To make Shropshire pie is a traditional British recipe, based on Hannah Glasse's recipe of 1747, for a classic pie of rabbit meat pork with rabbit liver, bacon and oyster forcemeat balls baked in a puff pastry crust with artichoke bottoms and a red wine and water stock. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: To make Shropshire pie.
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This is a traditional British recipe redacted from Hannah Glasse's 1747 volume The Aft of Cookery Made Plain and Easy, the classic Georgian cookbook.
To make Shropſhire pie.
FIRST make a good puff-paſte cruſt, then cut two rabbits to pieces, with two pounds of fat pork cut into little pieces ; ſeaſon both with pepper and ſalt to your liking, then cover your diſh with cruſt, and lay in your rabbits. Mix the pork with them, take the livers of the rabbits, parboil them, and beat them in a mortar, with as much fat bacon, a little ſweet-herbs, and ſome oyſters, if you have them. Seaſon with pepper, ſalt, and nutmeg ; mix it up with the yolk of an egg, and make it into balls. Lay them here and there in your pie, ſome artichoke-bottoms cut in dice, and cocks-combs, if you have them ; grate a ſmall nutmeg over the meat, then pour in half a pint of red wine, and half a pint of water. Cloſe your pie, and bake it an hour and a half in a quick oven, but not to fierce an oven.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
400g puff pastry (ie made with 400g flour)
2 rabbits, meat stripped off the bones and cut into pieces
500g fatty pork, finely chopped
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
freshly-grated nutmeg, to taste
2 rabbit livers
4 rashers of streaky bacon, chopped
6 oysters, shucked
freshly-grated nutmeg, to taste
4 tbsp sweet herbs
1 egg yolk
4 artichoke bottoms (or broccoli stems), diced
150ml red wine
100ml water
Method:
Take just over half the pastry, roll it out and use to line the base and sides of a deep pie dish then lay in the rabbit meat and the pork.
Take the rabbit livers and parboil in water for 5 minutes. Beat these in a mortar with the bacon, herbs and oysters (if available). Season to taste with salt, black pepper and nutmeg then mix in the egg and form the mixture into small balls. Place these in the pie.
Season with salt and black pepper then add the artichoke bottoms (or broccoli stems) and pour in the red wine and water. Roll out the remaining pastry and use to cover the pie. Crimp the edges closed and cut two steam holes.
Transfer to an oven pre-heated to 180°C and bake for about 45 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and the filling is cooked through.
