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Huntingdon fidget pie

Gammon, apple and onion pie

Gammon, apple and onion pie from the Fens

Fidget 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
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Ingredients

Serves6

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Method

0/6 done
  1. Step 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 min
  2. Step 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 min
  3. Step 3: Mix the ¾ cup dry cider (or cloudy apple juice) and ¾ cup chicken stock and pour over the filling.

    1 min
  4. Step 4: Cover with the rolled 14 oz shortcrust pastry, seal and crimp the edges, cut a steam hole and brush with 1 egg.

    8 min
  5. Step 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 min
  6. Step 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.

K
Recipe by

KrazyBadal

All recipes by this chef →

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.

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