AI-generated image
Huntingdon fidget pie
Gammon, apple and onion pie from the Fens
BritishFidget pie is a harvest pie from Huntingdonshire and the Fens around Cambridge, baked for farm workers bringing in the crops in autumn. It is a pork dish: chunks of gammon (cured pork) are layered with sharp cooking apples and onions in a cider gravy under shortcrust, so it is salty, sweet and fruity all at once. This recipe contains alcohol from the cider; for alcohol-free use cloudy apple juice with a teaspoon of cider vinegar. Chef's tip: soak salty gammon in cold water for an hour first, or the pie can be too salty.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (4)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Soak the 1 ⅓ lb smoked gammon in cold water for 1 hour, then drain and pat dry. Heat the oven to 400°F (350°F fan).
60 minStep 2: Toss the gammon with the 2 tbsp plain flour, 6 leaves fresh sage and 1 tsp black pepper. Layer in a 1.5 litre pie dish with the 2 onions, 2 cooking apples and 1 potato, sprinkling the apples with the 1 tsp brown sugar.
10 minStep 3: Mix the ¾ cup dry cider (or cloudy apple juice) and ¾ cup chicken stock and pour over the filling.
1 minStep 4: Cover with the rolled 14 oz shortcrust pastry, seal and crimp the edges, cut a steam hole and brush with 1 egg.
8 minStep 5: Bake for 20 minutes, then turn down to 350°F (325°F fan) for 40 minutes more, until the pastry is golden and the gammon reaches 160°F; a knife pushed through the hole should slide easily through the potato. A common mistake is skipping the soak.
60 minStep 6: Rest 10 minutes before serving with greens.
10 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 540 kcal
- Protein
- 26 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 30 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does huntingdon fidget pie take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of cooking apples?
- Pears, same amount.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Tteokgalbi
Tteokgalbi is rib meat chopped finely, pressed back into neat slabs and grilled, so it's soft enough to eat without struggling with a bone. Two places in South Jeolla claim it: Damyang, the bamboo county, where all-beef patties come with rice steamed in bamboo tubes, and Gwangju's Songjeong district, whose restaurant street near the railway station mixes beef with pork. This home version uses minced beef and pork, seasoned with soy, garlic and pear, then brushed with a soy and honey glaze as it cooks. Serve with rice, lettuce and a few banchan; leftovers are good cold in a lunchbox. Chef's tip: slap the mince against the bowl for a few minutes; it turns sticky and the patties hold together on the grill without any breadcrumbs.
Korean
Pork souvlaki
This is a pork recipe. Walk through any Greek town after dark, from Athens to Thessaloniki, and the smell of souvlaki stands drifts down the street; cubes of pork shoulder grilled on thin skewers are the country's favourite cheap supper, eaten standing up or at a plastic-table taverna. At home you marinate the meat in lemon, olive oil, garlic and dried oregano, grill it hard and fast, and pile it on warm pitta with tzatziki, tomato and red onion. Chef's tip: cut the pork into even 2.5 cm cubes and leave a little fat on; lean loin dries out, shoulder stays juicy over high heat.
Greek
Char siu
Hanging in long glossy strips in the windows of Guangzhou's siu mei shops, char siu is the roast pork Cantonese families pick up on the way home to put on rice, noodles or into steamed buns. The outside is lacquered, sweet and a little charred at the edges; the inside stays juicy, savoury and faintly scented with five-spice. Shoulder (pork butt) is the cut to use, because its marbling keeps the strips moist through a hot oven. Marinate it overnight in the fridge, roast it the next day and eat it warm with steamed rice and blanched greens, or cold in fried rice and noodle soups. Chef's tip: save the honey for the last ten minutes; brushed on at the start it burns black long before the pork is cooked.
Chinese