squeeze the excess water from the leaves and stir into the stock to dissolve. Cool to room temperature and then gradually pour the mixture a little at a time into your pie until no more will go in. chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.Aga cooking: Place your tin in a shallow roasting tin and hang on the bottom set of runners in the roasting oven and bake for 30 mins then remove to the baking oven and again hang on the bottom set of runners and continue baking for another hour. Owners of 2 oven Agas should place a cold plain shelf on the second set of runners above the pie after the initial ½ hour in the roasting oven and swap this over after 20 minutes with either another cold plain shelf or a large baking sheet for a further 20-25 minutes. Then move the entire set up (roasting tin and pie and now very hot cold plain shelf) to the simmering oven for a final 10-20 minutes. This time though put the plain shelf on the bottom set of runners and the roasting tin with pie above it. (you are in effect taking some of the heat from the roasting oven into the simmering oven with the pie). Leave to cool. Conventional ovens: Place your pie in a shallow roasting tin and bake for 30 minutes at 200C/180 fan/Gas 6Lower the temperature to 180/160 fan/gas 4 and cook of another hour.Leave to cool
- We hope you will enjoy making this delicious pie, and more importantly, eating it. Serve with a green salad mixed with salad potatoes and a homemade dressing
If you are new to AGA cooking and wish to gain some knowledge and confidence please call 01544 350382 for details of our one to one cooking demonstrations in your own home
