Recipes
Pot Pie with Pork Belly and Pigeon Peas – Franka Philip
A pot pie is one of the most comforting meals. It’s an unctuous stew commonly made with chicken but any meat that could take braising will do. For this recipe I wanted a local touch so I used fresh pigeon peas instead of the traditional green peas. Typically the meat for a pot pie is braised or stewed but for a bit more texture and a bit of adventure, I fried the pork belly first.
Ingredients
650 grams pork belly, boned, cubed and seasoned to taste
1 large carrot, roughly chopped
1 medium onion, diced thickly
2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1/4 cup white wine
350 grams pigeon peas
2 bay leaves
3 sprigs thyme
350 ml vegetable or chicken stock
500 ml white sauce or bechamel
Smoked paprika, ground coriander, pepper sauce,
salt and black pepper to taste
Oil for cooking
500 grams puff pastry
Directions
- PREPARE THE PORK:
In frying pan or wok heat enough oil to deep fry. Fry pork belly pieces in batches until golden brown. Drain and set aside. - PREPARE THE FILLING:
Heat oil in a saucepan, add carrot, onion, celery and garlic. Cook until translucent. Add white wine and let cook until alcohol has burned off. Add pigeon peas, bay leaves, thyme, and stock and cook for ten minutes. Season the mixture with salt and black pepper, add pork and cook a further 10 minutes. Stir in the white sauce or bechamel and mix thoroughly. Add the seasonings, mix and remove from the fire. - PASTRY:
Puff Pastry is widely available in the frozen section of supermarkets. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and take it out just before you're ready to roll it out. Roll the pastry to 1/8 inch thickness. - To finish Preheat oven to 350F. Pour filling in an 8-inch pie tin or cast iron skillet. Cover with pastry and crimp the ends. Make a hole in the centre to allow steam to escape. Bake until golden brown, about 25-30 mins. Serve warm, with some filling and pastry to top.
