Your Royal Pieness

Pasticcini Salati di Maiale Trittato, con Salvia e Cipolla

Sage & Onion Pork Pasties

Growing up in England, 2 things I remember well and still love to this day are traditional pork pies and also Cornish pasties. The rich flavor of the meat in an English pork pie is distinctive and special indeed- and handy and fun Cornish pasties are just great, whether you enjoy them hot on your plate with potatoes , vegetables and gravy, or straight from your lunch box as a meal on the go...

I made my pasties this evening using ground pork, a little grated apple, a touch of cinnamon and mustard and a tasty sesame crust... mmmm! Delicious! Take a peek and I will be glad to share how I made them with you- because something this wonderful is just made for sharing!

I started off with the meat filling, which was 150g of ground pork, a finely chopped Spring onion, some chopped parsley, sage, salt and pepper. I seasoned with salt and pepper, added a tablespoonful of Dijon mustard, a pinch of cinnamon and half of as small apple which I peeled and grated.  I mixed everything together well, using a wooden spoon to "beat" all of the ingredients into a smooth paste, until everything sticks nicely together.

I then turned on the oven to 400°F to warm thoroughly and  turned my attention to the pie-crust that was indeed ready to go pizza dough!

I formed the ground meat into 2 hamburger-sized two patties and set them out onto the dough, then laid large thyme leaves on top before folding the pastry over. I pressed it down nicely around the meat and then trimmed the pastry down into 2 equal squares. I sealed off the outside edges using a fork to press the dough together and pricked the surface a number of times to allow excess steam to escape during baking. I sprinkled the 2 pasties generously with sesame seeds and popped them into the hot oven for 15-20 minutes each, with an additional minute under the broiler until the dough was crispy and golden on the outside.

The great thing about these is that they taste delicious hot or cold- which makes them perfect for the Summer especially- but great at any time or any place... some things were simply meant to be! Buon apetito!