Donna Hay's Meat Pies

I love meat pies. I mean, loove meat pies. I could live off meat pies if need be. I almost think they would be one of my desert island foods (along with chocolate, ice cream and cheese of course!)

I also love making pies at home. Mince, lamb, beef, chicken, you name it, I will have probably put it in a pie. Pies are one of my ultimate comfort foods... chunks of meat, gravy oozing out, and crisp buttery pastry. Not to mention the mashed potatoes and mushy peas!

This recipe is to make 6 individual pies (9cm base x 11cm top pie tins). I prefer to have the pastry both bottom and top, but it is just as nice with only the puff pastry top if preferred... if anyone is crazy enough to give up the extra pastry! And if my partner (the mushroom hater) is not home for dinner, I add big field mushrooms to the mix - yum!

350g ready prepared shortcrust pastry
375g ready prepared puff pastry
1 egg, lightly beaten
Filling
1 tbsp oil
2 onions, chopped
1.5kg round or chuck steak, cut into 1.5cm cubes
1 tbsp tomato paste
4.5 cups beef stock
1 cup red wine
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp cornflour with 1/4 cup water

Preheat the oven to 180C. Heat the oil in a saucepan over high heat, add the onion and cook until soft. Add meat and cook for 5 minutes or until sealed. Add the tomato paste, stock, wine and worcestershire sauce and simmer, uncovered for about 1 hour, or until the meat is tender. Blend the cornflour and water in a small bowl to a smooth paste. Add to the beef mix and stir until the mixture has thickened and returned to a simmer. Taste and check that the flour flavour has cooked out. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Roll out the shortcrust pastry until 3mm thick. Cut out 6 pie bases (size above), rerolling the scraps if needed. Spoon in the filling. Roll out the puff pastry to 3mm thick and cut out the lids. Place on top, trim if needed and press the edges of the pastry together. Brush the tops with the beaten egg, and make a small slit in the tops. Bake for 30 minutes or until the lids are puffed and golden.

You can pretty much make any size pies with these... you will know they are cooked because the lids are puffed golden domes and you will be drooling when you see them!