Pork Pie

I used the cooking liquid from some sous-vide bacon belly, but chicken stock with some added gelatin works just as well.

Ingredients:

• 125g bacon lardons
• 250g 10% fat minced pork
• 300g pork shoulder, cut into pieces under 1cm in size
• 1 tsp all spice
• a generous pinch of ground nutmeg
• 10 leaves of fresh sage, finely chopped
• Hot water pastry made with 400g flour, 140g lard and 155ml water
• 1 egg, beaten
• 100ml of stock mixed with gelatin

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius
2. Put the water on for the pastry.
3. Tip the lardons into a mixing bowl and add the minced pork, should and spices. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Mix well.
5. Line the pie dish(es) with the three quarters of the pastry.
6. Fill the pastry with the filling and then use the remaining pastry to make a lid, keeping a little bit aside to make the plug for the hole.
7. Use the end of a wooden spoon to puncture a hole in the lid after attaching the lid to the base with a bit of pressure between your fingers.
8. Bake in the oven for 2 hours.
9. 20 minutes before the end of the cooking time, you brush the egg wash onto the top of the pie to give it a good brown colour.
10. Leave to cool before removing from the tin.
11. Heat up the stock mixture (also known as aspic) until it goes liquid. Put into a jug and leave to cool until it's just about to set.
12. Use a sharp knife to remove the plug from the lid of the pie and use a funnel to pour the liquid into the pie.
13. Replace the pastry plug in the lid.
14. Place in a fridge and leave to fully chill.

Makes two 10cm pies, serving about 5 people.