The great Aussie pie is a Down Under icon, and I don’t know many people who can resist its charms – especially when homemade. I always top my meat pies with puff pastry, but will sometimes use suet pastry for the base instead of shortcrust as it is so easy to work with. And I always add a little cornflour to the filling, as I like it to be very thick.
Serves: Six 6cm pies or 1 x 27cm pie.
Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 1kg rump or gravy beef, cut into 1cm dice
- 2 teaspoons salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 4 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 onions, finely diced
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
- 2 sticks celery, finely diced
- 4 cups beef stock, (the better quality stock you use, the better the pie)
- 3 tablespoons cornflour mixed to a paste with a little water
- 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
- 500g savoury shortcrust pastry
- 500g rough puff pastry
- 2 egg yolks, lightly beaten with 4 tablespoons milk
Method
Place the diced beef into a large mixing bowl with the salt, pepper and cayenne and toss well so it is evenly coated.
Heat half the oil in a heavy-based saucepan or casserole dish over a medium heat. When the oil is sizzling, brown the beef in batches, so that the heat stays high. Transfer the browned beef to a plate.
Add the rest of the oil to the pan and sweat the onions, garlic, carrots and celery for five minutes, or until the onion starts to soften and colour. Return the beef to the casserole and sauté for two to three minutes. Add the beef stock and stir well. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes, stirring from time to time.
Stir in the cornflour paste and parsley, and simmer for another three minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
When ready to bake the pies, preheat the oven to 200ºC and lightly grease pie tins.
Divide the shortcrust pastry into six even portions – if making six smaller pies – and roll out to circles around 5mm thick. Use to line the pie tins, leaving about a 2cm overhang. Spoon in the filling until the tins are three-quarters full.
Roll the puff pastry out and cut into 6cm circles to form the pie lids. Lightly brush the rim of the pies with egg wash and place the lids on top. Press the edges firmly to seal, then roll with a rolling pin to trim off any surplus pastry. Make a small cut in the pastry lid so that the steam can escape as the pies bake. Brush with a little more egg wash and bake for 20 minutes until the pastry is cooked on the underside and the top has puffed up to a lovely golden brown. One large pie will probably take 25–30 minutes.
Serve the pies with tomato sauce, a cold beer and a good game of footy.
Recipe taken from Meat by Adrian Richardson
Meat is a comprehensive cookbook with great tips and information on processing meat, the different cuts, preparation and storage methods, and delicious recipes. Meat will illuminate and educate keen home cooks who would like to learn more about the meat we eat; where it comes from and various ways to use different meats. It is also a solid collection of recipes, including sauces, stocks and other meaty basics. The chapters are divided into meat type, making the book as user-friendly as possible. Chapter introductions, as well as short pieces at the beginning of each recipe, impart further knowledge with the friendly and knowledgeable character of author Adrian Richardson running through the narrative. Cooks will be delighted with enticing recipes such as the twice-cooked pork belly with toffee crisp crackling, and old favourites such as steak and kidney pie. This cookbook will become a family favourite that is used again and again – referred to as much for the information as for the appealing recipes. With its warm and friendly yet modern design, it will inspire and give confidence to people to learn and try new things.
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