pasties

This recipe is based on one in the Dunsandel Store cookbook. There are a few steps prep-wise, but most of this is hands-off cooking and cooling time, so you just need to think ahead a little. I use the slowcooker to cook pork hocks, it's so much easier than keeping an eye on a simmering pot, which I am often inclined to forget about. These pasties are delicious, with the salty, smoky fork-tender pork and the sweet apple. We ate them with the brown rice salad which has been intensively consumed around here lately...but I think they would be nice next time with this red cabbage, apple and walnut slaw .


Smoked pork hock, apple and cider pasties - makes 8

2 large smoked pork hocks
4 cloves
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 large onion, quartered
1 bayleaf
few sprigs rosemary and thyme
1 large onion, finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
olive oil for frying
400g potatoes, peeled and diced
1 tbsp flour
330ml cider (1 bottle)
2 c pork hock poaching liquid
2 large apples, peeled and diced
salt and pepper
puff pastry (We use Edmonds butter puff)
beaten egg for glazing

Place the pork hocks in a stockpot, or into a slowcooker bowl, along with the celery, quartered onion studded with the cloves, bayleaf and herbs. Add enough water to cover the hocks, and simmer for a couple of hours (or overnight on low in the slowcooker) until the meat falls off the bone. Cool slightly, then strip the meat off and shred up. Strain the liquid, reserving 2c for the sauce and freeze the rest to use as a stock for a pot of soup...

In a heavy based saucepan slowly cook the diced onion until soft but barely coloured. Add potatoes and flour and cook a few more minutes stirring. Add the cider and reserved pork stock, and cook for around 20 minutes or until the potato is tender. Add the apples and cook another 5 minutes. By this stage the liquid should have reduced and thickened up. Season with salt and pepper and cool - this is important to prevent soggy pastry!

Cut circles of pastry by using a bread and butter plate to trace round, from a pack of 5 pastry sheets you should get 8 circles with a bit of re-rolling. Divide cooled filling between the pastry rounds, and fold up the edges, crimping to seal up. Transfer to a lined oven tray and brush with beaten egg, sprinkle with poppy seeds if you like. Cook at 180c for 30 minutes or so until golden.