Amys Aussie Meat Pies . - flour

Method

• Trim the excess fat and sinew from the meat , then cut the meat into 2cm cubes .
• place the flour in a plastic bag add some salt and pepper then shake the bag to mix it well .
• now add the cubed meat into the bag and toss gently until well coated with flour .
• now remove the meat from the bag and shake off any excess flour .
• Heat the oil in a heavy based pan then add the meat to the pan in batches , and cook quickly to seal until browned .
• remove from pan and drain on paper towels .
• leaving the meat juices in the pan add the onions to the pan and cook for 5 minutes or until soft .
• once onions are done return meat to the pan with the onions and add the stock , tomato paste and worcestershire sauce , bring to the boil then reduce heat to simmer , covered , for 1 and 1/2 hours , stirring occasionally .
• once cooked remove pan from heat and allow the meat mix to cool completely .
• pre heat the oven to 210C / 420F.
• for individual pies , cut circle shapes for your pie base , for bottoms makes sure it is big enough to go all the way up the pie dish and the lids smaller than base but with enough for sealing them .
• i used 11cm pie tins for the individual pies so a bowl is a good way to get a slightly larger circle for your pie dish , about 14cm diameter .
• now line your pie tins and place bottom pastry into the pie dishes making sure there are no tears and that they reach the top .
• Divide cooled steak filling evenly into the pie pastry shells .
• brush around the pastry rim with the beaten egg and place pastry lid on top and press the edges down to seal it .
• decorate if desired .
• brush the pie pastry top with the egg and using a sharp knife make 2 small slits in the top of each pie and place pies tins onto a baking tray and bake for 15 minutes or until pastry is golden .
• serve pies hot with tomato or your favourite sauce or non at all .
• enjoy .
• :-)
• for one large family pie , roll pastry out onto a lightly floured board until pastry is about 3mm thick and cut to fit large pie dish all the way up the sides and one smaller to fit as a lid for the pie .
• line your pie dish and place bottom pastry into bottom of pie dish and fill with cooled steak filling , brush edges with egg , add the lid pressing edges to seal the meat into the pie , with a sharp knife make three small slits in the lid and brush with egg .
• place the pie in preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes or until golden and crisp .
• slice and serve hot with sauce and mash .
• enjoy .
• :-)
• NOTE : a pie dish of any shape can be used , check the cup capacity by standing the dish on a level surface and measuring water into it .
• allow plenty of time for your pastry to thaw before using it .
• make sure the steak mix is completely cooled before adding it to the pastry .
• also you can add bacon , mushrooms , herbs in the cooking process to add to the flavor and variation of the pies .
• cheeses can also be added but on top of cooled mixture before lid goes on top.
• i added cheese to mine .