Get Your Pie On – It’s British Pie Week!

2nd – 8th March 2015 marks great British Pie Week , and if you’re not familiar with the old savoury favourite – you’ve got some learning to do. The best thing about pies is their versatility, making them the ultimate British delicacy for kitchen-whizzes and culinary-rookies alike.

 

Although the age-old debate of ‘if it’s got a pastry lid is it still a pie?‘ has still not been answered, here are a few examples of the typical pie-crafts that we know and love.

Top and bottom – arguably the most-loved pie, however when it comes to cooking – it’s a little harder due to the well-known ‘soggy bottom’ disaster

Bottom, no top – Usually known as a quiche or a flan, and just as yummy!

Top and no bottom – A little less pastry, a lot more filling.

Whether savoury or sweet, topped with mash or crumble – pies are a must-have dish on any respectable menu. There is even a fantastically named group of people, The Pierateers, who devote their time, love and money to reviewing various pre-made pies in both supermarkets and restaurants. Sounds like a pretty cool job, eh?

So, after all that pie-talk, we’re sure you’re feeling peckish! So, here’s a cheeky little pastry-tastic recipe to keep you and your loved ones happy this BPW! Enjoy.

Pulled Pork & Pumpkin Pie

Serves: 6

Ingredients

1.4kg boneless shoulder of pork

70g light brown sugar

3 tbsp Maldon sea salt

1 tbsp smoked paprika

1 cinnamon stick

3 tbsp coriander seeds

Large pinch of chilli powder

Freshly cracked black pepper

1 clove of garlic

20g freshly grated ginger

700ml apple juice

250ml cold water

 

Method

1.            Place pork onto a chopping board. Make the spice mix. Use a pestle and mortar to grind the sugar, salt, smoked paprika, cinnamon stick, mustard powder, pepper, chilli powder, coriander seeds, garlic and fresh ginger to a powder.

2.            Rub the dry spice rub into the meat, and let it marinate overnight in the fridge.

3.            Preheat the oven to 150°c. Place a cooling rack into an oven roasting tray, and place the marinated pork with the fat side up onto the cooling rack and pour the apple juice and water into the tray. Cover the whole tray with foil. Place pork in the preheated oven for 4 hours 30 minutes.

4.            Remove the pork from the tray and return the pork without the liquid on a separate tray to the oven at 180°c for 30 minutes to crisp the fat. Keep the liquid and let the pork rest for 20 minutes.

5.            Take two forks and pull the pork meat into strands. Once pulled, mix the pulled pork with the cooking liquid in a large mixing bowl. Taste and season if needed.

6.            Fill the prepared short crust pastry moulds with pulled pork mixture three quarters deep. Keep some of the juice in the meat to keep it moist.

7.            Top the pulled pork pies with the prepared buttery pumpkin mash.

8.            Bake the pies in the preheated oven at 180°c for 30 minutes. Let the pies rest for 5 minutes before gently removing from the moulds.

9.            Happy Pie Day – Enjoy!

For the mash, check out this sweet roasted pumpkin mash recipe from food.com.

 

Here at Range Experts, we love everything from good food to good range cookers, and hope you and your family enjoy your pastry-creations this British Pie Week ’15! If you’re looking for range repairs in Devon, our team of friendly professionals will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have. So, for more information, please do not hesitate to contact us on 01392 427 641 today!