Fidget Spanner
Jul. 10th, 2023 08:19 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
madbakerThis week's Resolution Recipe: Fidget Pies.
"Fidget pie - sometimes called fitchett pie - was enjoyed by farmworkers at harvest time throughout the Midlands, particularly in Shropshire. I've opted to make individual pies here."
Pastry:
300 g plain flour
pinch salt
75 g cold unsalted butter, diced
75 g cold lard, diced
About 4 Tbsp ice-cold water
1 egg, lightly beaten, to glaze
Filling:
1 potato, about 200 g
1 small onion, thinly sliced
no garlic (Ha! I used... slightly more.)
275 cooked ham, diced
1 small apple, peeled, cored, and sliced
2 Tbsp chopped parsley
1 1/2 Tbsp cornflour (There is no 1/2 Tbsp measuring spoon. Why is this used as a measurement?)
100 ml dry cider
salt and pepper
To make the pastry, put the flour and salt into a large bowl, add the butter and lard, and rub them in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Gradually mix in enough water to form a dough. Knead briefly until smooth. Wrap in cling film and chill for 30 minutes.
Heat oven to 400 F. Cut off a third of the pastry and set aside for pie lids. On a lightly floured surface, roll the larger portion into a cylinder. Cut into 12 even slices and roll each into a 10cm circle, about 3mm thick. Use these to like a muffin tray. Roll the other portion of pastry to a 2mm thickness and cut out 12 lids for the pies.
For the filling, peel and thinly slice the potato. Arrange a layer of potato slices in the base of each pie case, cutting them to fit as necessary. Add a layer of onion and season with a little salt and pepper. Divide the ham between the pastry cases, then add a layer of apple slices and a final layer of potato. Sprinkle the chopped parsley on top.
Put the cornflour in a small bowl and slowly stir in the cider, keeping the mixture smooth. Add 2 tsp of this liquid to each pie. Dampen the rim of the pastry with a little water and top each pie with a lid, pressing down well to seal the edges. Make a small slit in the top of each pie and brush with beaten egg. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the pastry is crisp and golden. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of each pie and turn out. Serve hot or cold.
What worked: The crust was beautifully flaky with no soggy bottom. They held up for several days and were flaky even when reheated. They were better warm than cold.
What didn't: The quantities listed made substantially too much filling; we briefly wondered if UK muffin tins are larger, but the pie crust recipe was just about right. I might have been able to use a bit more if I had packed the crusts rather than arranging as directed, but not anywhere close to the amount this made.
More importantly, this really didn't have much flavor. I had debated using apple juice rather than hard cider, but "dry" seemed to indicate hard cider. Juice would have been tastier - the cider really didn't add anything we could tell - although hard cider does seem to be typical.
Basically, this was stereotypical British stodge. A quick search shows other Fidget Pie recipes being more meatloaf-in-hot-water-crust, sometimes with sage (which would have added a bit more oomph).
Will I make it again? No. Paul Hollywood, you disappoint on this one.
"Fidget pie - sometimes called fitchett pie - was enjoyed by farmworkers at harvest time throughout the Midlands, particularly in Shropshire. I've opted to make individual pies here."
Pastry:
300 g plain flour
pinch salt
75 g cold unsalted butter, diced
75 g cold lard, diced
About 4 Tbsp ice-cold water
1 egg, lightly beaten, to glaze
Filling:
1 potato, about 200 g
1 small onion, thinly sliced
no garlic (Ha! I used... slightly more.)
275 cooked ham, diced
1 small apple, peeled, cored, and sliced
2 Tbsp chopped parsley
1 1/2 Tbsp cornflour (There is no 1/2 Tbsp measuring spoon. Why is this used as a measurement?)
100 ml dry cider
salt and pepper
To make the pastry, put the flour and salt into a large bowl, add the butter and lard, and rub them in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Gradually mix in enough water to form a dough. Knead briefly until smooth. Wrap in cling film and chill for 30 minutes.
Heat oven to 400 F. Cut off a third of the pastry and set aside for pie lids. On a lightly floured surface, roll the larger portion into a cylinder. Cut into 12 even slices and roll each into a 10cm circle, about 3mm thick. Use these to like a muffin tray. Roll the other portion of pastry to a 2mm thickness and cut out 12 lids for the pies.
For the filling, peel and thinly slice the potato. Arrange a layer of potato slices in the base of each pie case, cutting them to fit as necessary. Add a layer of onion and season with a little salt and pepper. Divide the ham between the pastry cases, then add a layer of apple slices and a final layer of potato. Sprinkle the chopped parsley on top.
Put the cornflour in a small bowl and slowly stir in the cider, keeping the mixture smooth. Add 2 tsp of this liquid to each pie. Dampen the rim of the pastry with a little water and top each pie with a lid, pressing down well to seal the edges. Make a small slit in the top of each pie and brush with beaten egg. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the pastry is crisp and golden. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of each pie and turn out. Serve hot or cold.
What worked: The crust was beautifully flaky with no soggy bottom. They held up for several days and were flaky even when reheated. They were better warm than cold.
What didn't: The quantities listed made substantially too much filling; we briefly wondered if UK muffin tins are larger, but the pie crust recipe was just about right. I might have been able to use a bit more if I had packed the crusts rather than arranging as directed, but not anywhere close to the amount this made.
More importantly, this really didn't have much flavor. I had debated using apple juice rather than hard cider, but "dry" seemed to indicate hard cider. Juice would have been tastier - the cider really didn't add anything we could tell - although hard cider does seem to be typical.
Basically, this was stereotypical British stodge. A quick search shows other Fidget Pie recipes being more meatloaf-in-hot-water-crust, sometimes with sage (which would have added a bit more oomph).
Will I make it again? No. Paul Hollywood, you disappoint on this one.
