Book of Days Tales

The 4^th Wednesday in October is Children’s Day in Australia. When I was a boy in South Australia I loved having a meat pie for lunch (when my parents could afford it). They were sold out of my school’s canteen – freshly baked every day.  Aussie meat pies are aces.  

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
14 oz lean ground beef
1 tbsp cornstarch
¾ cup beef stock
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Vegemite
4 sheets pie pastry, frozen, thawed
1 large egg

ketchup, for serving

Instructions

Make the Filling

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 medium finely chopped onion and fry for 3 to 4 minutes or until soft and translucent.

Add 14 ounces (400 gm) ground beef and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring and breaking up with a wooden spoon until browned. At this point, you can drain the beef, if desired. But it should be quite fat-free if you used lean ground beef.

In a small container, whisk together 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of the beef stock and set aside.

Add the remaining beef stock, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and Vegemite to the ground beef in the skillet. Stir well to combine.

Add the reserved cornstarch-water mixture and stir. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until thick. Remove from heat and cool.

Assemble and Bake the Pies

    Heat oven to 425º F/220º C.

Place the pie dough on a lightly floured surface. Place a pie tin on top and cut a circle around it. Repeat the process to make 3 more circles—these are the pie tops. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and set aside.

On the same lightly floured surface, place the remaining pie dough and a pie tin on top and cut a circle that’s slightly larger than tin (about ½ inch bigger)—this is the pie base. Repeat process to make 3 more bases, re-rolling scraps if necessary..

Press the base pastry into pie tins and press up the sides. Fill with cooled meat mixture. Brush rims with water.

Place pie tops over meat. Use a fork to press edges to seal. Trim edges if necessary. Brush tops with beaten egg.

Place pies on a baking tray to catch any drips and bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

Serve with a dollop of tomato ketchup, or make a classic floater. Put the pie into a bowl of hot pea soup with the ketchup on top – iconic dish of South Australia.