SCOTTISH MEAT PIES RECIPES

Steps:

• "To make pie pastry, bring butter and water to boil in saucepan. Put flour and salt in a basin, make a hole in the middle. Pour boiling water and butter into hole. Mix until cool enough to handle. Form into a ball. Turn on to a floured board, knead well, and pat into a flat shape. Divide into six pieces, or two large pieces to roll out & cut circular pieces. Mold pastry up in the sides of ring or pan to 3 inches high to make filling holder. Roll out saved sections, cutting them into rounds to fit filling holders. Roll pastry as thin as you want, lay onto a muffin ring or large muffin pan, cut excess pastry leaving enough to fold to center of ring or muffin pan. Mix all filling ingredients together, divide into 6 or 8 portions and fill pastry. Make a slit in center of each top to let steam out. Brush tops with milk or beaten egg. Bake at 250°F for 30 minutes on baking sheet Raise oven to 350 F, bake another 15 minutes "

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6 and line a baking tray with baking parchment. Cut four strips of greaseproof paper, about 5cm/2in deep and 25cm/10in long, to wrap around the pies. You’ll also need four pieces of cook’s string to secure the paper.
• For the filling, mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and season generously with salt and white pepper. Work the liquid into the meat, divide into four portions and mould into balls. Refrigerate while you make the pastry.
• To make the pastry, heat 160ml/5½fl oz of water, salt and lard in a saucepan until just boiling. Meanwhile, put the flour in a mixing bowl. Pour the hot liquid onto the flour and mix together with a spoon. Once cool enough to handle, tip onto a floured surface and knead until you have a smooth dough.
• Working as quickly as you can, cut off a quarter of the pastry and set aside. Divide the remaining dough into four equally sized balls. Roll out each ball to an 18cm/7in circle, about 5mm/¼in thick. Roll out the remaining pastry and cut out four circular lids, 10cm/4in in diameter.
• Place a ball of filling on each large circle of pastry. Gather the pastry around the meat and bring up the sides to form the shape of a pork pie. Keep stretching the pastry so it comes above the meat by around 2cm/1¾in. Dampen the edges of the pies with water and press the lids on top of the filling. Seal the edges together using your fingers. Wrap a strip of greaseproof paper around each pie and secure with string (to make sure the pie holds its shape when cooking). This is much easier if you have someone to help you.
• Put the pies on the baking tray and cut a steam hole in the centre of each. Brush with beaten egg yolk and transfer to the fridge to rest for 30 minutes. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until golden-brown. Serve hot.