This is a result of my not so recent infatuation with pies. I love them all; sweet, savory, hearty, cheesy...you name it.
So making the story short, here is how you make these little beauties:
Filling
1 lb ground beef
1 medium size onion chopped
1 large carrot
diced
1.5 cup of
beef stock
3 tablespoons of
tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon of
sugar
2
teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
3 of corn starch
pepper (to taste)
salt (to taste)
Lightly sautéed
the onions and carrots, add the meat, brown for 2 minutes, then add the tomato
paste, Worcestershire sauce,
sugar, salt, pepper and half of the beef stock. Simmer the meat on the stove
top for about 45 minutes. Keep adding the stock, when need it. Remove the
filling from the stove top, then stir in the corn starch. Let the meat cool off
while you are preparing the crust.
Crust
3 cups of all purpose flour
1/3 of butter (not salted)
½ cup of lard
1 egg for the dough
1 egg for brushing
1 tablespoon of white vinegar
1 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of chilled water
Mix together the salt and flour then fold in
the lard and the butter at room temperature.
Separately beat one egg and white vinegar
together, and then add the water.
Start pouring the mixture over the flour, and
mix until the dough become smooth and slightly sticky. Add more flour, if the
dough is too sticky.
Form a ball, wrap it up in plastic and
refrigerate it for at least 45 minutes.
While the dough is chilling, heat up your
oven at 400 degrees.
Butter and flour up your pie molds or
ramekins. When the dough is chilled, roll it up, not too thin, then cut up
circles using your ramekin (if your mold diameter is 4 inches you should cut a
6 inches circle). Line the bottom and
the sides of the mold with the dough; fill in with the meat, then, close the
pie, pinching the dough together. Make a small hole in the top center, so it
can release the steam, while is cooking. Put the pies in the oven and after 15
minutes of baking, take them out and brush them with egg, put them back in the
oven, and cook them until become golden brown. Let them cool for few minutes,
and then remove them from the molds. Now they are ready to eat. Aussies eat
them with ketchup, but I personally, pass on that.
Enjoy!
