These smart looking pies are made with ‘cheats’ ingredients, a pack of chilled pastry, sausage meat and readymade stuffing - what could be easier?
Makes 12
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
You will need:
- ½ x 130 g pack dried sage and onion stuffing mix
- 500 g (1lb 2oz) readymade chilled shortcrust pastry
- Little flour for rolling
- 3 spring onions, sliced
- 400 g (14 oz) good quality pork and herb sausages, skins removed
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 egg, beaten to glaze
Topping:
- 175 g (6 oz) blueberries
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons redcurrant jelly
- 2 teaspoons cornflour
- 12 tiny rocket leaves to garnish, optional
Method:
- Make up the stuffing mix with half quantity of boiling water and leave to stand as the pack directs.
- Roll the pastry out thinly on a lightly floured surface then cut out 11.5cm (4½ inch) circles using a plain biscuit cutter or a small coffee cup saucer as a guide.
- Press into a 12 section lightly buttered, muffin tin so that the pastry stands a little above the top of the tin in a wavy edge.
- Re-roll pastry as needed until you have 12 circles.
- Mix the spring onions with the sausage meat and a little pepper then mix with the stuffing.
- Divide between the pastry cases and press into an even layer with the back of a spoon.
- Brush the top edges of the pastry cases with a little beaten egg then bake in a preheated oven, 180ºC (160ºC fan oven), gas mark 4 for about 25 minutes until the top edge of the pastry is golden and the filling is cooked through.
- Leave to cool for 15 minutes then loosen and transfer pies to a cooling rack.
- Add the blueberries, vinegar and redcurrant jelly to a small saucepan, cook, stirring for 4-5 minutes until the blueberries are soft.
- Mix the cornflour with a little water until a smooth paste, stir into the blueberries and cook until the juices have thickened.
- Leave to cool then spoon over the pies.
- To prepare ahead of time, make and fill the pies but freeze them uncooked, still in the muffin tin.
- Once frozen hard, loosen with a round bladed knife, remove from the tin and pack into a plastic box.
- Freeze the cooled blueberry topping separately in a small plastic box.
- Return the pies to the muffin tin, defrost pies and topping at room temperature for 4 hours then bake and top with blueberries as above.
Recipe and photo credits- Seasonal Berries
