Pork, Pepper and Pineapple Puff Pastry Pie

This is a recipe which came about when I was given a bag of small, homegrown red bell peppers and I wanted to come up with some different ideas for using them in cooking. I first considered a pork, pepper and pineapple stir fry but ultimately decided on this alternative.




Ingredients (Serves Two)

1/2lb diced shoulder of pork
2 small red bell peppers or one normal size
2 rings of pineapple (if canned, in own juice and not syrup)
1 pint of fresh chicken stock
4oz puff pastry
6 small lettuce leaves
2 plum tomatoes
Fresh basil leaves for garnish

1 beaten egg for glazing



Method

The first and most time consuming step is to cook the pork shoulder meat. The meat should firstly be browned in a large pot before the hot chicken stock is added and brought to a simmer. The pork should be simmered for around an hour and a half, to become beautifully tender. Note that the chicken stock may well need topped up with some hot water during the cooking time. Do not let the pork boil dry and remember that some liquid stock will be required in the pie.

When the pork is cooked, the pepper(s) and pineapple rings should be roughly chopped and stirred through the mix. The combination should then be added to a pie dish, as shown above, covered and left for at least half an hour to cool.



The puff pastry should be rolled evenly out on a floured surface to a size slightly larger than is required to top the pie. The cut-offs should then be used to line the edges of the dish before the main pastry is added to top the pie.

A couple of slits should be made in the top centre of the pie to allow steam to escape during cooking. The pie should then be glazed with the beaten egg and added to an oven preheated to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6 for thirty-five to forty minutes, or until the pastry is beautifully risen and golden.

The pie should be served with the lettuce and tomato and garnished with fresh basil leaves, as shown at the top of this post.

Diced Turkey and Vegetable Stir Fry

Normally when we are making a stir fry incorporating poultry we will do so using chicken or perhaps even duck. This recipe actually was born when I was wondering around my local supermarket one night, simply checking what was available and seeking inspiration. I spotted diced turkey thigh on special offer and thought to myself, "What if...?"

A lot of recipes come to me in this fashion so all I subsequently had to do was visit the vegetable aisle and see what caught my eye to accompany the diced turkey in my stir fry. I hope very much that you like the sound and the look of what I came up with and that you will try this incredibly quick and simple dish for yourself.

I promise you: it tastes even better than it sounds or looks!

Ingredients

1/2lb diced turkey thigh
1 red bell pepper (de-seeded and roughly chopped)
2 large closed cup mushrooms (quartered)
2 handfuls of beansprouts
2 cloves of garlic (very finely chopped)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Sunflower oil for stir frying

Method

Ensure that all your ingredients are prepared as described above and close at hand. When you begin cooking, you will not have time to chop or even fetch any of the items listed.

Put your wok on the highest heat possible until it is smoking hot. Add approximately one tablespoon of sunflower oil and bring up to a maximum heat.

Add the diced turkey and stir fry for a minute or two until it is completely sealed before adding the bell pepper. After another thirty seconds or so, add the mushrooms, the garlic and the beansprouts. Stir fry for about another minute until everything is cooked and heated through.

Season to taste and serve either as is or perhaps on a bed of basmati rice.