October 3, 2016
These old school pies are just the ticket on a winter's eve. Serve with a rich homemade tomato sauce or fruit chutney. Note: You can easily use pre-made frozen pastry in the recipe as well. But making your own is totally satisfying and does taste that little bit more yum. Makes 4 pies.
1For the pastry, quickly work together the flour, salt, butter and 2 egg yolks with 1-2 tbsp cold water to form a smooth pastry. Wrap in cling film and chill for around 30 minutes.
2For the filling, heat the Nuttelex in a fry pan, brown meat then set aside.
3Brown the mushrooms, then set aside.
4Fry the onion and garlic until translucent in the same pan. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
5In a bowl, mix the meat with the mushroom, onion and garlic. Add breadcrumbs until the mixture is able to hold its shape. Season to taste with salt, ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, lemon zest and sherry so that the mixture has a tang with a slight sweet kick.
6Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C in a fan oven), 375°F, gas 5. Grease the ramekins with Nuttelex.
7Knead the pastry briefly and roll out to a thickness of 3-4 mm. Cut out 4 circles to line the ramekins (each approx. 18 cm in diameter) and 4 circles for lids (the diameter of the ramekin). Line the pots with the large pastry circles so that the pastry protrudes slightly at the top. Add the filling and press evenly into the case.
8Cut small holes in the lids and place these on top of the pies. Crimp the edges together. Brush with the remaining egg yolk and bake for approx. 35 minutes until golden.
9Take out of the oven, cool slightly and remove from the ramekins. Serve hot or cold with sauce or chutney.