Spring is in the air, even though the weather is hesitating. A perfect day for this fresh but hearty pie that draws its inspiration from both sides of the Channel. Calvados and asparagus give an outlandish twist to this otherwise so British creation. Don’t forget to install your chimney to avoid that sogginess!
Make the suet pastry:
- Put 125ml of water in the freezer while making the next step.
- In a bowl, put 300g flour + the grated zest of half a lemon + a generous pinch of Maldon salt + pepper + 125g shredded suet.
- Stir it a little to be sure it’s evenly seasoned.
- Then add the ice cold water and stir.
- You should have a wet bowl of dough, it’s normal.
- Put flour on a board and add the dough. Add some extra flour and roll out the dough so it suits the shape of your baking tray + 1cm extra.
- Fold the dough in four and put some cling film over it so it doesn’t dry out.
- Store in the fridge while making the filling.
Make the spring vegetables and pork filling:
- In a big pan, fry 2 chopped leeks in a little olive oil and then add 400g minced pork.
- When it starts to colour, add a sprig of rosemary, chopped + 2 diced zucchinis and fry for 10 minutes.
- Then, add 1 diced apple + 8-10 chopped green asparagus, keeping the tips for later, and fry for 5 minutes.
- Now, it’s time for 200g fresh peas.
- Stir a little, season with salt, pepper and 3tbsp Calvados.
- Turn the fire off and add some herbs – you can vary depending on what’s available in your fridge, as long as it’s fresh and geen. Here I put 4tbsp chopped dill + 2tbsp chopped basil.
Time to prepare the pie:
Preheat the oven at 180°.
First put a pie funnel in your pie dish, if you have one. It allows the steam to go away so the pastry stays crispy and doesn’t soak in the juice, plus it’s actually really charming.
Then add the filling, and finish with the suet pastry. You should make a little hole so the head of the magpie pops out of the dough.
Adjust the pastry so there is no spare space
around.
If you have a bit of dough left, you can use it together with your creativity to make some decorations and put it on the pastry.
Beat an egg and brush the pastry with it for having a great golden hue.
Bake for 45-50 minutes and ready it is!
