Meat Pie
A small individual pie with a golden pastry crust, filled with a thick beef mince stew, eaten piping hot, topped with tomato sauce, no utensils needed.
A small individual pie with a golden pastry crust, filled with a thick beef mince stew, eaten piping hot, topped with tomato sauce, no utensils needed.
Here, take one while it's hot, but watch your fingers! The meat pie is the belly of Australia going to the game. You buy one at the counter, poke a hole in the top, drown it in tomato sauce, and eat it standing up while the action's on. The sauce drips, you burn your tongue, and that's exactly how it should be. I've downed hundreds in the stands — it's the people's fuel, not for the high and mighty.
- •Minced beef — one pound (filling)
- •Onion — 1 (aromatic)
- •Beef stock — one cup (sauce)
- •Flour — one spoonful (thickener)
- •Shortcrust pastry (base) and puff pastry (lid) — enough to line the tins (crust)
- •Tomato sauce (bottled) — for serving (condiment)
Meat Pie
A small individual pie with a golden pastry crust, filled with a thick beef mince stew, eaten piping hot, topped with tomato sauce, no utensils needed.
Why this dish? The hand-held meat pie, doused in tomato sauce, is THE food of Australian stadiums and sports grounds. Dawn Fraser spent her life in sports venues, from the Melbourne Cricket Ground to Olympic swimming pools. The meat pie is the taste of the stands, of popular sport, and of Australian Sundays.
Here, take one while it's hot, but watch your fingers! The meat pie is the belly of Australia going to the game. You buy one at the counter, poke a hole in the top, drown it in tomato sauce, and eat it standing up while the action's on. The sauce drips, you burn your tongue, and that's exactly how it should be. I've downed hundreds in the stands — it's the people's fuel, not for the high and mighty.
Ingredients (period version)
- Minced beef — one pound (filling)
- Onion — 1 (aromatic)
- Beef stock — one cup (sauce)
- Flour — one spoonful (thickener)
- Shortcrust pastry (base) and puff pastry (lid) — enough to line the tins (crust)
- Tomato sauce (bottled) — for serving (condiment)
Ingredients
- Minced beef — 500 g (filling)
- Onion — 1, finely chopped (aromatic)
- Beef stock — 250 ml (sauce)
- Flour — 2 tbsp (thickener)
- Worcestershire sauce — 1 tbsp (umami)
- Shortcrust pastry + puff pastry — 1 roll each (crust)
- Egg wash — 1 egg (glaze)
- Ketchup / tomato sauce — for serving (condiment)
Method
- Sauté the onion, then the minced beef until browned.
- Sprinkle with flour, stir, add the stock and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer for 15 minutes until the sauce thickens. Season with salt and pepper. Leave to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C. Line small pie tins with shortcrust pastry.
- Fill with the cooled meat mixture, cover with puff pastry, seal the edges, and cut a small hole in the centre. Brush with egg wash.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden and crisp.
- Serve piping hot, with a generous squirt of tomato sauce on top.
How it was made : The individual meat pie has been embedded in Australian culture since the 19th century. By the 20th century, it became inseparable from sporting events: sold at stadiums, eaten one-handed while watching the match. As tomatoes arrived from the Americas well before the 20th century, tomato sauce is not anachronistic here.
The contemporary twist : Shape the pies like medals and stamp the pastry with a golden "1" using egg wash: a nod to Dawn's three Olympic golds.
Sources : Newling, Jacqui — Eat Your History: Stories and Recipes from Australian Kitchens (2015) · Symons, Michael — One Continuous Picnic (1982)
Dawn Fraser · Charactorium
