Chicken, ham and asparagus – picnic pie

• asparagus stalks↗300g g
• chicken breasts↗4
• prosciutto↗10 slices
• high-quality pork sausages↗1.2kg kg

  meat squeezed from casings, or sausage mince

• shelled pistachios↗150g g
• cayenne pepper↗pinch
• butter↗75g g

  plus extra for the tin

• strong white flour↗600g g

  plus extra for dusting

• mustard powder1 tsp tsp
• whole nutmeg↗

  for grating

• pork fat↗75g g
• milk↗5 tbsp tbsp
• egg↗1

  beaten

• shallot↗

  thinly sliced rings, lettuce leaves and French dressing (optional)

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Trim the woody ends off the asparagus (see photo 1 in the step‑by‑step guide), bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook them for 2 minutes, then transfer to a bowl of ice water. Slice the asparagus tips and set aside. Slice each chicken breast into long strips about two fingers thick (photo 2), then wrap slices of prosciutto around some asparagus stalks and chicken strips (photo 3) and set aside. By hand, mash the sausage‑pistachio mixture in a bowl, season with cayenne pepper and plenty of black pepper, then set aside.

2. 2

   Cut a sheet of parchment paper to fit the bottom and sides of a lightly buttered 2‑liter terrine or loaf tin, leaving a lip (photo 4). To make the dough, sift the flour into a bowl with 2 tsp salt and mustard powder, then add a pinch of nutmeg. In a saucepan with 250 ml water, melt the lard, butter and milk until the fats are fully melted. Pour the mixture into the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Turn out onto a work surface and briefly knead until the dough comes together.

3. 3

   Take two‑thirds of the dough and keep the rest wrapped so it doesn’t dry out. Roll it into a rectangle to line the raised‑edge form. Place the dough in the form and press it with your fingers onto the bottom, corners and sides (photo 5).

4. 4

   Take one‑quarter of the sausage‑meat mixture and spread it in the form, then add it inside. Now build the pie, alternating layers of asparagus, chicken strips and sausage‑meat (photo 6), pressing the mixture with your hands as you layer, finishing with a domed top layer of meat.

5. 5

   Brush the exposed dough with beaten egg, then roll out the remaining dough and cover the filling (photo 7). Carefully seal the edges, then trim the dough with a small knife (photo 8). Trim the edges, squeezing them with your fingers (photo 9) and, if desired, use the trimmed dough to decorate the top. Brush the top with egg and pierce three holes in the upper part.

6. 6

   Preheat the oven to 200 °C/180 °C with convection/gas 6, placing a tray inside. Put the pie on the hot tray and bake for 1 hour 45 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 180 °C/160 °C with convection/gas 4 if the pie browns too quickly. 20 minutes before it’s done, brush the top again with egg and sprinkle coarse sea salt. (Don’t worry if a little juice leaks out the side.) The pie is ready when the crust is dark‑golden‑brown or when a digital thermometer inserted into one of the holes reads 70 °C or higher. Let it cool, then chill in the fridge. It can be made ahead up to three days. To serve, carefully remove from the tin, place on a board and slice. Prepare a salad from the asparagus tips, thinly sliced shallot rings, lettuce leaves and French dressing, if desired.