Australia Day Meat Pies

Today, the 26th January is Australia Day. For those of you in the US it would be the equivalent of July 4th. Here is an explanation of Australia Day: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia_day 

So for this special day I decided to make Meat Pies. Meat Pies to Australians are what Hot Dogs are to Americans...a must have at the footy. Here's another link about Aussie Meat Pies: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_meat_pie

This recipe I put together from one or two other recipes and a program TV (the channel escapes me) that had a transplanted Aussie in Portland that owns a bakery. Here's my version.

Aussie meat pies

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp butter

1 large brown onion, finely chopped

1kg or 2lbs ground 80/20 beef

1-cup beef stock

¼ cup ketchup

4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp Vegemite

salt

pepper

2 tsp or more arrowroot 

Short crust and flaky pastry

1 egg, beaten with a little milk

Method:

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add beef and cook until partly browned. 

Add onion. Cook for 3 minutes or until soft.

Add stock, ketchup, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce and Vegemite to beef. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add enough arrowroot until the mixture is as thin or thick as you want. Simmer for 20 minutes, remove from heat and let the mixture cool. 

Now, I have to say that the pastry I use is the same as my Chicken and Leek Pie here: http://mattcancook.blogspot.com/2011/12/you-want-some-of-my-pie.html

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place a baking tray into oven. Grease 4” base pie pans.

Cut circles from flaky pastry.

Note: You can actually roll the pastry out and line the tins, then turn them upside down and trim the excess. 

Line base and sides of pans and trim pastry.

Fill with beef. Brush rims with egg wash.

Cut circles from short-crust pastry.

Place over meat. Press to seal with a fork. Brush with egg. Make a cut in the centre for steam to escape.

Place pies onto hot tray. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden.

These are traditionally served with Tomato Sauce (a blander version of Ketchup) on top. 


These are great any time particularly now in the winter months here.


As always,


Enjoy


Matt