PIES AND PASTRIES
Pies and pasties all require one very basic element each, the pastry. Pastry itself can vary to suit the different products and individual tastes but, however, some basic pastry recipes are given here. Experimentation by slight variation of the various ingredients may create a product that has a more ‘preferred’ taste or perhaps be more suitable to a particular product or even locality and also the tastes of that locality.
Rough puff pastry is not perhaps used very widely with meat products but as there is some use of it, some mention must be made, and a recipe is given. In order to produce a ‘good’ rough puff pastry though it does require some considerable time and certainly a fair amount of effort (unless a pastry rolling machine is close at hand). Although time and effort are to be expected from workers in the meat industry the cost of that time and effort must be considered against the potential gains that are available for the time/effort outlay. A more acceptable method nowadays (except where the larger scale production of products using rough puff pastry is contemplated) is to ‘buy in’ readymade rough puff pastry or puff pastry (sometimes called flaky pastry), probably in frozen blocks. Rough puff pastry and flaky pastry are not the same product but to a limited extent, flaky pastry can be used in place of rough puff pastry but rarely can rough puff pastry be used in place of flaky pastry.
In a similar vein, suet crust pastry is not a product widely used in meat products (steak and kidney puddings perhaps being the main item that does use it) but again a basic recipe is given in case it may be needed by someone.
Short Crust Pastry.
4 kg Plain flour
1¾ kg Lard or margarine (butter may be preferred but for commercial purposes lard or margarine are usually used)
20g Salt (This is a commodity which is currently under severe scrutiny on health grounds and if an acceptable taste is achieved by using less, do so but do NOT compromise taste for absolutely no reason).
Water For this amount of pastry about 300ml to 400ml should be quite adequate but It may be found with some pastries that different batches of pastry (and perhaps even flours) do require slightly different amounts of water to achieve an accepted consistency so do add the water gradually and also have more water available in case more may be needed to be added should it be required.
Method
Put the flour and salt into a bowl (in the case of modern flours, sifting of the flour, although recommended by many recipes is now rarely necessary) add the fat (which may be put in as slices or small chunks) and rub the fat into the flour until the mixture begins to crumble into a breadcrumb like appearance. (One method seen, but not tried by the author, is to have the lard in a frozen state and then to shred it for adding to the flour. It is claimed that this method enables a more even mixing.) Add the water gradually and continue mixing until the pastry forms a fairly firm mass. Empty onto a floured surface and knead to complete the mix but don’t over knead. Use as required in the recipe. An increase in the quantity of fat makes a ‘shorter’ pastry and reductions in the amounts of fat makes a pastry, which is less ‘short’. The pastry once made may be either used immediately, or be placed into a chiller for a short time prior to use, thus making it slightly more firm to handle.
To make a cheese pastry, 250g of grated cheese should be added to each 1kg of flour used. For best results a fairly mature type of cheese is preferred. This is added after the fat has been rubbed into the flour but before the water is added. Cheese pastries can be used to make Cheese and Onion pasties which are similar to Cornish pasties but obviously having a cheese and onion filling. Products such as this appears to have an even stronger regional preference so no recipe is given here but this kind of recipe is quite easy to develop to suit the ‘local’ demand.
Hot Water Pastry
(This type of pastry is often preferred for use in making pork pies and by some people for making steak and kidney pies, both of which may be required to hold a ‘gravy’ or liquor once baked.
3½ kg Plain flour
1.25 kg Lard (melted)
20g Salt (do remember the point of scrutiny of salt levels for health reasons)
1.4ltr of near boiling water.
Due to the temperatures of the water and the hot fat DO TAKE EXTREME CARE when producing this pastry.
Put the flour and the salt together in a bowl making a ‘well’ in the centre of the mix. Melt the lard until it is quite hot but take care with this as hot fat can cause more ‘burn’ to skin than boiling water since it does achieve a higher temperature and will stick to the skin. Boil the water. (Some recipes suggest mixing the lard with the water and bringing it all to the boil. In theory this may sound ideal but when water containing fat reaches the boiling temperature of the water, the mixture may ‘spit’ tremendously and serious injury can result). Add the melted lard and most of the boiling water into the flour/salt mix and beat well with a wooden spoon (if a mixing machine isn’t being used) until the mixture clings together in a ball and leaves the sides of the bowl cleanly. Do not attempt to mix this mixture by hand, very hot fat has been used and the mix being prepared may cause injuries). If the mixture is still ‘dry’, then add the remainder of the water. The reason for this is that additional water may be added but water cannot be taken out once added. This is another good reason for not putting the water with the fat to heat up since all of the fat should be used but not necessarily all of the water. Put the finished product onto a floured surface and leave to cool before using in the recipe. It can help to chill the product down prior to use as this makes it more workable.
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Suet Crust Pastry
3.0 kg Plain flour & 50g baking powder (or alternatively use 3.0kg self-raising flour)
25g Salt
1.25 kg Shredded beef suet
2 ltr. Cold water
Method
Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl, stir in the suet and then bind with the water to form a soft mix. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead only lightly prior to use. This mix can be used in making steak and kidney puddings (or indeed can be used for some meat pies although it is less popular than the first two pastries). Do note that the salt level in this recipe is quite high and in view of modern demands may need to be reduced.
Rough Puff Pastry.
3.0 kg Plain flour
0.75 kg Lard
1.00kg Margarine
20g Salt
1.5ltr Cold water
Method
(The mix of lard and margarine can be varied, some recipes suggesting all margarine, other recipes suggesting the majority of margarine and less lard. The mix has to be developed to suit the product that sells best). Some recipes advise the addition of some lemon juice to make this pastry but that can usually be regarded as an ‘optional item’.
