Party Pies
“Classic Aussie meat pies – in mini form made in muffin tins!” In the lead up to Australia Day on 26 January 2015, I’m going to share a series of classic Aussie fare. And I can’t think of anything more quintessentially “Aussie” than meat pies. Meat pies are to Australians what hot dogs are to Americans. You can’t go to a footy game here without being surrounded by blokes (and some lasses….) boisterously cheering on their teams with a pie in one hand and a beer in the other. Crumbs down their shirt, tomato sauce smeared around their mouth….I’m painting a classy picture of Aussie blokes, aren’t I??! OK, so I’m exaggerating a wee bit. Not all Aussie blokes are like that. But you get the picture. 🙂 Every time I have a pie, I’m reminded of childhood outings to places like the zoo and aquarium where we’d be treated with a pie for lunch. My brother, sister and I would sit, lined up on a bench (or, more likely, just sit on the ground somewhere), peel off the pastry lid, mix tomato sauce (ketchup) into the filling and impatiently wait for it to cool down enough so we could start digging in. We’d eat the filling with a plastic spoon which was not only practical, but also meant we got to save the best for last – the pastry. I still eat my pies with a spoon. In private. 🙂 The pies you typically get at footy games and bakeries are the larger size ones – around 10cm/4″ in diameter. But I’m particularly fond of party pies – small ones that are made in muffin tins rather than having to get special pie tins to make the larger ones. Plus they are easier to eat without a plate.
Though this recipe is really easy to make, it does take time. Honestly, the first time I made this I was a bit cynical about whether it would be worth the effort. Because you can get really great quality party pies nowadays, not only from the supermarket but also from bakeries. I swear to you, it is worth the effort. So. Dang. Good. And it tastes real. I can never describe it exactly. I guess it’s the flavour of preservative-free food? I don’t know. All I know is that it’s worth the effort. – Nagi PS. This makes a big batch because I find it hard to braise a smaller amount of beef and make a good sauce. Plus they freeze so well, I figure you may as well make a lot while you’re at it!
More Aussie favourites
Scones – and Lemonade Scones 3 ingredient shortcut scones! Caramel Slice Pikelets Lamingtons Pavlova Sausage Rolls
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