A few weeks ago, I took part in a debate on Radio 4’s Today programme about the great “north-south” food divide. I went head-to-head with Manchester’s lauded chef Mary-Ellen McTague, with Justin Webb acting as referee. But, rather than throwing pomegranate seeds one way and pork pies the other, it soon became apparent that we were both arguing from the same side. Yes, certain specialist ingredients are easier to pick up on the way home from work in London, Mary-Ellen said, but home cooks in the north and south are equally as likely to make something interesting and “exotic”.
Mind you, by the same token, we’re just as likely to be seduced by the simple and timeless combination of warm meat, potatoes and buttery pastry, too: Aberdeen’s steak and kidney pies, Geordie ale-crust cheese and onion pasties, Yorkshire pork pies, Lancashire hotpot pies, Shropshire’s pork and apple fidget pie, Cornish pasties, Mary-Ellen’s own beef, Big Ben and oyster pie (the name refers to the Thwaites brown ale that goes into it), which she created for the 2014 Manchester Food & Drink Festival. From John O’Groats to Land’s End, there’s a lot of crumbly pastry on which we can all stand firm together.
Exploding boreks with cheese and za’atar
When making these, I couldn’t get the cheese to stay in the borek, no matter how hard I tried, so in the end I surrendered and let the halloumi do its thing. It’s not an issue, though, because it’s very easy to spoon back into the pastries while they are still warm. Serves eight.
150g halloumi, roughly grated
250g ricotta
100g pecorino, finely grated
2 tbsp za’atar, plus 1 tsp to sprinkle
Plain flour, for dusting
500g all-butter puff pastry
1 egg, whisked
Mix the halloumi, ricotta, pecorino and za’atar in a bowl and set aside.
Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry into a 2-3mm-thick 26cm x 52cm rectangle. Trim the edges, then cut into eight 13cm-wide squares. Brush the edges with the egg and spoon four tablespoons (65g) of cheese mix into the centre of each square. Draw one corner up and over to meet the opposite corner, then repeat with the other two corners, so you have a square, and firmly pinch together the edges (crimp them with the back of a fork, too, if you like). Put the pastries on a large, parchment-lined baking tray, spacing them well apart, brush the top of the pastry with egg, sprinkle the edges with za’atar and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Bake for 25 minutes, until golden-brown all over and cooked underneath. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 10 minutes before serving. In the likely event of the filling bursting out, just spoon it back in while the pastries are warm.
Aniseedy pork pies
Don’t be alarmed if your meat is still pink in the middle once cooked: colour is not always an accurate indication of doneness. There are a number of factors at play here: the effect of the cooking temperature and time on the meat’s pigments and muscle proteins, for instance, or the presence of nitrates in other ingredients (such as the pancetta). If you’re in any doubt and want reassurance, use a probe to check the internal temperature: it should be 71C. Serve these warm or at room temperature, rather than fridge-cold, as you would a traditional British pork pie; all you need is a simple green salad alongside. Makes 12 pies, or enough for six people.
150g pancetta lardons
500g minced pork
1½ tsp dried mint
2 eggs (kept separate), lightly whisked
30g fresh breadcrumbs (ie, from about 1 medium slice crust-free white bread)
1½ tsp fennel seeds, crushed
1 tsp aniseed (or extra fennel seeds)
2 tbsp pedro ximénez (or other sweet sherry)
15g parsley, chopped
Salt and black pepper
About 1 tsp sunflower oil, for brushing
For the pastry
240g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
190g cold unsalted butter, diced
60g sour cream
Start with the pastry. Put the flour, butter, sour cream and a teaspoon of salt in a food processor and work until it comes together into a dough. Transfer to a work surface and knead gently for a minute, adding a little flour if you need to, until soft and malleable. Wrap in clingfilm and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Put a small saucepan of water on a high heat. Once boiling, blanch the pancetta for two minutes, then drain and set aside to cool.
Tip the cold pancetta into a bowl and add the pork, mint, one egg, breadcrumbs, fennel seeds, aniseed, sherry, parsley, a third of a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Mix well and set aside.
Brush oil over the sides and bases of 12 cupcake tin moulds (with holes 7-8cm in diameter at the top and 3cm deep) and line the bases with circles of baking parchment. Put in the fridge until ready to use.
Heat the oven to 200C/390F/gas mark 6. Roll out the pastry to 2-3mm thick, then cut out 12 10cm-wide circles. Press the pastry circles into the cupcake moulds and trim the edges. Roll out the offcuts and any leftover pastry a second time, and cut into 12 8cm-diameter circles: these will form the lids. Divide the meat mixture between the 12 cases – you should have 65g in each – then brush the rims with egg. Lay the lids on top, pinch together the edges, brush with the remaining egg and prick the lids with a fork. Rest in the fridge for 10 minutes, then bake for 30-35 minutes, until golden-brown both top and bottom. Set aside for five minutes, and serve warm or at room temperature.
Jerusalem artichoke and spinach pasties
If you can’t find jerusalems, or don’t want to, use waxy potatoes instead. Makes eight pasties.
500g jerusalem artichokes
½ lemon
300g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
235g unsalted butter, fridge-cold, diced
75g sour cream
Salt
2 tbsp sunflower oil
4 shallots, peeled and finely diced
250g large spinach leaves (ie not baby spinach)
180g feta, broken into 2cm pieces
50g mature cheddar, grated
5g sage leaves, finely chopped
5g oregano leaves, finely chopped
¾ tsp grated nutmeg
1 egg, lightly whisked
1½ tsp nigella seeds
Peel the jerusalem artichokes, roughly chop into 3cm pieces and put in a pot filled with water and the juice of half a lemon; throw in the squeezed lemon half, too – this will prevent discolouration.
Put the flour, butter and sour cream in a food processor with one and a quarter teaspoons of salt, and work just until the mixture comes together. Transfer to a lightly floured work surface and knead gently for a minute, until soft and malleable; add a little flour to stop it sticking, if need be. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Bring the artichoke pan to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-high and simmer for 25 minutes, until the artichokes are soft but not turning to mush. Strain, discard the lemon half and set aside for five minutes. Tip into a large bowl, crush roughly with a potato masher and set aside.
Put the oil in a medium saute pan on a medium heat and add the shallots. Sweat for eight minutes, stirring once or twice, until soft but not coloured, then stir in the spinach and cook for four minutes, until wilted. Tip into a strainer and push out any excess water with the back of a wooden spoon. Chop roughly and add to the artichokes with the feta, cheddar, herbs, nutmeg and a quarter-teaspoon of salt. Mix and set aside to cool.
Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the pastry to 2-3mm thick. Cut into eight 16cm-diameter circles – I use an inverted bowl – then divide the filling between the discs, spreading it across the centre to form a 12cm-long sausage shape, leaving 2cm clear at both ends of each disc. Brush all around the edges with egg and, keeping the mixture flat, draw up the sides of each pastry disc around the filling, so the egg-washed edges meet in the middle. Pinch them closed, so the filling is well sealed, and transfer to a baking tray lined with parchment – sit them seal up, a bit like a Cornish pasty. Set aside in the fridge for 10 minutes, to firm up.
Brush each pasty with egg and sprinkle the nigella seeds on top. Bake for 25 minutes, until golden-brown, leave to cool a little, and serve hot, warm or at room temperature.
Yotam Ottolenghi is chef/patron of Ottolenghi and Nopi in London.
Follow Yotam on Twitter.
