Pork and Apricot Pie

The sun is out! Hopefully it'll last until the weekend and if so this is a great addition to any picnic basket. As you may have noticed I've been attempting different types of pastry recently (with admittedly varying degrees of success), so I thought I'd try and come up with a nice pork pie recipe and was delighted with how this one turned out. A rich hot water pastry crust encases meaty pork, with the apricots adding a lovely contrast in flavour and texture. I think the combination works really well, but as always feel free to experiment with the recipe. Next time I may throw in some chopped bacon or even spice the pork with some ras-el-hanout and replace the apricots with some dates, for a Moroccan vibe.

Prep time: 30 Minutes (Plus many hours of chilling time)

Baking time: 90 Minutes

100g Lard

100ml Water

290g Plain Flour

500g Minced Pork

200g Soft Apricots (Not fresh, but the ones you can get in little vacuum packs or resealable bags)

Salt and Pepper

1 Medium Egg (Beaten)

250ml Pork or Chicken stock (The best you can afford)

2 Leaves of Gelatine

To make the pastry, sift the flour into a large bowl. Melt the lard with the water in a pan and when it just comes up to boil, pour over the flour. Work it around with a wooden spoon until it forms a dough, then leave for five minutes to cool down a bit.

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and lightly grease a 20cm loose bottomed sandwich tin. Knead the dough on a clean surface for a minute or two, then (keeping a fifth of the pastry back for the lid) roll out into a large disc big enough to fill the tin. Carefully transfer to the tin and press gently, so it fills it completely and overhangs by a centimetre at the top. In a fresh bowl mix the minced pork with apricots and season with salt and pepper. Press the pork into the pastry shell, ensuring it's evenly distributed. Roll out the last of the pastry into a lid shaped disc and lay on top. Press/crimp the edges of the lid into the pastry you left overhanging to join them. Cut a little cross into the middle of the lid and fold the points back to make a little hole (This is important), then brush with the beaten egg. Bake in the centre of the oven for 90 minutes, until golden on top.

When the pie is about 5 minutes from being done, you can start on the jelly. Place the gelatine in some cold water to soften. In a pan heat through the stock until just about boiling then turn off the heat. Squeeze any excess cold water out of the gelatine then add to the hot stock and stir until combined. Remove the cooked pie from the oven. Place a funnel into the hole you made in the top of the pie and VERY slowly pour in the stock. It may fill quickly at first, but if you leave it for 10 seconds it'll soak into the pie and you'll be able to add some more. The pie should take all of the liquid but stop if you think it has filled up. Leave the pie to cool, then transfer to the fridge and chill completely. This should take at least 4-5 hours and ideally overnight if you can. When cold remove from the tin, slice and enjoy. I like mine with a little peppery salad, some chutney and salad cream!