Family Meat Pie

It’s hard to identify what might be Australia’s national dish these days as we live in such a multicultural nation but growing up in Australia there was nothing more Aussie or traditional than a meat pie (or a ‘dog’s eye’ as it’s also known).  One of my most favourite meals as a child was Mum’s Family Meat Pie. She’d do a really short pastry using lard or dripping of some kind with a chunky meat filling or use the meat from the Sunday roast. I have to admit not making one for absolute ages, rather opting for sweet pies but a special occasion called for a special dish from my childhood. Pyrex are celebrating their 100th anniversary in 2015 and what better way to showcase one of my most used Pyrex dishes then with a Family Meat Pie using my Pyrex pie plate.

  

I thought I’d try and find a recipe from 100 years ago for the occasion so an elderly friend of mine lent me her mother’s copy of The Commonsense Cookery which celebrated it’s centenary anniversary last year. As you can see from the recipes above, that is Sheep’s Head Fricassee, Jellied Tongues or even how to throw a ‘Hobo Party’ I don’t think I wanted to go that far back. Although pastry has been used for hundreds of years, of various kinds with many different kinds of fillings, so we can’t take full credit for it, we have definitely made it a staple in our every day life as Australians. Nearly every suburb has a bakery that sells meat pies and what’s watching a football game at the stadium without munching on a meat pie.

The cheaper cut of meat the better for a chunky meat pie filling. You could use ground meat but I love the tenderness of a chunky meat pie filling that has been slow cooked all day like I did with the chuck steak I picked up.

Cut it into chunks and dredge in a ziplock bag in seasoned plain flour.

Brown in a little olive oil until golden and then add to slow cooker with some softened carrots, celery and onion.

Add a cup full of stock, preferably beef stock (which I didn’t have so used vegetable stock) and leave it to slow cook away.

My secret to a dark rich gravy for the meat pie? A tablespoon of our famous Aussie Vegemite!

Next thing to do is prepare the shortcrust pastry for the bottom crust of the pie. Lard’s not something you’re likely to find in my fridge so I used butter. One thing I remember my Mum telling me years ago was to have all your ingredients (even your utensils) as cold as possible when making pastry. Pastry is definitely something that is better made in Queensland’s winters rather than summer because of this very thing.

Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until it resembles fine crumbs.

After gradually adding the liquid, bring the dough together until it forms a ball and set in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to avoid shrinkage.

Spray your pie plate with a little oil and roll out the pastry to fit the plate.

Top with baking paper and fill with pastry weights or as I do, dried lentils. (These are my baking lentils I use for precooking pastry. Not sure how old they are.)

Cook the pastry for about 10 minutes. Don’t worry about uneven edges on the pie plate. The top layer of pastry will stick to it. Fill with the cooled meat filling.

I didn’t make my own puff pastry top rather opting for frozen pastry. Apply a little egg wash around the edge of baked ‘bottom’ pastry and then again on top of the puff pastry top for a golden finish when baked. (I decorated the top of the pie with a few leaves but you don’t have to do that. Just poke a hole in the top of the pie top to allow any heat from the filling to escape.)

 Cook until the pastry top is golden and puffed.

The excess gravy just oozes out. Even looking at the photo my mouth is watering. It really was delicious for something so simple. Our ancestors really did know how to make a tasty dish with only the simplest of ingredients. No wonder Pyrex dishes were invented 100 years ago to accommodate all these lovely recipes.

A slice of pie served with mashed potato and vegetables and the most important ingredient, a good squirt of tomato sauce (ketchup) and that’s your Aussie Family Meat Pie.

Family Meat Pie


Filling:

• 500gm chuck steak, cubed
• 2 tablespoons plain flour
• salt and pepper
• oil for frying
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 celery, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 cup beef stock
• 1 tablespoon Vegemite, optional
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon milk

Shortcrust Pastry:

• 2 1/4 cups plain flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 200gm cold butter, cubed
• 1/4 cup cold water, approx

1. Dredge cubed steak in seasoned plain flour and fry until sealed and golden. Remove from pan.
2. Add a little more oil and fry off carrot, celery and onion until soft.
3. Add fried meat and vegetables to a slow cooker with 1 cup of beef stock and Vegemite and cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on slow. (Alternatively, you could cook the beef pie filling in a pan on the stove top or a dish in the oven.)
4. Once cooked, allow to cool before adding to pie filling.
5. For the pastry, add salt to flour and add cubed butter.
6. Crumble butter into flour using your finger tips, lifting flour up as you go to allow more air into the mixture. Once all butter has been combined into flour, it should resemble fine breadcrumbs.
7. Slow add cold water a little at a time until a firm ball is formed.
8. Cover pastry in cling film and put in the fridge for approximately 30 minutes to avoid shrinkage when baking.
9. Remove pastry from fridge and roll into between 2 sheets of baking paper until large until to fit pie dish.
10. Cover with baking paper and fill with pastry weights or dried beans/lentils.
11. Bake for approximately 10 minutes.
12. Once baked, remove baking paper and pastry weights/lentils.
13. Add beef filling to pastry and brush beaten egg/milk mixture to edge of pastry base and top with a sheet of frozen puff pastry or you could top with more homemade shortcrust pastry. In that case, double the pastry recipe above.
14. Cut a small hole in the top pastry layer to allow steam to escape while pie is cooking. Decorate pie if desired.
15. Brush pie top with beaten egg wash and bake until golden brown. Serve with vegetables (and tomato sauce).

To help celebrate the 100th anniversary of Pyrex, the people from World Kitchen are giving my readers the opportunity to win the above range of Pyrex products. They include:

• 2 cup glass measuring jug
• 1 cup glass measuring jug
• 2 litre mixing bowl
• Easy Grab 1.9 litre Oblong Baker
• Special Anniversary edition Engraved Pie Plate
• Measuring Cups
• Measuring Spoons
• Basting Brush

  

The Pyrex measuring cups and spoons are magnetised so they stay together in your baking supply cupboard. I’m forever losing a measuring cup or spoon, especially right in the middle of a recipe. No more lost measuring cups or spoons again.

Everything you need for your family meals and baking.

To enter, just tell me in the comment field below what meal you would make using a Pyrex product. (Please remember to also add your email address so I can contact you.) Competition open to Australian and New Zealand residents only. Good luck!

Competition closed
Winner:  Di C.

Happy Anniversary Pyrex and here’s to the next 100 years! Your products will still be going strong then I’m sure!

Terms and Conditions:

1. This is a game of skill.  
2. This competition is open to Australian and New Zealand Residents only.  
3. The prize is Pyrex products as indicated in the picture above.
4. This prize is not redeemable in cash.
5. This competition is open from now until midday, Monday, 27 July 2015 AET.
6. The winner will be announced on this blog,  Domesblissity Facebook page and Twitter accounts and I will contact you via email.  
7. The winner will have 7 days to respond, otherwise the prize will be redrawn.

Disclaimer:  I was gifted Pyrex products, as pictured above. All photos, thoughts and opinions are my own.