28.1.10

meat pie

I forgot to mention - but Matthias had his first meat pie on Tuesday! How anyone can live in Queensland for a year and not have even heard of a 'Meat Pie' is beyond me.

Me: We have to have a Meat Pie
M: What's a Meat Pie?
Me: Well, it's pastry with mince meat inside it.
M: Good. Let's try
Me: But you have to have it with tomato sauce
M: You mean ketchup?
Me: No, tomato sauce. Ketchup is different
M: But it says Ketchup on the bottle
Me: Well, it's really Tomato Sauce
M: (looks perplexed but dutifully squeezes healthy dollop of said sauce bottle onto pie)
sometime later...
M: You Australians are funny with your words, but this is actually quite good

Success!

1 comment:

Sue said...

Here's something for you to try - John Torode’s potato-topped beef pie (Serves six.)
1 sheet ready-rolled shortcrust pastry
1 egg, beaten
3 large potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
50g butter, melted, for brushing
For the filling:
50g butter
2 small onions, finely chopped
1kg chopped beef
80g plain flour
250ml beef stock
2 thyme sprigs
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 handful chopped parsley
Salt and pepper
1 pinch grated nutmeg
Heat the oven to 240C
1 To make the filling; melt the butter in the saucepan, add the onions and fry over medium heat until they soften. Add the beef and fry, pressing down with a fork until it has browned.
2 Drain off the pan juices, adding them to the stock.
3 Sprinkle the flour over the meat, stir, and continue cooking for another two minutes.
4 Remove the pan from the heat and gradually add the stock.
5 Return the pan to the heat and stir constantly until the mixture boils and thickens.
6 Add the thyme, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, salt and pepper and nutmeg. Cover the pan and leave to simmer for 30 minutes.
7 Line your pie tin with the shortcrust pastry and prick the base with a fork. Cover with a sheet of greaseproof paper and weigh down with baking beans. Bake blind for 20 minutes, then lift out the paper and baking beans and brush the pastry case with beaten egg.
8 Decrease the oven temperature to 190C. Spoon the filling into the pastry case and top with the sliced potatoes.
9 Brush the potato with lots of melted butter, then put the pie into the oven and bake for 50 minutes to one hour. Serve with tomato ketchup.
Handy hint from ‘Ode to a meat pie’ - Steak: How to Turn Cheap “Choice” Steak into Gucci “Prime” Steak. The secret in a nutshell is a dry marinade of good Kosher salt (Kosher salt is mandatory, I’m afraid) for one hour before cooking, then rinsed and dried thoroughly. This tip is a miracle. Next time I make the pie, I’ll tenderize the chuck steaks this way before cubing and cooking.