SC - Re: Veal and Ham Pie

[Stephen and Stephanie Dale]

This recipe is from _The Cooking of the British Isles_ from the Foods of the
World collection from Time-Life books.


Veal and Ham Pie
To serve 6 or 8.


2 tbsp butter, softened
2 lbs lean boneless veal, cut into 1/4" cubes
1 lb lean smoked ham, cut into 1/4" cubes
1/4 c chopped parsley
6 tbsp brandy
6 tbsp stock
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon peel
1 tsp sage
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
hot-water pastry
4 hard-cooked eggs
8 to 10 pickled walnuts (optional)
1 egg yolk combines with 1 tbsp heavy cream
1 envelope unflavoured gelatine
2 cups chicken stock

Perheat oven to 350. Butter the sides and bottom of a loaf pan. In a large
bowl, combine veal, ham, parsley, brandy, the 6 tbsp of stock, lemon juice
and peel, sage, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly.
Break off about 1/3 of the pastry, and set it aside. Roll out the remaining
pastry on a lightly floured surface to a 10" x 20" x 1/4" rectangle. Drape
the pastry over the rolling pin, lift it up, and unroll it slackly over the
loaf pan. Gently press the pastry into the pan. Roll the pin over the pan to
cut off excess pastry.
Spoon enough of the veal and ham mixture into the pan until it is a little
less than half full. Arrange the hard-cooked eggs in a single row down the
center of the mold, and line up the pickled walnuts on either side of the
eggs. Cover eggs with remaining meat mixture, filling the shell to within
one inch of the top.
Roll remaining pastry into a 4 x 13' rectangle, 1/4" thick. Drape it over
the pan. Trim off excess with a small knife and flute the edges together.
Then cut a 1' hole in the center of the pie. use the remaining pastry to cut
out decorative shapes, attaching them to the pastry with the egg-and-cream
mixture. (They suggest a leaf pattern around the hole). Brush the entire
surface with the egg-and-cream mixture.
Bake pie in the middle of the oven for 2 hours, until top is a deep golden
brown. remove from oven and cool 15 minutes.
(Aspic Jelly)
In a saucepan add the gelatin to the two cups chicken stock. Allow to stand
for a bit to allow the gelatin to soften. Then simmer over low heat,
stirring constantly, until gelatine dissolves completely. Pour gelatin
through a funnel into the hole in the pie. Cool the pie to room temp., and
then refrigerate for at least 6 hours. Ideally the pie should stand 1/2 hour
before being served to take the chill off.
To unmold and serve pie, run a sharp knife around the inside edges of the
mold and dipp the bottom of the pan in hot water. Wipe dry, then place plate
over mold and invert. Rap the plate on a table and the pie should slide out
easily. Turn pie over and serve in 1/2" slices.

Hot Water Pastry

5 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
10 tbsp lard
6 tbsp milk
2 tbsp water

Combine flour and salt in deep bowl. Warm lard, milk and water over moderate
heat, stirring until lard melts.
beat the mixture into the flour a little at a time, until the flour can be
gathered up into a ball. Knead dough for 2 -3 min. on floured surface until
smooth and elastic. Roll into ball; place in a bowl and let rest thirty
minutes with a damp towel over it.

Now for some history of "raised pies", which is what this is considered in
Britain. The english invented pie more than 600 years ago. "Hand raised
pies," or meat pies, are made with a hot water pastry that can be shaped by
hand into the box shape around the meat filling. These were called "coffyns"
in the Middle Ages, and often served with aspic jelly on top.
Piers Plowman describes the eating of "hote pies" in the 1300's. The
Elizabethans cooked hand raised pies of this type, using butter for the
pastry and clarified butter instead of the gelatin. Thyme, sage and marjoram
were commonly used spices, in moderation. These pies were sold by traveling
piemen, and the clarified butter served to seal air out of the pie so that
it did not go bad as quickly.


Since someone mentioned a leek loaf, there is also a recipe for Chicken and
Leek pie in this book which is apparently very popular in Wales. No mention
of the periodness of it however. Anyone want it posted?

Aislinn

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