Mini Meat Pies

Sussan's Note:

A fun, all-Aussie appetizer from The Essential Finger Food Cookbook; little meat pies - traditional or uncovered - made from ready rolled shortcrust pastry baked in patty tins.

• Total Time: 45 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 24 mini pies

• 6 sheets shortcrust pastry, pre-rolled
• 2 small tomatoes, sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

Filling

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 500 g beef mince
• 2 tablespoons plain flour
• 375 ml beef stock
• 80 ml tomato sauce
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon mixed herbs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
2. Cut pastry into 48 circles if making traditional pies, or 24 if making uncovered pies using a 7 cm round cutter.
3. Press 24 circles into two lightly greased 12-hole patty tins.
4. To make filling, heat oil in heavy-based pan, add onion and garlic and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes or until onion is soft.
5. Add mince and stir over high heat for 5 minutes or until well browned and all liquid has evaporated; using a fork to break up any lumps of mince.
6. Add flour, stir until combined then cook over medium heat for 1 minutes.
7. Add stock, sauces and herbs and stir over the heat until boiling.
8. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes or until mixture thickens.
9. Stir occasionally then allow to cool.
10. Divide filling among pastry circles.
11. Top each with two half slices of tomato and sprinkle with oregano.
12. Bake for 25 minutes or until pastry is golden brown and crisp.
13. For traditional pies, place the remaining pastry rounds over the tomato and oregano topping and seal the edges with beaten egg before baking.
14. Serve hot.

Reviews

[Rob79]

Excellent recipe. I made mine with ground pork instead of beef and topped them with a bit of cheese (parm) and just put a triangle of pastry on the top to let steam out around the edges. Will be making them again.

[Stardustannie]

What fantastic pies! I topped mine with puff pastry instead of shortcrust and added a good heaped teaspoon of Pepper Steak Seasoning to the meat mixture...Mmmm! I made larger pies this time around, the smaller ones would be great party pies! I had mine for lunch with tomato sauce (ketchup), the rest of the family had theirs for dinner served with mashed spuds and veg. Next time I'm going to try freezing some...for easy weekend lunches and late night snacks. Reviewed for ZWT3.