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Pork, Mushroom and Lentil Hand Pies

6 medium hand pies; one complete pie per stated serving · Active 1 hr · Cook 1 hr · Total 3 hr

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A simple butter shortcrust encloses browned pork, mushrooms and cooked lentils in six individual pies. The lentils are part of the filling, not a substitute silently added after the meat has been divided. The filling must cool before it reaches the pastry. That cold pause is included in the three-hour plan and makes these a purposeful batch project rather than a hurried weeknight shortcut.

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A golden pork, mushroom and lentil hand pie with a cut face showing its compact filling.

Keep the pastry cold without making it dry

Rub cold butter into flour until most pieces are no larger than peas, then add the measured cold water. Press the dough together instead of kneading it like bread. A shortcrust needs enough handling to become cohesive, but a long knead makes it tougher. Chill it while preparing the filling. Roll between sheets of parchment so extra bench flour does not become an uncounted ingredient. Dividing the dough by weight before rolling gives six shells that are wide enough for their filling instead of one thick shell and five thin ones.

Cold filling protects the seams

Cook chopped mushrooms and onion until their loose water has gone, then brown the pork safely before stirring in the cooked lentils and seasonings. The mixture should hold on a spoon without running. Spread it in a shallow metal dish, no deeper than about 3/4 inch/2 cm, and refrigerate promptly until no warmer than 40°F/4°C. A deep hot bowl takes longer. Enclosing warm filling softens the butter inside the dough and makes a sealed edge much harder to form. The refrigerator pause is part of the recipe, not an optional pastry trick.

Portion, seal and freeze with a clear count

Weigh the cold filling and divide it into six piles. Roll six discs, leave a clean border and fold each into a broad half-moon. Press rather than stretch; a stretched top can pull back and split during baking. Brush with the measured milk and cut a small vent in each pie. Two trays give the six pies room without packing them against one another. Rotate the trays halfway through the bake and check a central filling temperature. Once safely cooked and promptly cooled, the individual pies are easy to label and take one at a time from the freezer.

Ingredients

  • 10 1/2 oz all-purpose flour (300 g)
  • 4 1/3 oz cold unsalted butter, diced (125 g)
  • 6 tablespoons cold water (90 ml/90 g)
  • 1/3 teaspoon fine salt for pastry (2 g)
  • 10 1/2 oz 84%-lean ground pork (300 g raw)
  • 5 1/3 oz cremini mushrooms, finely chopped (150 g)
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped (75 g)
  • 6 1/3 oz cooked green or brown lentils, boiled, drained and cooled (180 g cooked edible weight)
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil (10 ml/9 g)
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced (6 g)
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste (32 g)
  • 4 teaspoons prepared yellow mustard (20 g)
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme (1 g)
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine salt for filling (1.5 g)
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper (0.5 g)
  • 2 tablespoons 2% milk for brushing (30 ml; use 30 g for the estimate)

Set out

Kitchen scale, mixing bowl and rolling pin, Baking parchment and two large rimmed trays, each with usable base at least 16×11 inches/40×28 cm, 12-inch/30 cm skillet, spatula and shallow metal cooling dish, Refrigerator space for dough and a thin layer of cooked filling, Pastry brush and food thermometer

Allergens

Wheat, Milk, Mustard; check prepared mustard labels for other declared allergens.. Check labels and substitutions.

Make it

  1. Mix flour and the 2 g pastry salt. Rub in cold butter until mostly pea-sized crumbs remain. Add the 90 ml cold water and press into a cohesive dough without long kneading. Flatten, cover and refrigerate at 40°F/4°C or below for at least 30 minutes while making and chilling the filling.
  2. Use plain lentils cooked today or yesterday and promptly refrigerated; their earlier cooking is not included in this recipe. Heat oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Cook mushrooms and onion for 8–10 minutes until soft and loose liquid evaporates. Add garlic for 30 seconds, then pork. Cook for 6–8 minutes, breaking it up, until browned and the pork reaches 160°F/71°C. Do not drain the pan juices or fat.
  3. Stir in all the cooked drained lentils, tomato paste, mustard, thyme, filling salt and pepper. Cook for 2–3 minutes until the mixture holds on a spoon without free liquid. Spread in a shallow metal dish no deeper than 3/4 inch/2 cm. Refrigerate promptly for about 45–60 minutes and until the filling is no warmer than 40°F/4°C. Keep the dough chilled too; a longer cooling time extends the total.
  4. Heat oven to 375°F/190°C with two racks suitable for the trays. Line both trays with parchment. Divide dough into six equal portions, about 86 g each, and cold filling into six equal portions. Roll each dough piece between parchment into a 7-inch/18 cm disc about 1/8 inch/3 mm thick. Put one filling portion on one half, leaving a 3/4-inch/2 cm clean border. Fold over without stretching and press and crimp the edge firmly.
  5. Set three pies on each tray with at least 1 inch/2.5 cm between them. Divide all the milk across the six tops with a pastry brush and cut a small steam vent in each. Bake for 30–35 minutes, swapping rack positions and turning trays halfway, until golden, the underside is baked through and each thick center reaches 165°F/74°C. Rest for 10 minutes. One complete pie is the stated serving.

One batch, six labeled decisions

Write the baking date and original lentil cooking date on each wrapped pie. Freezing the portions intended for later avoids keeping a whole week's worth in the refrigerator. The stated estimate is for one pie; any vegetables or other food chosen alongside are separate.

A useful detail

The dough is 300 g flour+125 g butter+90 g water+2 g salt, divided six ways. The lentils are weighed already cooked and drained. All browned pork juices and all measured oil remain in the filling. Cooling the filling completely is included; do not use warm filling to meet an optimistic clock.

Another way

  • Replace the 20 g yellow mustard with 20 g Dijon mustard, checking its label; flavor and nutrition change.
  • Use 180 g cooked drained green split peas instead of lentils, keeping them tender but not a loose puree. That variation changes the base estimate.

Keep it well

Because lentils are already cooked, keep their original storage clock: use the pies within 2 days of baking and no later than 3 days after the lentils were cooked, whichever is sooner. Cool baked pies unstacked and refrigerate within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F/32°C, at 40°F/4°C or below. Freeze promptly for up to 2 months for later meals; thaw in the refrigerator. Reheat on a tray at 350°F/175°C until the filling center reaches 165°F/74°C. Carry cold pies with two cold sources.