Jewelled Pork Pistachio Pie Food

PORK, APRICOT & PISTACHIO PIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line 6 holes of a muffin tin with strips of baking parchment (these will help you to lift out the pies once cooked). Set aside a quarter of the pastry and roll out the remaining pastry on a floured surface to the thickness of a 20p coin. Cut out 6 x 8cm circles and use to line the muffin tin holes, leaving a little overhanging the top edge.
• Put the pork in a bowl, add the remaining ingredients, except the egg, and season. Mix by hand until combined, then pack the meat firmly into the cases.
• Roll out the remaining pastry to the same thickness. Cut into 0.5cm strips and create a lattice pattern on top of the pies. Trim off any excess. Brush the inside edge of each pie with egg, then roll up the overhanging pastry (from step 1) to stick the layers together. Can be covered with cling film and chilled for up to 2 days.
• Brush pies with egg and bake for 45 mins until golden. Cool and eat with pickle.

PISTACHIO & CRANBERRY PORK PIE

Steps:

• Put the cranberries in a pan with the sugar and orange juice. Bring to a simmer, then cook until the berries start to burst and the sauce thickens. Set aside to cool.
• Heat the oil in a small pan and fry the onion until soft. Add the bacon and garlic, and cook until the bacon starts to brown, then stir through the thyme, sage and some seasoning. Allow it to cool slightly, then mix with the pork and pistachios. Season with salt, pepper and freshly grated nutmeg. Set aside.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Tip the flour into a bowl with 2 tsp salt. Put lard and milk into a pan with 150ml water, then heat until the lard has completely melted. Pour into the flour and beat with a wooden spoon until a ball of dough is formed. Knead briefly on a lightly floured surface until smooth.
• Take two-thirds of the pastry and roll out between two sheets of baking parchment into a circle large enough to line the base and sides of a 20cm cake tin (about 4-6cm high with a slight overhang. Press the pastry into the tin making sure to push it into the corners. Pile half the filling into the pastry and flatten into an even layer. Spread over two-thirds of the cranberry sauce, then finish with remaining pork and roughly smooth the top. Keep the rest of the cranberry sauce in the fridge to serve with the pie.
• Roll out remaining pastry between baking parchment and cut to a 20cm round. Place onto the pie and glaze the edge with some beaten egg. Fold up the overhanging pastry and press down to seal. Make a steam hole with the tip of a knife, then glaze the pie with more beaten egg. Cook for 30 mins, then reduce the heat to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Continue cooking for 40 mins until the pastry is golden and a skewer inserted into the centre of the pie and left for 10 secs feels very hot. Cool on a wire rack. Serve with the reserved cranberry sauce. Will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Watch our pork pie video for extra tips.

JEWELLED PORK & PISTACHIO PIE

Steps:

• Tip the bacon, pork and sausagemeat into a large bowl, then grate in the nutmeg and add the sage, cranberries, apricots, pistachios, ¼ tsp salt and a good grinding of black pepper. Mix to combine, then cover and keep chilled while you make the pastry.
• Tip the lard and butter into a small pan with 150ml water and bring to a simmer. Weigh the flour out in a heatproof bowl with ½ tsp salt. When the butter and lard have melted and the mixture is steaming, pour it over the flour and quickly mix to form a scraggy dough. Tip out onto a surface and knead briefly until smooth. Cut off a third, then wrap and set aside.
• Roll the remaining pastry out to the thickness of a £1 coin, then lift using a rolling pin and unroll into a deep 20cm loose-bottomed cake tin. Press the pastry into the edge and up the side - don't worry if it doesn't reach the top, just press into an even layer and ensure there are no holes.
• Spoon the filling into the pastry case and pack in with the back of the spoon to expel any air pockets. Mound it up in the centre to create a dome, leaving about 1cm of the pastry edge protruding.
• Roll out the reserved pastry to the same thickness as before, then use a plate as a template to cut out a 20cm circle. You can either top the pie with the pastry lid as it is, or create a lattice effect. To do this, you will need to use a lattice cutter or ruler and knife. Hold the ruler over the pastry circle and, starting from the left or right side, cut 1cm vertical lines in the pastry going from top to bottom, leaving 1cm gaps between the incisions. After completing one line of cuts, move the ruler ½cm to the side and make another line of cuts. Continue all the way along the pastry. Gently tease the holes open with your fingers to create a webbed lattice effect, then use the same 20cm template to retrim the lid. Carefully lift it over the pie, folding over the excess pastry and crimping all the way around the edge to seal. Brush the pastry with some of the beaten egg. Re-roll any offcuts and use to decorate the pie, if you like (we cut out star shapes). Stick these on and brush with more beaten egg. Will keep covered, uncooked, in the fridge for up to 24 hrs.
• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Bake for 2 hrs until the pastry is deep golden brown. If you have a food thermometer, the internal temperature should reach 70C. Leave to cool completely in the tin, then chill for at least 4 hrs before serving. Will keep covered in the fridge for up to five days.

PISTACHIO CRUSTED PORK CHOPS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Combine nuts, lemon peel, garlic, bread crumbs and salt in shallow bowl.
• Season chops with salt and pepper. Dip each chop in egg then nut mixture and transfer to baking pan.
• In large skillet heat oil over medium heat. Add chops and cook about two minutes per side until golden.
• Return to baking pan and bake for about 20 minutes.

PORK PIE

Steps:

• Brown ground beef and ground pork over medium heat until thoroughly cooked. Drain off grease.
• Mix together cooked meat, potatoes, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
• Line a 9 inch pie dish with pastry. Spoon pork mixture into pie crust, and top with second pie crust. Brush top crust with egg white. Shield crust edges with aluminum foil to prevent burning.
• Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 45 minutes. Remove foil for final 15 minutes of baking to brown edges.

JEWELED MOROCCAN PILAF WITH PISTACHIO NUTS

Steps:

• In 4-quart Dutch oven, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onions, ras el hanout and salt; cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently, until translucent.
• Add rice; cook and stir 1 minute; add broth, raisins and apricots. Heat to boiling over high heat, stirring frequently. Cover and reduce heat to low; cook about 18 minutes or until tender but not mushy.
• Stir in pistachio nuts.