flipAussie meat pie
Aussie meat pie
Why this dish? The meat pie is the food of the stands, gas stations, and hanging out with mates in Australia. Iggy left her country to make it big, but this hot pie you eat standing up, burning, on the go, is the taste of the ordinary weekends of her teenage years.
A small individual pie: a sturdy shortcrust pastry base, a golden puff pastry top, and inside a stew of minced beef simmered in a thick sauce. You eat it by hand, topped with a line of tomato sauce, burning your fingers.
Alright, the thing with the meat pie is you gotta hold it FLAT in your hand, or the sauce will run down your sneakers — I learned that the hard way. You bite the corner, let the steam out, then you squirt your line of tomato sauce over it. At home we eat this standing up, at the footy or the gas station, never sitting with a fork, that's for softies. It's greasy, it's hot, it's perfect. It doesn't have to be fancy to be good.
- •Minced beef — a good portion (filling)
- •Onion — 1 (aromatic)
- •Beef broth — as needed (sauce)
- •Flour — for thickening (thickener)
- •Shortcrust and puff pastry — for base and lid (envelope)
Aussie meat pie
A small individual pie: a sturdy shortcrust pastry base, a golden puff pastry top, and inside a stew of minced beef simmered in a thick sauce. You eat it by hand, topped with a line of tomato sauce, burning your fingers.
Why this dish? The meat pie is the food of the stands, gas stations, and hanging out with mates in Australia. Iggy left her country to make it big, but this hot pie you eat standing up, burning, on the go, is the taste of the ordinary weekends of her teenage years.
Alright, the thing with the meat pie is you gotta hold it FLAT in your hand, or the sauce will run down your sneakers — I learned that the hard way. You bite the corner, let the steam out, then you squirt your line of tomato sauce over it. At home we eat this standing up, at the footy or the gas station, never sitting with a fork, that's for softies. It's greasy, it's hot, it's perfect. It doesn't have to be fancy to be good.
Ingredients (period version)
- Minced beef — a good portion (filling)
- Onion — 1 (aromatic)
- Beef broth — as needed (sauce)
- Flour — for thickening (thickener)
- Shortcrust and puff pastry — for base and lid (envelope)
Ingredients
- Minced beef — 400 g (filling)
- Finely chopped onion — 1 (aromatic)
- Beef broth — 250 ml (sauce)
- Flour — 2 tbsp (thickener)
- Worcestershire sauce — 1 tbsp (umami)
- Shortcrust pastry — 1 roll (base)
- Puff pastry — 1 roll (lid)
- Egg yolk — 1 (glaze)
Method
- Sauté the onion then the minced beef until browned.
- Sprinkle with flour, stir, add broth and Worcestershire sauce, let thicken into a thick stew. Season with salt and pepper, cool.
- Line individual pie tins with shortcrust pastry, fill with cold stew.
- Cover with puff pastry, seal the edges, brush with egg yolk, cut a steam hole.
- Bake at 200°C for about 25 minutes until golden and puffed.
- Serve piping hot, with a line of tomato sauce.
How it was made : The meat pie arrived in Australia with British colonists in the 19th century, but became a national icon in its own right, sold by the millions in bakeries, stadiums, and gas stations. It is the quintessential Australian street food, often called 'the great Australian dish'.
The contemporary twist : The 'pie floater' from Adelaide: place the pie upside down in a bowl of pea soup, all topped with ketchup.
Sources : National Museum of Australia — the Australian meat pie · Australian Food Timeline
Iggy Azalea · Charactorium
