How to make: pork, rhubarb and pickled ginger pie

By Nikkie Sutton

- Last updated on GMT

Pub classic: pork pies are a staple snack in the on-trade
Pub classic: pork pies are a staple snack in the on-trade
A classic pub staple, this pork pie, has been given a twist to include spicy ginger combined with sour rhubarb.

Ingredients

(serves 1)

For pie filling:
  • 350g ham hock
  • 5g each bay and thyme
  • 5g star anise
  • 5g coriander seeds
  • 100ml water
  • 100g sugar
  • 100ml grenadine
  • 300g rhubarb
  • 50g unsalted butter
  • 45g pickled ginger

For pastry:

  • 200ml water
  • 75g unsalted butter
  • 75g lard
  • 450g plain flour
  • 1tbsp icing sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 beaten egg
For garnish:
  • 5g red onion and cranberry chutney
  • 5g rhubarb jelly
  • Watercress

Method

For the pie filling:
  • Gently simmer the ham hock in the aromatics (bay and thyme) – we use star anise, coriander seeds and clove – for about four hours until tender
  • In a pan, warm through the water, sugar and grenadine
  • Peel and cut the rhubarb in to 3cm strips
  • Drop into the liquor of water, sugar and grenadine, gently simmer and remove from the heat, allow the rhubarb to sit in the liquor overnight
  • Whisk in 50g of unsalted butter in to the savoury gravy, season and strain through a chinois
  • Shred the ham hock and to 350g picked meat add 200g of pork sauce
  • Mix the chopped pickled ginger through and leave to one side
For hot water pastry:
  • Put the water, butter and lard into a saucepan and bring to a gentle heat, simmer until the butter and lard are melted, then bring to a gentle boil
  • Place the flour, icing sugar and salt in a large baking bowl, adding the egg
  • Pour the water, butter and lard into the bowl with the flour and egg, and a pinch of salt. Mix thoroughly
  • Remove the pastry from the bowl and knead on a floured surface to create a silky, smooth dough
To assemble and cook the pies:
  • Roll out 2/3 of the dough to about 1cm thick, oil the inside of six quarter-pint pie moulds
  • Line the moulds with pastry and leave to cool
  • Fill with pork mix and put rhubarb on top
  • Roll out the other 1/3 and cut out some lids
  • Seal the lids on to the pies and bake for 20 mins at 200°C
  • Serve with caramelised red onion and cranberry chutney, rhubarb jelly and watercress

Recipe by Laurence Tottingham, development chef with Oliver Kay Produce www.oliverkayproduce.co.uk​, part of the Bidfresh group.

Prep time:​ 30 minutes

Cooking time:​ 4.5 hours (plus overnight marinading)

And to drink?

Hogs Back

Beer sommelier John Porter suggests pork pies are a classic pub snack and match beautifully with a well-balanced bitter like Harvey’s Sussex or Hogs Back Brewery’s TEA. The addition of the sharp, fresh rhubarb and the warmth of the pickled ginger also makes these pies a great partner to a robust IPAs such as Thornbridge Jaipur or Fuller’s Bengal Lancer.

 

 

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