Mini Pork Pot Pie Recipes

Steps:

• Mix the filling ingredients and season. Grease 12 holes of a muffin tin and line each with a strip of baking parchment, to make pies easier to remove from tins.
• To make pastry, bring the lard and 250ml water to the boil in a small pan. Sieve the flour into a food processor and add 2 tsp salt. While processor is on, pour in lard and water mix, then blend until you have a smooth dough. Turn out into a bowl and remove two-thirds, covering the final third with a tea towel to keep warm.
• Roll larger piece out on a floured surface to about 2-3mm thick - work quickly as the dough is easier to work with when warm. Cut out 12 x 11cm circles using a pastry cutter. Line each hole of the tin with the circles, pushing them in with your fingers and leaving a slight overhang.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and put in a baking tray. Divide filling between pastry cases, pushing down lightly. Roll out remaining pastry on a floured surface and stamp out 12 x 8cm circles. Brush edges of filled cases with egg, then put lids on top. Pinch together and crimp the edges with your fingers. Brush with beaten egg and set aside the rest for later.
• Bake in oven for 30 mins, then remove the tin and tray, and gently take the pies out of the holes. Brush the sides and top again with egg and place directly onto the baking tray. Turn oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and cook for 25-30 mins until the sides are set and tops a deep golden colour. Remove and cool on a wire rack.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C).
• Add the oil to a large pot over high heat. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the chicken, and stir until cooked through, about 7 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a bowl.
• Melt butter in the same pot. Add the onions and carrots and stir until softened, about 8 minutes.
• Add the flour, stirring to combine. Slowly add the milk and chicken broth, alternating between the two, stirring continuously and bringing to a boil.
• Add the cooked chicken, peas, salt, and pepper, and stir until thoroughly mixed. Remove from heat and let cool.
• Lay out puff pastry sheets and use a small 6-inch (15 cm) bowl to cut circles out of it.
• Place dough circles in a nonstick muffin tin and fill with pot pie mixture.
• Using remaining puff pastry, cut ⅛-inch (3 mm) strips of dough, and make a lattice top for each muffin cup. Brush the lattice tops with the egg.
• Bake for 15 minutes, until golden brown.
• Enjoy!

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.

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine flour and salt; cut in shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Combine 5 tablespoons water egg and vinegar; sprinkle over dry ingredients, 1 tablespoon at a time. Toss lightly with a fork until dough forms a ball; add additional water if necessary. Divide into two balls; chill while preparing filling. , In a saucepan, cook potatoes, carrots, celery and onion in water for 10 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain well. Add pork, gravy, rosemary if desired, salt and pepper; set aside. , On a floured surface, roll one ball of dough to fit a 9-in. pie plate. Fill with meat mixture. Roll remaining pastry to fit top of pie. Cut slits in top crust and place over filling; seal and flute edges. Brush pastry with cream if desired. Bake at 375° for 50-55 minutes or until golden brown.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°. In a small saucepan, mix cornstarch and broth until blended; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook and stir 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat. , In a large skillet, cook pork, garlic and seasonings over medium heat 6-8 minutes or until pork is no longer pink, breaking up pork into crumbles; drain. Add broth mixture; cook and stir 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Cool slightly., Unroll each pie crust. On a work surface, roll each into a 12-in. circle. Using floured round cookie cutters, cut twenty 4-in. circles and twenty 2-3/4-in. circles, rerolling scraps as needed. Place large circles in ungreased muffin cups, pressing crust on bottoms and up sides., Fill each with 3 tablespoons pork mixture. Place small circles over filling; press edges with a fork to seal. In a small bowl, whisk egg and milk; brush over tops. Cuts slits in crust., Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Carefully remove pies to wire racks. Serve warm. Freeze option: Freeze cooled pies in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw pies in refrigerator overnight. Reheat on ungreased baking sheets in a preheated 350° oven 14-17 minutes or until heated through.

Steps:

• For the double crust leaf lard pastry: In a bowl, mix the flour and salt together with 2 knives. Cut in the lard until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the ice water over the mixture, a spoonful at a time, stirring with a fork and adding just enough water so it holds together. Shape into a ball, press into a flat disc, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
• For the pork filling: Heat a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp; remove to a plate. Add the pork and a pinch of salt and brown for 2 minutes; remove to a plate. Add the potatoes, celery, celery leaves, parsley, savory, garlic and onions and sweat for 3 to 5 minutes. Deglaze the skillet with 1 cup of water, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Add the pork and bacon back to the skillet with the cinnamon, cloves and a large pinch of salt, and simmer until the liquid has evaporated, 20 minutes.
• While the mixture is simmering, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly flour a work surface. Roll out the chilled pastry into two 13-inch rounds for a 10-inch double-crust pie, or into one 14-inch round for a single-crust pie. If using the double-crust method, line a 10-inch pie plate with one of the pastry rounds and fill with the meat mixture; cover with the remaining pastry. Trim and crimp the edges to seal, and cut small steam vents. Brush the top of the pastry with the egg yolk and milk mixture. If using the single-crust method, place the meat mixture in a 10-inch pie plate and cover with the single pastry round. Trim, press the edges into the sides of the pan and cut small steam vents in the center. Brush the top of the pastry with the egg yolk and milk mixture. Bake until the crust is golden, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes and serve warm.

Steps:

• Cut lobster shell down the middle, crack it open, and pull out the meat. Cut the shell into 1-inch pieces and set aside.
• Cut the meat into ½-inch pieces, checking carefully and removing any veins or missed pieces of shell. Transfer the meat to a plate and keep in the refrigerator until needed.
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add lobster shells and cook, stirring often, until they turn brick red, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in sherry and clam juice and reduce heat to low. Simmer gently to steep lobster shells, 15 to 20 minutes; making sure the liquid does not reduce.
• Remove from the heat and pour broth through a strainer to remove shells.
• Rinse out the saucepan and add remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Place over medium heat to melt. Add carrots, celery, paprika, tomato paste, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Cook and stir until tomato paste is toasted and paprika is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in lobster broth and bring to a simmer.
• Add potatoes and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook at a gentle simmer until potatoes are tender and liquid has reduced just slightly, 10 to 15 minutes.
• While the potatoes are cooking, place puff pastry on a piece of parchment paper. Cut out two 3 ½-inch circles and cut an "x" in the center of each one. Brush tops with beaten egg. Transfer to a baking sheet and place in the refrigerator until needed.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with foil.
• Add lemon juice, cream, and tarragon to the potatoes; stir to combine and return to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer until reduced and thickened a bit more, about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust salt if necessary.
• Stir in reserved lobster meat and turn off the heat. Remove from the stove and evenly divide the mixture between two 6-ounce ramekins, stopping about ¼ inch from the top.
• With the egg wash facing up, place puff pastry circles onto the ramekins, making sure the vents are cut all the way through.
• Bake in the upper center of the preheated oven until bubbly and browned, about 20 minutes. Let rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.