Mix the flour and the salt and then add the fats that have been cut up into small pieces and stir into the mix but DO NOT rub it in as is done with the other pastries. Add enough water to make it into a stiff dough mix and then turn the mix out on to a floured rolling board. Roll some of the mix (enough for one rolling) out into a narrow strip and then fold the strip into three, in doing so turning the ‘block’ of rolled pastry through one quarter so that the open ends are facing you. Roll out the pastry again into a strip and fold again then turn to make the open ends face you again. This action needs to be done three or four times to complete the process. The finished rolled pastry should then be placed into the chiller to rest for about 30 or 40 minutes before its final use.
Pork Pies
In making pies, ideally a pie forming machine is needed for any large quantity production. Simple, hand operated machines are available with the ‘blocking’ head heated either by gas or electricity. However, some pies can be made without the aid of such machines, the ‘hand raised’ pork pie being in itself quite a popular selling pie. In making a small hand raised pie, while not absolutely essential it is again made easier if a pie forming tin (or ring) is used and if a wooden ‘block’ can be made up for use with the tin or ‘ring’. This kind of block needs to be about 3 times the height of the pie to be made (which is the depth of the tin) and about 10 or 15mm less than the diameter of the tin being used (to enable a thickness of pastry at the sides). If the block is made with a ‘ring’ turned in on one end it does make it more obvious which way up it is to be used! The ring end is not where the pastry is put on it! The block needs to be made of a hard wood (to enable it to maintain a good standard of hygiene) and be well smoothed down in order to prevent any pieces of wood getting into the pies. As a rough guide when getting material ready it can be useful to remember that a small pie e.g. a 227g (8oz) pie will contain about 114g (4oz) of pastry and 114g (4oz) of meat (here giving imperial weights as well as metric weight for a traditional British product). The pastry (usually hot water pastry) is rolled out, fairly thick (the thickness will become easier to determine for the person making them as they progress) and then may be laid over the well-floured forming block. Form the pastry to the block until it is of a thickness that permits the tin to be put over it. Turn over the tin, with the block and pastry still in it and carefully remove the block. The tins then have a pastry cavity to hold the meat. After filling the cavity with meat the edges of the pastry around the top of the pie are wetted with water and a pastry lid can be placed on top. Using either a ‘crimping tool’ (or even a normal dining fork) crimp the pastry lid to the rest of the pie before trimming off any surplus pastry from around the edges. Large pies are difficult to make without using a block and ‘pie tin’ but small pies can also be made as follows without a tin. Prepare the hot water pastry as usual and allow starting to chill. Roll an approximate amount [let’s say 114g (4oz) of pastry for a 227g (8oz pie)] into a fairly even ‘ball’. Chill the pastry balls for a time; about an hour is usually enough to get the firmness needed. Take the ‘ball’ and put the two thumbs into the centre of the ball and form a ‘cup’, turning frequently to ensure that the sides have a reasonably even thickness (similarly to how a potter can be seen doing with clay - although the potter has a moving turntable to help the work). Make sure that the sides are tall enough to take the meat that will be used and place the meat into the cup. Take a small piece of rolled out pastry to use as a lid and, after wetting the insides of the top of the pie with water, using fingers and thumbs crimp the edges before trimming off any surplus pastry from around the top. Some people making small hand raised pork pies don’t use a separate lid but instead, after filling the pie, bring the wetted pastry edges together to seal. In the opinion of the author, which is after all only one opinion, the use of a separate lid does give a better finished appearance. Once lidded, the pastry top of the pie can be brushed with some beaten egg mix to enable the top of the pie when baked to have a nice ‘golden brown’ colour. In the case of pork pies it is usual to have a lightly seasoned ‘meat jelly’’ ready which can be poured into the pie through a small hole broken through the top of the piecrust after baking. The jelly can be made using pork bones and pig trotters, boiled in water until the rind is quite soft on the trotters. Once the jelly has been strained away from the bones/trotters it should be re-boiled with the addition of perhaps a very slight seasoning of salt & pepper. Meat jelly it must be remembered though can be an ideal growth medium for bacteria and so strictest standards of hygiene must be maintained. The meat jelly MUST be boiled before use (and then be permitted to cool a little before putting in the pie) and all implements used must be as near sterile as possible.
Pork Pie suggested Meat Recipe
The filling for a pork pie has various devotees. Some prefer the meat to be cured (and therefore having a pinkish colour when cooked) while other insist that the meats used should never be cured. Some people making pork pies make both kinds to try and satisfy both markets but usually it is preferable to settle on one or the other and seek to gain a reputation for the product that you make really well. If the cured type is chosen then the meat needs to be cured prior to cooking and this may be done either by the use of a ‘curing mix’ being spread on the meat (usually after the first mincing) or by cutting the meat into small pieces and keeping it in a brine for a short time, usually overnight is enough time but it does depend on how small the pieces of pork are cut (to enable penetration of the brine). The major variation that this causes is in the quantity of salt to be used in the seasoning (since the brine or the curing mix will already have incorporated some salt). Some recipes may be found to include the addition of some cereal or binder and while this may aid the margin of profit that can be achieved, do try the quality of the end product before attempting such changes. As with sausage recipes it will be found that there are many variations on the possible seasonings that can be used.
Meat Ingredients:
3kg Pork shoulder meat (70 – 75% Visual lean [V.L.])
3kg Pork belly meat (60%V.L)
1½ kg Pork back fat
(With the modern trend in demands to reduce the fat contents of foods, a variation may be made where the pork back fat is replaced with a further 1½ kg of pork belly but do try the taste first since it may be found that the change may be one sacrifice too many).