Thoughts

I mentioned it briefly during the live show, but this recipe was my favourite food discovery from New Zealand. Though the title says Australian, it was during an internship in the little island nation that my coworkers introduced me to this fantastic street food. I worked in a machine shop and a few times a week we would rush out to this mom and pop food stand, purchase a hot pie and greasy paper bag of chips covered in ketchup, and scarf them down before clocking back into work. It was a pleasant reminder of an exciting adventure eating these pies.

I did quite heavily oversalt the chips, but altogether a great meal. Just make sure to roll the dough out thinner than I did. I made 6 pies with covers, but this amount of dough should make 7 or even 8.

Australian Meat Pie

500g minced beef
1 onion, chopped
1 cup beef stock
1/4 cup tomato sauce
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
pepper
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 pinch nutmeg
3 tablespoons plain flour

Pre-heat oven at 220 degrees Celsius. Brown meat and onion. Add 3/4 cup of the water, bouillon cubes, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce, pepper, oregano, and nutmeg. Boil and cover for 15 minutes. Blend flour with the remaining 1/4 cup water until it becomes a smooth paste; add to the meat mix. Let cool.

Grease a pie dish and line with puff pastry. Add the cooled filling mixture; brush edges of pastry with milk or beaten egg; put the pastry top on; press edges down with a fork. Trim edges and glaze top with milk or beaten egg.

Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 180 degrees Celsius and bake for 25 more minutes, or until golden brown.

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp salt
6 tbsp unsalted butter (chilled and cubed)
3/4 cups vegetable shortening (chilled)
1/2 cups ice water

Sift flour & salt together. Cut butter & shortening into mixture until it resembles cornmeal. Slowly add water until dough begins to clump. On floured surface, fold dough onto itself. Divide in half and form 1" thick disks. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 2 hours or freeze up to 3 months.