Ingredients

Pork Apple Filling
1 medium red onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 heaping tsp sage
1/2 heaping tsp thyme
pinch (or a sprinkle) of all-spice
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup water
1 lb (450-500kg) pork mince*

1 slice bread, cut into cubes (I used Little Northern Bakehouse multigrain as my gluten free bread)
1 eating apple, peeled and diced**

Pie Dough
1 1/2 cups quinoa flour (plus more for rolling)
1/2 cup cassava flour
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup vegetable shortening
2 eggs, beaten
cold water

Method

1. In a medium sized pot or deep pan that has a lid to fit, add all ingredients for pork filling except for the bread and apple cubes. Cook over medium heat until pork has just lost its pink colour (do not brown). Turn heat to low, cover with a lid, and cook for 30 minutes.
2. While pork mix is cooking, prepare the pie dough. Mix quinoa flour, cassava flour, and salt in a mixing bowl. Add shortening and cut into the flour using a large fork or a pastry cutter, until shortening is completely combined with flour. Add in beaten eggs and mix to combine. If necessary, add cold water a bit at a time until dough can come together with your hands into a ball that does not crumble apart. It should have the texture of a rollable cookie dough. Place in the fridge until ready to use.
3. Once pork mixture has finished cooking, add in bread cubes and diced apples and mix to combine. Allow the filling to cool completely before using. In order to speed up this process, you can spread the mixture over a sheet pan – more surface area touching the air leads to less cooling time. Once you pan is cooled to the touch you can also place in the fridge until cool (don’t place in the fridge while hot or you can spoil other food in your fridge).
4. Once everything is cooled, heat oven to 400°F and prepare to assemble your pies.
5. Dust a clean surface and a rolling pin with quinoa flour. Divide dough into 2. Roll your dough out to 1/4 inch (1/2 cm) thick. If using an 8 inch pie pan, roll into 2 circles to act as the top and bottom crusts. If using a mini pie pan (I used a Wilton mini pie pan that I was gifted), cut out 6 or 8 circles to make 3 or 4 mini pies. Your dough circles should be larger that the size of the top of your pan so that they do not tear when pushed in.
6. Fill the bottom crust(s) with the pork and apple filling. I like to mound up the filling generously so that you both get a good amount of the delicious insides and have room for it to shrink back as it cooks.
7. Top pie(s) with the top crust, pinch top and bottom crust together with your fingers or a fork, and cut vent holes in the top crust. Place in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes for mini pies, 30-40 minutes for an 8 inch pie. If you would like to do an egg wash for a shiny top crust, I recommend doing this halfway through the cooking time so that it does not burn.
8. If you are able to do so safely, remove mini pies from the pan soon after they come out of the oven and plate them up to keep the bottom crust crisp. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

Notes:

1. *I like to mince my ground pork again before using it (I do this with my mince in most of my recipes). This creates a finer and more uniform mince throughout and makes for a more evenly cooked and less messy final product.
2. *Pork can be substituted for your favourite mince of choice (vegan or meat) or a mix of your favourite minces. I prefer pork for this recipe because the flavour pork and apples go very well together.
3. **Eating apples are crisp, usually sweeter, and most importantly hold their shape when cooked. I prefer ginger golds or golden delicious for this recipe. As always, choose your favourites to ensure you enjoy the final product the most!
4. I like to serve this recipe with a simple green salad. The fresh and greens brighten up the savoury pork and a vinaigrette contrasts the sweet apples as well. They are also super delicious with mashed potatoes, green beans, and pickled red onions in the winter.