Tiddy Oggy

The reruns of Britain's Best Dish 2007 are now finished and the Champion
starter was a dish known as Somerset Tiddy Oggy.
I remember watching a few episodes of this show a couple of years back
and this dish didn't really grab me at the time, but having watched the series
more closely this time around, I decided to give it a go.
Well, the Tiddy Oggy is just fabulous and there are just not enough superlatives
to describe the pastry, it is just so light and flavoursome. The addition of sage
was of my choosing and in my opinion it lifts the flavour.
A word of warning, this is not a recipe for those on low fat diets or those watching
their cholesterol etc.
I will stress here that this is not my recipe and you can find full details at

www.goodtoknow.co.uk/recipes/.../Tiddy-oggy
INGREDIENTS

SHORT CRUST PASTRY
• 100g lard
• 100g butter
• 450g plain flour
• salt
• 120 mls iced water

FILLING
• butter for frying
• 1 small onion
• 1 medium cooking apple
• 50g celery
• 225g minced pork
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley – chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh sage – chopped

• salt and pepper
• 1 egg for glazing
• 2 tbsp grated cheddar cheese
• 4 tbsp breadcrumbs to cover

1.Put the lard, butter, flour and salt in a food processor and whizz until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Gradually add the iced water, a very little at a time, until the mixture just comes together into a ball. Remove from the dough from the food processor, lightly knead acouple of times, wrap in cling film and leave to rest in the refrigerator for 30 mins. (I left my dough overnight)


2.Peel, core and finely chop the apple. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat and fry the onion, celery and apple until the onion is soft and translucent. Transfer to a bowl. Put the mince in the same pan and fry it in its own fat, stirring frequently, until lightly browned. Add to the onion with the parsley and sage, season well with salt and black pepper and stir well. Allow to cool, then chill in the refrigerator until needed.

3.Preheat the oven to 180°C. Remove the pastry from the refrigerator and allow it to come almost back to room temperature (this helps to avoid cracking). Roll out the pastry on a floured work surface and cut into 15cm (6in) rounds.

4.Place a spoonful of the mince mixture in the centre of each pastry round, brush the edges with water, then pull up the sides and press together, leaving a hole at the top. Fill the holes with the cheese and top with breadcrumbs. Brush each of the pastries with a little beaten egg to glaze.

5.Place the tiddy oggys on a baking tray and bake in the oven for 30 mins until the pastry is cooked and golden. Serve warm or cold with a good relish or chutney.