Mr vikkis chilli jam pork pies

This is pretty much a Paul Hollywood recipe although I’ve tweeked it a bit and added some chilli jam, you can use any chilli jam you like but I went for Mr Vikkis as I love the spice combination and think it works brilliantly with pork.

It was the first time I’d made pork pies and the first time I’d made hot water pastry, I wasn’t sure how the jam would affect the pastry so only put it in half of the pies, I think I put it too close to the top so in this recipe I’ve suggested putting it in the middle. You could also mix it in with the pork to distribute it a bit more.

The recipe also says to leave overnight but I much preferred the pastry on the same day as It was much crisper so my tip would be to get up early, make them, cool them then chill them to set the jelly.

Ingredients

• 265g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• 55g strong white bread flour
• 55g unsalted butter, cubed
• 65g lard
• 1 tsp salt
• 135ml boiling water
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1 egg, lightly beaten, for glazing

For the filling

• 1 small red onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 380g pork loin, finely chopped
• 100g smoked back bacon, finely chopped
• Small bunch of parsley, leaves only, chopped
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large or 2 small sheets of leaf gelatine
• chicken stock cube
• 300ml boiling water
• Jar of Mr Vikkis Chilli Jam

Preparation method

1. Heat your oven to 190ºC. Have ready a 12-hole muffin tin
2. First make the pork filling. Put the onion, pork, bacon and parsley into a bowl with some salt and pepper and mix well. To check the seasoning of the mix, fry a tiny nugget of the mixture in a frying pan until cooked through. Leave to cool, then taste and adjust your mixture accordingly. Cover and set aside while you make the pastry
3. For the hot water crust, put the flours and chilli powder into a bowl. Add the butter and rub in with your fingertips. Heat the lard in a pan until melted. Dissolve the salt in the boiling water, then add to the melted lard. Pour this liquid into the flour. Mix with a spoon then, as soon as it is cool enough, tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and work together into a ball. Be careful that the dough is not too hot when you start to work it. Once the dough ball is formed, leave it to cool slightly. If it’s still lumpy, work it a minute or two longer. Divide the dough in two, making one piece slightly bigger than the other
4. Working as quickly as you can, roll out the larger piece of dough to about a 3mm thickness; it should be glossy and still warm to touch. Using an 11-12cm cutter, cut out 12 rounds to line the muffin moulds. Put them into the moulds, shaping to fit the sides. The pastry should come slightly above the rim of each mould. Roll out the other piece of dough and use a 6-7cm cutter to cut out 12 lids. Lift away the trimmings and re-roll the pastry if you need to cut more, but only once. As it cools, it stiffens and becomes more brittle
5. Put 1/2 tablespoonful of the filling into each pastry case top with a teaspoon of chilli jam then add another half a tablespoon of the pork .
6. Use a chopstick or something similar to make a good-sized hole, about 5mm in diameter, in the middle of each pie lid . Brush the pastry case rims with beaten egg and place the lids on top. Crimp the edges together well to seal . Brush the pastry lids with beaten egg .
7. Bake the pies for 50 minutes until golden brown
8. While the pies are in the oven, soften the gelatine in cold water to cover for 5 minutes or so.
9. In a jug, dissolve the chicken stock cube in the boiling water. Drain the gelatine and squeeze to remove excess liquid, then add to the stock and stir until completely dissolved
10. When the pies come out of the oven, enlarge the holes in the top if necessary, then carefully pour in a little of the gelatine mixture. Leave the pies to cool and settle overnight before serving. Or, once cold, chill for a couple of hours