Savoury Winter Pies

This week I have been a little obsessed with pies! Not the sweet, dessert variety so often baked during the festive season, but the hearty, five food groups (almost) dressed in flaky pastry variety!  Maybe it’s the Australian in me but I love a meat pie, and I’m not ashamed to say that I love them with tomato sauce, BBQ sauce, mustard or chutney.  This week I made a beef & mushroom pie and threw in some peas and broad beans that I had in the freezer,  although I’m also partial to a creamy chicken, leek and mushroom pie. 

If you’re a vegetarian there is really no limit to the combinations you can put together to get your pie fix.  How does spinach, pumpkin and goat’s cheese sound? Or caramelised leek, onion & camembert? Leek, potato & gorgonzola maybe?  You can also simply roast a tray of seasoned vegetables and cover them with pastry! 

Today I’ll share the beef & mushroom pie recipe.  I used oven proof ramekins and only covered the filling with a pastry lid.  You may prefer to line the bottom of the pie dish or ramekin with pastry, and then also apply pastry on top.  I like to cook some extra pastry in the oven as everybody always complains there is never enough!

Savoury Winter Pies – Beef & Mushroom

• 500g beef (chopped in small pieces)
• plain flour
• olive oil
• 100g cubed pancetta
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 large red onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 500ml beef stock
• 125ml tomato ketchup or BBQ sauce
• 100g sliced mushrooms
• 200g peas
• 200g broad beans (I used frozen as they are out of season here at the moment)
• Store bought puff pastry sheets
• 1 beaten egg & milk for egg wash

1. Dust beef pieces with flour. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan over high heat and cook beef, in batches until browned. Set aside.
2. Cook the pancetta, and set aside with the beef.
3. Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan, add garlic clove and red onion and cook, stirring for 5 minutes.
4. Return meat to pan, add thyme leaves, beef stock, and tomato ketchup.  Cook for an hour on medium heat or until meat is tender.
5. Stir through mushrooms, peas and broad beans. Allow to cool.
6. Cut pastry rounds to the same size as pie dishes. Spoon in meat filling, and top with pastry rounds. Press edges to seal, slice 2 or 3 holes into pastry and brush tops with beaten egg & milk.
7. Bake at 180°C for 20-25 minutes until puffed and golden. (4 generous servings).

PASTICCIO INVERNALE CON MANZO E FUNGHI

• 500g di manzo (tagliato in pezzi)
• farina
• olio d’oliva
• 100g cubetti di pancetta
• 1 spicchio d’aglio, tritati
• 1 grande cipolla rossa, tagliata finemente
• 1 cucchiaio di timo fresco
• 500ml di brodo di carne
• ketchup 125ml o salsa barbecue
• 100g funghi affettati
• 200g di piselli
• 200g fave (io ho usato congelata in quanto sono fuori stagione in questo momento)
• pasta sfoglia
• 1 uovo sbattuto e latte per spennellare sopra la pasta sfoglia

1. Infarinare il manzo e rosolarlo in una casseruola con 1 cucchiaio di olio d’oliva a fuoco alto fino che sia dorata. Metterlo a parte.
2. Cuocere la pancetta, e mettere da parte con la carne.
3. Aggiungere un altro cucchiaio di olio nella casseruola, aggiungere lo spicchio d’aglio e la cipolla rossa e cuocere, mescolando per 5 minuti.
4. Aggiungere di nuovo il manzo e la pancetta, aggiungere il timo, il brodo di carne, e ketchup. Fate cuocere per circa un’ora a fuoco medio o fino a quando la carne è tenera.
5. Aggiungere i funghi, piselli e fave. Lasciare raffreddare.
6. Tagliare la pasta sfoglia alla stessa dimensione delle 4 ciotole da forno per i pasticci.
7. Dividere il carne nelle ciotole e chiudere con i dischi della pasta sfoglia. Premere i bordi per sigillare, incidere un paio di buchi con un coltello e spennellare la pasta sfoglia con l’uovo sbattuto e latte.
8. Cuocere in forno a 180 ° C per 20-25 minuti fino a quando la pasta sfoglia e gonfia e dorata. (4 porzioni generose).