The filling for these is without a doubt simple, with the most effective key substances. They are meat-free (despite the fact that you could lead them to with meat) but do characteristic pigs. The hot-water-crust pastry follows very exclusive policies from normal pastry – don’t be afraid to deal with it a little extra than you would shortcrust. Serve those with gravy, mash, and greens – or just as picnic pies.
Prep time: 10 min for pastry, 25 min for filling, 15-20 min for shaping
Bake time: 35-forty five min
Makes 12 mini-pies
For the filling:
5 meat-loose sausages
3 medium crimson onions, chopped
2 tbsp sunflower oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp light brown muscovado sugar
For the hot-water-crust pastry:
280g salted butter softened (to make vegan, replace with 230g vegetable shortening and a couple of pinches of salt)
420g simple flour
60g strong white flour
120g boiling water
1 egg (to make vegan, replace with non‑dairy milk)
Gravy to serve, plus mash and vegetables (non-compulsory)
Grease a deep, 12-hollow muffin tin.
Cook the sausages. Heat the oil in a pan, then add the onions and prepare dinner over a low-to-medium warmth till tender and translucent (approximately 15 mins). Add the vinegar and sugar and cook for 5 to 10 mins, until dark brown and caramelized. Chop the sausages into chunks and add to the onions. Leave to cool.
Preheat the oven to 180C (fan)/200C/400F/gas mark 6.
For the pastry, cube the butter and rub into the flours together with your fingertips. Pour in the water. Mix with a spoon until it balls collectively, then (once it is cool enough to address) turn out directly to a work surface and knead by hand. It will appear a touch lumpy at first. Leave it to cool for five to ten minutes, then return and knead it extra till it becomes smooth.
Roll it out on a floured surface and stamp out circles which can be huge sufficient to line the holes on your muffin tin. Press the pastry into the holes and fill with the cooled filling.
Beat the egg, then brush the pastry rims. Stamp out circles to match the tops of the pies, then use a fork to crimp the edges together. Brush with egg once more, then cut out and stick on pieces of pastry for the pigs’ ears and noses. Use a chopstick or much like make holes for the eyes. Make nostril markings with a knife. Brush once more with egg wash.
Bake for 35-45 mins or till golden brown. After baking, use the chopstick to make the eye holes bigger if necessary. Remove the pies from the tin after five mins and depart to chill on a wire rack.
