Manx Mountain Pie

Serves: to serve 6

Prep Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes + waiting

Cook Time: 1 Hour 15 Minutes

Ready In: 2 hrs 45 mins
+ waiting

FOR THE PASTRY

9 oz - plain flour (all-purpose flour)

5½ oz - butter

pinch - salt

1 tablespoon - water

2 - eggs

FOR THE FILLING

2 large - onions

2 tablespoons - olive oil

1lb 5oz - sausage meat (or sausages with the skin removed)

10 fl oz - double cream (heavy cream)

7 fl oz - milk

6 - eggs

- chopped thyme

1lb 5oz - black pudding

12 oz - Lancashire cheese (grated)

First of all, get busy with the pastry... blend the flour, butter and salt in a food processor until the mix resembles breadcrumbs. Tip the mixture into a large bowl and add the water and one of the eggs. Mix by hand until it becomes a smooth dough, then cover in cling film and rest for 1 hour in the fridge.
After it has rested, roll the pastry on a lightly floured surface. Lightly grease an 11" x 2" (28cm x 5cm) pie dish and line it with the pastry, trimming off any surplus with a knife. Pierce the pastry on the bottom repeatedly with the tines of a fork to produce small holes (this helps the steam escape and prevents the crust from bubbling up) then bake in a preheated moderate oven (Mk 4 - 350ºF - 180ºC) for 20 - 25 minutes until golden. Remove from the oven and brush with yolk of the other egg.
For the filling, peel and finely slice the onions. Place them in a frying pan with the olive oil and cook over a low heat for about 10-15 minutes until they are soft and pale brown in colour. Remove from the pan and set aside. Using the same pan, turn up the heat, add the sausage meat and quickly brown it (about 4-5 minutes), breaking it up with a wooden spoon as you do.
Mix the cream, milk, four eggs, the yolk (only) of two eggs, and then add the onions and chopped thyme. Set aside. Remove the skin of the black pudding and, in a food processor blend until it becomes a paté. Separate into two and roll each piece out separately between two sheets of cling film enough to cover the pastry base.
Lay one of the black pudding rounds in the pastry then cover with the sausage meat. Spinkle with half the cheese. Spoon the cream-cheese-onion mix over the top. Lay the other black pudding round on top and finish with the other half of the grated cheese.
Bake in a preheated moderate oven (Mk 3 - 325ºF - 170ºC) for 40-45 minutes until set. Serve hot or cold.