Minced Beef and Onion Pie, Cashel Blue Infused Pastry
The Cashel Blue Cheese pastry in this pie takes it to a whole new level, it is hard to roll without it breaking but it is forgiving and can easily be patched together if needed.
Everyone loves a nice pie, esp me as it brings back some great memories of when I was a kid and mum used make them for dinner. She used a plate rather than a pie dish, I’m not sure if it was to make the mince go further or because she didn’t have a pie dish or maybe that was the was she learnt to make them either way, I loved them and developed a deep lifelong love for a good meat pie.
If things are tight and you need to make your mince go further then I suggest you follow my mums example and also use a plate. Make sure it is oven proof first, you can check on the bottom where it will say.
I came up with this one many years ago while working on new menus for a Gastro Pub chain in London. My goal was to create a pie menu that was different to what people had seen before and so give my employers an advantage over the other bars and restaurants in the area. It worked, we couldn’t keep enough in the place!
Ingredients
Allergens : Contains Gluten
Minced Beef – 450g (follow same recipe if you only have about 300g)
Chopped tomatoes – 1 tin
Onions – 1 – 2
Garlic Cloves – 2
Knorr Beef Stock Pot (the jelly one is best) – 1 (use veg or chicken if you don’t have beef)
Water – Fill the tin the chopped tomatoes came in.
Bisto to thicken
Carrots (optional) – 1 -2 medium
Frozen Peas (optional) – 1/2 a coffee mug full
THE PASTRY
Plain Flour – 250g
Butter or Margarine – 100g
Cashel Blue Cheese (can be changed for brie) – 75g
Cold Water (you may not use) – 50ml
Salt – Pinch
Egg – 1
Instructions
1
Getting Started..You will need, 1 medium pot, 1 food processor (you can also do by hand), 1 medium bowl, 1 wooden spoon, 1 medium to large pie dish or 2 oven proof plates, 1 rolling pin, 1 pastry brush, 1 sharp knife and 1 vegetable chopping board.
2
THE SECRET to making great pastry is to keep everything cool, so use cold water, chill the bowl for a few minutes etc.
3
THE PASTRY
4
Lets make the pastry first which will allow it rest for a little while before rolling it.
5
Place the flour into the bowl, I sieve mine but you don’t have to. Add the butter or margarine and cheese then using the tips of your fingers crumb it together. This means to take a little between your thumb and fingers and rub together to bind them and bread down the butter. You will end up with a sandy looking crumb, it may be wet enough to form a dough, if so then you don’t need the water, if it is to crumbly then add a drop of the water
6
If you use a food processor then cut the butter into small cubes then add this with the flour to the processor, blitz for about 1 minute until it combines and forms a dough. You shouldn’t need to use water, add a drop if you do
7
Cover the pastry dough then chill for 30 minutes.
8
THE FILLING
9
Preheat your oven to 180c GM4
10
Peel and slice the onions, peel and finely chop the carrots if using them, peel and finely chop the garlic. Open the tin of tomatoes and leave to one side.
11
Heat the pot or pan with about 2 tbsp of oil then add the veg you just prepared, cook without colouring for about 2 minutes.
12
Add the mince and cook till browned. I break the lumps up using the wooden spoon.
13
When the mince has browned add the chopped tomatoes, then fill the tin with cold water and add this too.
14
Add the stock cube and stir well, turn the heat down and simmer for 10 minutes, add the peas now if using them.
15
The sauce will have reduced at this stage (reducing is to boil the liquid off to thicken and or concentrate the flavour) if not the boil it for a minute or two.
16
Add 1 tbsp of bisto and stir well, you need it to be really thick so add some more if needed, but make sure you do it a little at a time. If it is to thick add a little water.
17
Set this aside then get the pastry out of the fridge.
18
ROLLING THE PASTRY
19
I use a wooden chopping board that I use especially for rolling pastry, it saves on the clean up.
20
Grease the plate or pie dish with butter or margarine and set to one side.
21
Cut the pastry in half, the set one half on the board.
22
Roll this out till it is a little bigger than the plate or dish, check by holding it over the pastry to measure. If using a plate then a little bigger is fine, if using a pie dish then a little bigger still is needed to allow it to cover the deep sides.
23
Very gently fold the pastry in 4, then lift and place one corner on one side of the bowl or plate and unfold. Your pastry will now cover the dish or plate.
24
If using a dish then gently lift the pastry so it fills the deep sides. Don’t force it or stretch it as the pastry will break. If it does then use any trimmings to press them into the past that broke. You can wet it a little to help it stick better if need be.
25
FILLING THE PIE
26
Using a large ladle or spoon fill the pastry lined pie dish with the pie mix, you can go right up to the top once it isn’t watery.
27
Follow the same steps as above to roll the pastry only this time it has to cover the top so it should be a tiny bit bigger than the top of the dish.
28
Brush the pastry in the dish with water to help the lid stick then fold the pastry in 4 like you did the base and place on the top of the dish, unfold to make it fit.
29
Using your fingers press down on the sides to help them stick. I like to fold the top back in to make a nice edge.
30
Brush this really well with the beaten egg, keep some back for the second coat. This is when you will freeze it if you are doing so, follow my instructions in the recipe intro above.
31
Place the plate or pie dish on a baking tray or roasting tin to save your oven from drips then bake for 15 minutes.
32
Remove from the oven and brush again with beaten egg before placing back in the oven for around 20 minutes more depending on the dept of the dish you used. If you used a plate it will take less time.
33
Serve and enjoy.
NB Bisto is the one in the red tub (gravy granules) not the powder in the brown carton. Really liked this recipe. If you leave it when it comes out of the oven till its just warm it sets like a lasagna so is easier to serve in portions.