Pork Pies (Warwickshire Recipe)

The Book of Household Management · Beeton, Mrs. (Isabella Mary) · 1861

Source: The Book of Household Management
Status: success · extracted 13 days ago
Not a recipe: No

Ingredients (11)

crust

5 lbs. of lard to 14 lbs. of flour, milk, and water ↝ Lard [Fats and Oils]
5 lbs. of lard to 14 lbs. of flour, milk, and water ↝ Flour, 00 [Cereal Grains and Pasta]
5 lbs. of lard to 14 lbs. of flour, milk, and water ↝ Milk, NFS [Milk, reduced fat]
5 lbs. of lard to 14 lbs. of flour, milk, and water ↝ Water, tap [Tap water]

filling

to every 3 lbs. of meat allow 1 oz. of salt, 2-1/4 oz. of pepper, a small quantity of cayenne, 1 pint of water ↝ Pheasant, raw, meat only [Poultry Products]
to every 3 lbs. of meat allow 1 oz. of salt, 2-1/4 oz. of pepper, a small quantity of cayenne, 1 pint of water ↝ Salt, table, iodized [Spices and Herbs]
to every 3 lbs. of meat allow 1 oz. of salt, 2-1/4 oz. of pepper, a small quantity of cayenne, 1 pint of water ↝ Spices, pepper, black [Spices and Herbs]
to every 3 lbs. of meat allow 1 oz. of salt, 2-1/4 oz. of pepper, a small quantity of cayenne, 1 pint of water ↝ Peppers, raw, NFS [Other vegetables and combinations]
to every 3 lbs. of meat allow 1 oz. of salt, 2-1/4 oz. of pepper, a small quantity of cayenne, 1 pint of water ↝ Water, tap [Tap water]

for 1 pie

1 lb. of flour ↝ Flour, 00 [Cereal Grains and Pasta]
3 lbs. of meat ↝ Pheasant, raw, meat only [Poultry Products]

Instructions (15)

Rub into the flour a portion of the lard.
Put the remainder of the lard with sufficient milk and water to mix the crust, and boil this gently for 1/4 hour.
Pour the boiling mixture on the flour, and knead and beat it till perfectly smooth.
Raise the crust in either a round or oval form.
Cut up the pork into pieces the size of a nut.
Season the pork in the proportion of 1 oz. salt, 2-1/4 oz. pepper, and a small quantity of cayenne per 3 lbs. of meat.
Press the seasoned pork compactly into the pie, in alternate layers of fat and lean.
Pour in a small quantity of water.
Lay on the lid.
Cut the edges smoothly round and pinch them together.
Bake in a slow brick oven.

Tips for raising the crust

The crust must not be allowed to get cold, or it will fall immediately.
Perform the operation as near the fire as possible.
If dexterity is lacking, a glass bottle or small jar may be placed in the middle of the paste, and the crust moulded on this.
Be particular that the bottle or jar is kept warm the whole time.

Original Text

PORK PIES (Warwickshire Recipe).

835. INGREDIENTS.—For the crust, 5 lbs. of lard to 14 lbs. of flour, milk, and water. For filling the pies, to every 3 lbs. of meat allow 1 oz. of salt, 2-1/4 oz. of pepper, a small quantity of cayenne, 1 pint of water.

Mode.—Rub into the flour a portion of the lard; the remainder put with sufficient milk and water to mix the crust, and boil this gently for 1/4 hour. Pour it boiling on the flour, and knead and beat it till perfectly smooth. Now raise the crust in either a round or oval form, cut up the pork into pieces the size of a nut, season it in the above proportion, and press it compactly into the pie, in alternate layers of fat and lean, and pour in a small quantity of water; lay on the lid, cut the edges smoothly round, and pinch them together. Bake in a brick oven, which should be slow, as the meat is very solid. Very frequently, the inexperienced cook finds much difficulty in raising the crust. She should bear in mind that it must not be allowed to get cold, or it will fall immediately: to prevent this, the operation should be performed as near the fire as possible. As considerable dexterity and expertness are necessary to raise the crust with the hand only, a glass bottle or small jar may be placed in the middle of the paste, and the crust moulded on this; but be particular that it is kept warm the whole time.

Sufficient.—The proportions for 1 pie are 1 lb. of flour and 3 lbs. of meat.

Seasonable from September to March.

THE FLESH OF SWINE IN HOT CLIMATES.—It is observed by M. Sonini, that the flesh of swine, in hot climates, is considered unwholesome, and therefore may account for its proscription by the legislators and priests of the East. In Egypt, Syria, and even the southern parts of Greece, although both white and delicate, it is so flabby and surcharged with fat, that it disagrees with the strongest stomachs. Abstinence from it in general was, therefore, indispensable to health under the burning suns of Egypt and Arabia. The Egyptians were permitted to eat it only once a year,—on the feast of the moon; and then they sacrificed a number of these animals to that planet. At other seasons, should any one even touch a hog, he was obliged immediately to plunge into the river Nile, as he stood, with his clothes on, in order to purify himself from the supposed contamination he had contracted by the touch.

Notes

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