D is for Dinner: Ploughman's lunch
Chef Matthew Brearley is well known for his homemade, local dishes
This week on D is for Dinner, a lesson in making a ploughman's lunch from Matthew Brearley, the executive chef at Saint Paul University.
D is for Dinner is a weekly food segment on CBC Radio's afternoon show All in a Day with host Alan Neal.
Brearley and his wife ran the acclaimed Castlegarth restaurant in White Lake, Ont., for more than a decade, focusing on local homemade food. The couple closed the restaurant in September to spend more time with their children.
Brearley is now using his skills to bring more homemade fare to the cafeteria at St. Paul's University.
The dish he is making for D is for Dinner is a ploughman's lunch with pork pie, picalilli, Fable Farm's apple and Cru du Cloche cheddar.
Pork Pie recipe
To make the pork stock you'll need:
- 1 pigs trotter.
- 3 cups cold water.
- 1 sage leaf.
- 1 sprig of thyme.
- 1 onion.
- 1 clove.
Bring ingredients to a boil and allow to simmer for 2 to 3 hours. You should have 1 cup of liquid left. Allow to cool but don't let it get cold.
For the filling you'll need:
- 450 g coarsely ground pork.
- 2 fresh sage leaves chopped.
- Salt and pepper.
For the hot water pastry:
- 225 g unbleached flour.
- 50 g lard.
- 60 ml water.
- 60 ml milk.
1. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Bring the liquid and lard to a boil and mix it quickly with the flour. Allow it to rest for an hour.
3. Knead the dough on a floured surface. Add a little water if is is too dry and roll it out.
4. Fill and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius) for 45 minutes. Make sure to put a little steam hole in the top layer of pastry.
5. Ten minutes before the end, brush with a little beaten egg.
6. Pour the reduced stock in the vent hole and chill to set.
7. Serve with your favourite pickle.