Rachel Allen - Home Cooking

This is best served at room temperature and eaten with pickles and cheese on the side. It’s also delicious served with a little chutney. The pie lasts for a few days in the fridge.

75g (3oz) butter, cubed

225g (8oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting

Pinch of salt

1 egg, beaten (plus another for glazing)

625g (1lb 6oz) minced pork

3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed or finely grated

1 tbsp chopped thyme and sage (a mixture)

1 egg, beaten

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

10 rashers of back (not streaky) bacon, trimmed of fat

4 eggs

25cm (10in) diameter tart tin with 3cm (1¼in) sides

1First, prepare the pastry. Place the butter and 100ml (3½fl oz) water in a saucepan and heat gently, stirring occasionally, until the butter melts, then allow the mixture to come to a rolling boil. Meanwhile, sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the egg. Pour the hot liquid into the flour and quickly stir with a wooden spoon to mix to a dough. Use the wooden spoon to spread the dough out on a large plate and allow to cool for about 15 minutes. Knead the dough into a ball, flatten slightly, wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for about 30 minutes to firm up.

2While the pastry is chilling, mix all ingredients for the minced pork mixture together in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper, then fry a tiny bit to taste for seasoning (see tip on page 70).

3Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas mark 4.

4Roll out half of the pastry on a lightly floured work surface until it is about 7mm (3/8in) thick and use to line the tart tin. Trim the edges and brush around them with some of the beaten egg.

5Cover the base of the pastry with five of the trimmed bacon rashers. Place the minced pork mixture over the top, then make four ‘dips’ or ‘wells’ for the eggs to go into. Crack an egg into each of these ‘wells', then cover the mixture with the remaining five rashers.

6Roll out the second half of the pastry until it is also about 7mm (1/4in) thick and carefully place it on top of the pie. Trim the edges and brush the top with a little more of the beaten egg. If you wish, roll out the scraps until they are about 5mm (¼in) thick and cut into leaves or whatever shapes take your fancy! Place on top of the pie and brush the shapes with the remainder of the beaten egg to glaze.

7Make a hole, about 5mm (¼in) wide in the centre of the pastry at the top of the pie and cook in the oven for approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes—1 hour and 20 minutes or until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out hot (too hot to hold on the inside of your wrist). Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before removing from the tin. When cooled, cut into slices to serve.

A simple, classic Italian dish that is a particular favourite with my family. We try to get hold of shrimps (or small prawns) as often as possible. Use spaghetti if you don’t have linguini or why not try making your own pasta (see page 130)? 1 Fill a large saucepan with water, add 1 teaspoon of salt and bring to the boil. Add the linguini and cook for 10–12 minutes (or follow the instructions on the packet), stirring occasionally, until just tender.

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

300g (11oz) linguini

110g (4oz) butter

500g (18oz) cooked and peeled shrimps or small prawns

4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed

1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped (optional)

2 tbsp chopped mixed herbs, such as parsley, chives, dill, tarragon or chervil

Squeeze of lemon juice Lemon slices, to serve

2Meanwhile, melt the butter in a frying pan on a medium heat and, once sizzling, add the shrimps (or prawns), garlic and chilli (if using) and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 4–5 minutes, tossing regularly until warmed through and becoming golden.

3Drain the now cooked linguini (leaving a couple of tablespoons of the cooking liquid in the saucepan) and return it to the pan, removed from the heat. Stir in the herbs and tip the shrimp mixture onto the pasta.

4Toss everything together and check the seasoning, adding enough lemon juice to taste and more salt and pepper if necessary. Serve immediately.

For a quick and easy snack or a simple starter, simply cook and serve the shrimps or prawns with crusty bread instead of the linguini.

This is a really good pasta dish, great for all the family, and it makes a little bit of smoked salmon go a long way. Use rocket instead of watercress if you can’t get hold of it. If you’d like to make your own pasta, try the recipe on page 130.

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

500g (1lb 2oz) tagliatelle

200g (7oz) crème fraîche

200g (7oz) smoked salmon, sliced into strips 1cm (Hin) wide

50g (2oz) frozen peas

25g (1oz) finely grated Parmesan cheese

Good squeeze of lemon juice

2 tbsp chopped chives

50g (2oz) watercress leaves, roughly chopped

1Fill a large saucepan with water, add 1 teaspoon of salt and bring to the boil. Add the tagliatelle and cook for 10–12 minutes (or follow the instructions on the packet), stirring occasionally, until just tender.

2In the meantime, place the crème fraîche in a saucepan on a low heat and gently warm through for 1 minute. Add the smoked salmon strips and cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3Meanwhile, cook the peas in a small saucepan of boiling, salted water (I usually take some of the pasta cooking water from the large saucepan) for 1–2 minutes or until just cooked. Add the peas to the crème fraîche mixture along with three-quarters of the Parmesan cheese, the lemon juice and half of the chives, and stir together. Season to taste with salt and pepper and remove from the heat.

4Drain the cooked pasta (leaving a couple of tablespoons of the cooking liquid in the saucepan) and return it to the saucepan, removed from the heat. Scatter with the watercress and pour over the crème fraîche mixture. Toss everything together so that all the ingredients are well combined and check the seasoning, adding more salt and pepper or lemon juice if necessary. Divide between plates or pasta bowls, scatter with the remaining chives and serve.

Fish cakes are a great way of using up leftover cooked potato and fish and they go down well with children. You can also experiment with other ingredients like chilli, finely chopped cooked vegetables or different herbs to give a different flavour each time. Serve the fish cakes with a flavoured mayonnaise (see overleaf) or tomato relish.

600g (1lb 5oz) floury potatoes

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

400g (14oz) skinned white fish, such as cod, haddock or hake