A RAISED PORK, CHICKEN AND PARSLEY PIE
A pie like this needs to be made the day before a picnic to give everything time to cool and find its place.
Preparation 25 minutes Cooking 1 hour 30 minutes Serves 8
200G PORK LARD
500G PLAIN FLOUR, PLUS EXTRA FOR DUSTING
2 EGGS
1-2KG ORGANIC OR FREE-RANGE CHICKEN, WITH GIBLETS 350G FATTY PORK BELLY, CUBED
200G BACON LARDONS OR CHOPPED STREAKY BACON LARGE HANDFUL OF FLAT-LEAF PARSLEY, LEAVES PICKED AND CHOPPED
A HANDFUL OF CHIVES, FINELY SLICED
1 TSP GROUND WHITE PEPPER
½ TSP GROUND BLACK PEPPER
A GOOD PINCH OF GRATED NUTMEG
1 You will need an 18cm-20cm diameter by 7cm-9cm deep pie dish or cake tin. To make the pastry, put the lard and 170ml of water into a pan over a low heat until the fat has melted and the mixture is warm.
2 Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine the flour with ½ tsp sea salt. Crack one of the eggs into a bowl and beat it lightly. Pour the lard and water mixture into the flour. Add the beaten egg and bring everything together to form a dough. Place it on a worksurface and fold four or five times until smooth. Allow to cool in the fridge.
3 While the pastry is chilling, make the filling. Place the chicken on a board. Remove the giblets and use a sharp knife to remove each leg. Divide the drumsticks from the thighs. Carefully remove the chicken breasts. Try not to leave any meat on the carcass.
4 Remove the skin from the legs and breasts – save this and all the bones to make a stock. Cut the leg and thigh meat away from the bones and place in a bowl with the cubed pork belly and lardons or chopped bacon. Trim the liver and heart; add to the other meats.
5 Give everything a good mix, then put through a mincer or chop to a fine consistency by hand. Place in a large bowl and add the parsley and chives, along with the pepper, nutmeg and 1 tsp sea salt.
6 Cut the chicken breasts into 2-3cm cubes and add to the minced pork and chicken. Mix really well, cover and refrigerate until needed. 7 Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan oven) gas mark 4.
8 Set aside a quarter of the pastry for the pie lid. Form the remaining three-quarters into a round and, on a floured surface, roll out into a circle, roughly 35cm in diameter. Lay the pastry in the tin, bringing it up the sides and smoothing out as you go. Leave a slight overhang.
9 Fill the lined tin with the meat mixture, making sure you don’t leave any unfilled gaps. Roll out the smaller portion of pastry. It should have the same diameter as the pie tin itself.
10 Crack the remaining egg into a bowl and beat it. Brush the pastry rim with the egg. Ease the lid into place and crimp the edges together.
11 Use the tip of a knife to make a small hole in the middle of the lid. Set the pie in the middle of the oven and bake for 20 minutes, then lower the setting to 160°C (140°C fan oven) gas mark 2-3.
12 Brush with egg and return to the oven for 1 hour 10 minutes until the pastry is golden and the filling is cooked through. Remove and allow to cool; refrigerate for 6-8 hours or overnight before eating.