An impressive beast of a pie that feeds around 12 people! I made one recently and took on a camping trip and we ate it on the beach. Looks like a lot of effort but it really is not that difficult. Need to make sure I seal the top better next time though as a lot of the fat ran out and left me with only a thin layer of jelly. Great if you don’t like the jelly though I suppose!
Probably costs about a tenner to make but much better than buying one from a supermarket.
This recipe was in Olive magazine last month.
Ingredients
Eggs 7
750g block shortcrust pastry
butter
1 kg lean pork mince
6 sausages skinned. The recipe said pork and herb but I used Lincolnshire, Choose whatever you prefer.
250g unsmoked back bacon rind and fat cut off and diced ( although I will leave some fat on next time)
1 tbsp fennel seeds crushed
2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley finely chopped
1 tbsp sage 3 tbsp, finely chopped. I couldn’t find fresh so used dried. Sage is always the hardest herb to find!
egg 1 beaten
Heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Lower the eggs into boiling water and cook for 7 minutes then cool immediately and peel. Trim the end off each to make sure there is yolk in every slice!.
Roll out ¾ of the pastry saving some for the pie lid.
Line a lightly buttered 22cm spring-form cake tin with the pastry, leaving an overhang to attach the lid securely. I didn’t leave enough and my pie leaked a little.
Mix the pork mince, sausage meat, bacon, fennel, and herbs in a large bowl. Add 2 tsp sea salt and 1 tsp ground black pepper and squidge together with your hands. You may want to fry a tiny piece of it to check the seasoning, its a lot of ingredients to go to waste if it is not right!
Add half of the mix to the tin, and make little dents for the boiled eggs.
Place the eggs on top in a circle, gently pushing them down into the meat, then add the rest of the meat on top.
Roll out the rest of the pastry and cut to fit the top of the pie.
Press the edges together tightly making sure there are no gaps and make a hole in the middle for steam to escape.
Put on a tray and cook for 1 hour 20 minutes. Check it is done by poking a skewer in and making sure it is piping hot and steam comes out. Cool in the tin and chill overnight.
Release from the tin and serve with piccalilli!
GORGE 