Best Marthas Perfect Pork Pies Recipes

INDIVIDUAL PORK POTPIES

Steps:

• Make the stew: Season pork with 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Heat a large, heavy pot over high heat for 1 minute. Add 2 tablespoons oil. Working in batches, brown pork on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes total per batch. Using a slotted spoon, transfer pork to a large bowl. (Reduce heat slightly if bottom of pot is getting too dark; you want browned, not burned, bits for flavoring the stew. Either wipe out pot or deglaze with water, bringing it to a boil and scraping up burned bits. Pour off liquid, add more oil, and proceed.)
• Add carrot, celery, and onion to drippings in pot. Add 1/4 cup wine, and stir, scraping up any browned bits from bottom, until wine is evaporated. Cook for 3 minutes more, then add remaining 2 1/4 cups wine. Cook, stirring often, until reduced by half, 6 to 8 minutes. Whisk caraway seeds, mustard, flour, and 1/2 cup stock in a small bowl, then whisk into pot. Bring to a boil, and cook, stirring often, for 30 seconds.
• Stir in remaining 3 1/2 cups stock. Add pork, thyme sprigs, bay leaf, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and cook, partially covered, until pork is fork-tender, about 1 hour and 30 minutes.
• Finish the pies: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, working with 1 sheet of puff pastry at a time, roll out each to 1/8 inch thickness. Using a 3 1/2-inch fluted round cutter, cut out 12 circles, and arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cut out shapes from center of each round using a 1-inch snowflake cutter if desired. (Alternatively, make a wreath: Using a 1 1/2-inch leaf cutter, cut leaves from dough. Brush with egg, and form into wreath shapes about 3 1/2 inches in diameter, using 10 leaves per wreath. Save 1 leaf to place in center.) Brush with egg, then freeze until firm, about 15 minutes. Bake puff pastry rounds until golden brown, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, add remaining vegetables to pork mixture, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until vegetables are just tender, 15 to 18 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and stir in parsley and thyme. Divide among twelve 7-ounce ramekins. Place on a rimmed baking sheet.
• Place 1 puff pastry round on each ramekin. Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until pastry is golden brown and juices are bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes more. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

PORK PIE

Steps:

• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook bacon until fat begins to render, about 2 minutes. Add ground pork and cook, breaking it up into bite-size pieces, until no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Return skillet to medium-high; swirl in oil. Add onion, garlic, and celery; season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and brown in spots, 7 to 9 minutes. Return pork mixture and any accumulated juices to skillet. Stir in potato, broth, cinnamon, and clove; season with pepper. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until broth is mostly evaporated, 25 to 28 minutes.
• Transfer pork mixture to a bowl and let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Lightly beat 1 egg; stir into pork mixture with parsley.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees with racks in center and lowest positions. Roll out one disk of dough to an 11-inch round on a work surface dusted with flour. Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate; trim edges to a 1/2-inch overhang. Transfer pork mixture to pie shell. Roll remaining dough to an 11-inch round and center over filling. Trim edges to a 1/2-inch overhang. Fold edges of top crust under edges of bottom crust, tucking dough until flush with edge of pie plate. Crimp edges with the tines of a fork. Freeze until firm, about 20 minutes. Beat remaining egg with 1 teaspoon water. Brush crust with egg wash, then cut a few vents in top of crust.
• Bake the chilled pie on the center rack with a rimmed baking sheet on the lowest rack (to catch any drips) until crust is golden brown and filling bubbles slightly through vents, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool on a wire rack 30 minutes before slicing. Serve with mustard and cornichons.

PORK-AND-GREENS SKILLET PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a cast-iron skillet, cook pork over medium, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 7 minutes. Add onion and Swiss chard stems, increase heat to medium-high, and saute until translucent, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in Swiss chard leaves and cook until wilted, 2 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons cornmeal, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and 1 1/2 cups water and bring to a rapid simmer. Cook until liquid thickens, stirring occasionally, about 14 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
• In a small saucepan, bring 2 cups water to a boil. Whisk in remaining 3/4 cup cornmeal and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens, about 2 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup Parmesan, season with salt and pepper, and spoon over pork and greens. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan, transfer to oven, and bake 20 minutes. Heat broiler and broil until top is golden brown and mixture is bubbling at edge, 2 minutes.

FRENCH CANADIAN TOURTIERE

Steps:

• In a saucepan, combine pork, beef, onion, garlic, water, salt, thyme, sage, black pepper and cloves. Cook over medium heat until mixture boils; stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and simmer until meat is cooked, about 5 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Spoon the meat mixture into the pie crust. Place top crust on top of pie and pinch edges to seal. Cut slits in top crust so steam can escape. Cover edges of pie with strips of aluminum foil.
• Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes; remove foil and return to oven. Bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool 10 minutes before slicing.

MARTHA WHITE'S PERFECT PIE CRUST

Steps:

• Combine flour and salt; mix well.
• With pastry blender or fork, cut in half of shortening until mixture is fine and mealy.
• Cut in remaining shortening until mixture is consistency of small peas.
• Sprinkle water over mixture; stir gently with fork until dough leaves sides of bowl.
• If some dry particles remain in bottom of bowl, sprinkle with about 1/2 teaspoon water; continue to stir with fork until particles are worked into dough.
• Mixture should be moist enough to form a ball, but should not be sticky.
• Shape dough into 1 or 2 balls (depending on one- or two-crust); flatten to 1/2-inch thickness, rounding and smoothing edges.
• On floured surface, roll out dough to 11-inch round.
• Carefully roll dough around rolling pin; unroll unto 9-inch pie pan, or 9- or 10-inch tart pan; Fit evenly into pan; do not stretch.
• For one-crust baked pie shell (unfilled): Heat oven to 475F; Prick bottom and sides of pastry generously with fork; Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown; Cool on wire rack 15 minutes or until completely cooled.
• Continue as directed in pie recipe.
• For Two-Crust Pie: 2 cups Martha White All Purpose Flour 1 teaspoon salt 2/3 cup shortening 4 1/2 to 5 tablespoons cold water.