A Pork Mince Pie To Celebrate Christmas

Nothing says Christmas quite like mince pie does. Chef Christine Barretto's mince pie is a reflection of her Anglo-Indian and Goan heritage. 

Christine Barretto is the ex-pastry chef of Smoke Co., Bengaluru. Her recipe for mince pie is one that is inherited from her Anglo-Indian mother. “She was always cooking; she introduced us to foods none of the other kids at school were eating. I don’t know how she did it, raising the four of us, and still always baking cakes and cookies and pie on her huge 5-burner stove oven.” With pork mince, for her Goan father, infused with spices, and topped with potato, this pie would typically be made at Christmastime. “I switch the potato topping with short crust pastry, and add my own twist – red wine!” she winks. Read about Christine's love affair with baking here!

Recipe: Christine Barretto's Christmas Pie

Shortcrust pie
Ingredients
400g flour, cubed
215g butter
5g Salt
Cold water, to bind

Method
Place the flour and butter in a large bowl.
Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until you have a pebbly mixture.
Use a little cold water to bind the dough, not more than 1/2 cup. Wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for an hour.
Remove disc and while cold, roll out to thickess of about a centimetre. Fold the sheet onto itself and roll out flat again. Repeat 8-10 times.
Line a pie tin, and bake at 180 for 20 min. 
Once cooked, brush the pie crust with egg wash.

Mince stuffing
Ingredients
1 kilo pork, minced
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

4 tbsp olive oil
4 cubes butter
2 bay leaves
12 shallots
50g celery
20g garlic
3 pinches of cinnamon powder
3 pinches of clove powder
1 and 1/3 cup of tomato puree
2 tsp chilli flakes
250g carrot
200 ml sauvignon blanc
1/2 cup water
3 tbsp fresh cream
Parsley to garnish
Salt to taste

Method
Marinate the pork in the Worcestershire sauce and balsamic vinegar.
Heat a large, heavy bottomed pot on the stove. Pour in the olive oil and 1 cube of butter. 
Add the bay leaves and shallots. Fry till lightly brown.
Add in the celery, garlic, cinnamon and clove. Fry gently till aromatic. 
Spoon in the meat and cook till it browns. 
Add in the tomato puree and let it cook down to a nice brown.
Add in the chilli flakes, and salt to taste.
Add the carrots and let it cook for a minute or two.
Add in the wine and a bit of water if the meat is drying out.
Add the 3 remaining cubes of butter, stir well.
Add the fresh cream, stir well and take turn off the heat.
Garnish with parsley.
Allow to cool.
Spoon into the baked pie crust and flatten till even.
Place another layer of shortcrust pie dough on top of the mince filling, and gently pinch off the edges. Use a fork to seal. 
Brush on egg wash and bake for another 20 min at 180C.

This recipe is a #1000Kitchens feature!

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