"When the Pie Was Opened"

Radio Record, Volume VII, Issue 6, 18 August 1933, Page 46

"When the Pie Was Opened"

By

Kuki

TES when well made are always popular. Old England-that merrie England of the days of good Queen Bess-had its hot chicken pies, its mutton pies and probably many other good pies not-made famous by the street cries of that time.. This week I am giving you some old English county recipes for pies which I am sure will delight you. Remember, however, that in makign pastry everything should be kept as cool as possible. The hands, too, must be dry and the water cold. Never handle pastry more than is necessary, and use the rolling pin with a light hand also. When rolling, never push o1 stretch the pastry, and do not touch the edges when brushing it over with egg or milk, as ‘this will bind them and prevent the pastry from separating into flakes and rising. A very hot oven is required at first, later the heat may be reduced. Old Cornish Recipe. HIS lamb and parsley pie is rarely met with outside Cornwall, but is recommended as a luncheon pie "good enough to grace any table." Take 2lb., of lean lamb and cut up into one-inch pieces and put in a stewpan and gently simmer for from 3 to 1 hour. Get 4b. nice fresh parsley, well-wash and chop finely, then 2 fair-sized onions, also finely chopped. Season lamb witb sat and pepper and thicken stock with flour. Place some of the lamb in a deep pie-dish, then a good layer of the chopped parsley and onion, then lamb, etc., until the dish is full, the last layer being of parsley and onions. Fill with the thickened stock, keeping a little back in case the pie gets dry. Cover with a rich flaky pastry, and bake ‘n a good oven for # of an hour, or until pastry and meat are nicely cooked. Just * before serving, remove pastry cover and spread top of pie liberally with clotted cream, or fresh thick cream if the clotted is-not procurable. One must have plenty of parsley to get the somewhat acquired but really delicious taste. Cheshire Pork Pie. ORK pie recipes are treasured possessions in many counties, and the following Cheshire variety is from au ojJd family collection: Take 2lb. rather lean pork and cut in }-ineh cubes, season with a level teaspoon of salt, + teaspoon white pepper, and a pinch of mace and sage. Put the skin and any pieces of bone and gristle in a pan with 4 pint water and boil well Place a layer of meat cubes in a pyrex dish. cover with a layer of cooking apples. sliced and slightly sprinkled with sugar. Fill dish with these layers,: having meat for the topmost one, Strain gravy, skim off any fat, make up to # pint with cider, then pour over meat. Boil 1 teacupful water with 6 oz. lard and 3 teaspoon salt; pour it while boiling over 14lb. warm, dry flour, mix thoroughly with wooden spoon; knead for ten minutes when cool enough to handle, Roll out to ¢- inch thick, cover pie, using trimmings

for a bold decoration of leaves and berries. Brush, with milk and butter, warmed together. Bake in a hot oven for half an hour, then slowly for au hour and a ‘half. Chicken Pie. ERD is another West Country pie. For this the ingredients are: A good boiling fowl, about three rashers of bacon, chopped parsley, pinch of herbs, salt, pepper and short pastry. Steam the fowl for two or three hours, until quite tender. Remove all flesh from the bones and put in pie dish with alternate layers of small pieces of .bacon, chopped parsley and herbs. Make a gravy with the liquor from the

steamed fowl and a little thickening anc pour over the contents of the pie. Make a short crust of #lb. flour, 60z. lard and butter (mixed), pinch of salt, heaped teaspoon baking powder, mix to stiff dough with water, roll out and cover pie, decorating it with the odd strips of pastry. Brush over with white of egg, and bake about half an hour in fairly hot oven. Sheep’s Head Pie. OAK a sheep’s head with tongue in water. Simmer slowly for five or six hours. While warm, remove from bones, and cut into neat pieces. Have ready some bacon and hard-boiled eggs, sliced (oysters may be used instead of eggs). Put at the bottom of a pie-dish a layer of sheep’s-head. Sprinkle with

salt and pepper, to which may be added a dash of mace and ground ginger, if spice is liked. Now put a layer of eggs and bacon, and repeat until dish is full. Pour over some of the liquor in which the head was cooked, cover with a good pastry, and bake about 13 hours. It is very rich. when eaten hot,. but nicer when set cold in jelly. A few recipes you may like to add to your cookery book :- Barley Broth. With so much sickness about a good recipe for barley broth, which is broth which is both nourishing and sustaining, will not come amiss. Half a pound scrag end neck of mutton, two quarts cold water, one carrot, one turnip, one onion, two leeks, three to four tablespoons barley, pepper, and salt, one tablespoon chopped parsley, two sticks celery. Cut up mutton into neat pieces, put into saucepan with cold water and the barley, after being weil washed. Let simmer’ for two hours, then add vegetable cut up into dice, salt and pepper. Let simmer half an hour, then add chopped parsley. The meat can be left in the broth or else taken out. Add thickening made of one tablespoon flour and half cup milk, Puffed Squares. Peel and wash some potatves, anf cut in inch squares, about 1-8 inch thick. After soaking in cold water, dry well, just before cooking. Place in a frying basket and plunge into boiling fat, shaking at intervals. When just beginning to brown, lift the basket out of the fat, and, after a minute, plunge again into the fat, which should still be boiling. Shake well, removs, and return to the fat once more. They should be a good golden brown when finished. Drain, sprinkle with salt, and serve very hot, with grilled meat or sausages, Spanish Chocolate. ’ Two breakfasteups of milk, one breakfasteup of boiling water, two squares of chocolate, half a cup of sugar, a good pinch of salt, and one cup of strong, black coffee. Put into a milk saucepan the chocolate, boiling water and salt, and stir and cook slowly for 15 minutes, then add the milk and coffee. Bring to the boil and serve. ,