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Taking time to live well
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Recipe | Picnic Pies

Lottie Storey May 26, 2017

These mini pork and apple pies are portable pockets for flavour, just right for a bank holiday picnic

Picnic Pies

Serves 6
220g pork loin, diced
110g pork belly, diced
3 rashers back bacon, diced
30g chicken livers
1 small onion, minced
1 tbsp chopped fresh sage leaves
1 small garlic clove, peeled and crushed
Pinch of ground mace or nutmeg
1 red apple, peeled, cored and diced

for the pie crust
310g plain flour, plus extra to dust
11⁄2 tsp salt
50g vegetable shortening (such as Trex) 

for the glaze
1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tbsp milk

you will need
1 jam jar (approx 7cm diameter)
Kitchen twine
6 strips of wax paper, about 30x8cm each

1 Preheat oven to 190C/Fan 170C/375F. Put the pork loin, pork belly, bacon and chicken livers in a food processor and blitz to mince. Transfer to a bowl. Mix in onion, sage, garlic and mace, and season to taste.
2 To make the pie crust, sift flour and salt in
a bowl. Put the shortening and 120ml water into a saucepan and heat gently until the fat melts and the water comes to a boil. Pour the
liquid into the flour and, using a wooden spoon, gently bring together into a soft dough. Once the dough is cool enough to handle, knead lightly until smooth.
3 Divide dough into eight pieces and roll six of them into 12cm disks. Invert them, one at a time over an upturned jam jar. Wrap a strip of wax paper around the outside, and tie round the middle with twine (as above).
4 Turn the whole thing over so the dough sits flat. Carefully work the jar up out of the pie crust (you may need to slip a palette knife down between dough and jar). Divide pork filling into six portions and put one portion in each pie. Put the diced apple on top.
5 Roll out the last two pieces of dough and, with a cookie cutter, cut three disks from each piece the same size as the tops of the pies. Put a disk on each pie, press edges to seal, then turn edges in and over to form a rim. 6 Brush the pies with egg-milk glaze. Pierce each top with a fork to let the steam escape. On a large baking sheet, bake for 45–50 mins, or until golden. Remove from the oven, transfer to a wire rack to cool, and serve cold.

Recipe by Louise Pickford from Traditional Pub Grub (Ryland Peters & Small)

 

More from the May issue:

Featured
May 29, 2017
Recipe | Smoked trout, cucumber and coconut salad with dosa
May 29, 2017
May 29, 2017
May 27, 2017
Garden hacks | Make a colander hanging basket
May 27, 2017
May 27, 2017
May 26, 2017
Recipe | Picnic Pies
May 26, 2017
May 26, 2017

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InEating Tagsissue 59, picnic, may, pie, pastry
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  Buy ,  download  or  subscribe   See the sample of our latest issue  here   Buy a copy of our latest anthology:  A Year of Celebrations   Buy a copy of  Flourish 2 , our wellbeing bookazine  Listen to  our podcast  - Small Ways to Live Well
Feb 27, 2025
Feb 27, 2025

Buy, download or subscribe

See the sample of our latest issue here

Buy a copy of our latest anthology: A Year of Celebrations

Buy a copy of Flourish 2, our wellbeing bookazine

Listen to our podcast - Small Ways to Live Well

Feb 27, 2025
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The Simple Things is published by Iceberg Press

The Simple Things

Taking time to live well

We celebrate slowing down, enjoying what you have, making the most of where you live, enjoying the company of of friends and family, and feeding them well. We like to grow some of our own vegetables, visit local markets, rummage for vintage finds, and decorate our home with the plunder. We love being outdoors and enjoy the satisfaction that comes with a job well done.

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