PIEBASE:

2 cups plain flour
2/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
60 g (2 oz.) beef dripping

Sift flour and salt into basin. Place water and dripping into saucepan, stir until dripping melts; remove from heat. Make a well in centre of dry ingredients. add liquid, stir until combined.Turn out on to lightly-floured surface, knead lightly. Roll out pastry to line 8 greased pie tins. Fill centre with cold meat filling.

FILLING:

750 g (l/2 lb.) minced steak
3 tablespoons plain flour
2 beef stock cubes
2 cups water
salt, pepper .
1/4 teaspoon parisienne essence or soy sauce
2/3 cup water extra
pinch nutmeg

Place meat into pan, stir over low heat until meat is well browned.Drain off any surplus fat. Add crumbled stock cubes, water . salt, pepper and nutmeg, stir until boiling, reduce heat cover simmer gently 20 minutes; remove from heat. Add extra water to flour stir until flour mixture is smooth Add flour mixture to meat, stir until combined. Return to heat. stir until meat boils and thickens.Add soy sauce or parisienne essence (to give rich brown color), stir until combined. Simmer uncovered. until meat mixture is very thick; remove from heat, allow to become cold.

PIE TOP:

375 g (12 oz-) packaged puff pastry
1 egg-yolk
1 teaspoon water

Roll out puff pastry on lightly floured surface. cut out rounds for top of pies; use saucer as guide Wet edges of base pastry and gently press tops into place Pierce centre with pointed knife B rush tops with combined egg yolk and water Bake in hot oven 5 minutes or until golden brown. reduce heat to moderate. cook further 10 minutes.

Comments to: Natalie Armstrong
Last Updated: 19 February 1997
By John Armstrong
© Copyright 1996-1997 John Armstrong.