Filling:
750g (1 1/2lbs) minced steak
2 beef stock cubes
1 tspn soy sauce
1-1/2 cups water
1 pinch nutmeg
2 tablespoons flour
salt and pepper
1/4 cup of water (extra)
Pie base:
2 cups plain flour
2/3 cup water
1/2 tspn salt
1 tablespoon (2oz) beef dripping
Pie top:
1 packet of puff pastry
1 egg yolk
1 tspn water
Place meat in a saucepan, stir over low heat till meat is well browned. Drain of any surplus fat, add crumbled stock cubes, water, salt and pepper, nutmeg. Stir until boiling, reduce heat, cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes, remove from heat. Combine extra water and flour, stir till smooth, add the flour mixture to the meat, stir till combined. Return to heat, stir till meat boils and thickens, add soy sauce (to give brown colour), mix thoroughly. Simmer, uncovered for 5-10 minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool.
To make base:
Sift the flour and salt together in a bowl. Place water and dripping into a saucepan, stir till dripping melts, remove from heat. Make a well in centre of dry ingredients, add the liquid, stir until combined. Turn out onto lightly floured board, knead lightly. Roll out pastry to line 8 greased pie tins (around the same size tin that a pot pie for 1 comes in ). Cut off excess pastry from around the sides of the tins. Fill the pie bases with cold meat filling.
Pie crust:
Roll out puff pastry on lightly floured board, cut into rounds for top of pies, (use a saucer as a guide). Wet edges of base pastry and gently press tops into place, trim edges with a sharp knife. Brush tops with combined egg yolk and water. Bake in a hot oven for 5 minutes until golden brown, reduce the heat to moderate and bake a further 10 minutes…
(this is a real “AUSSIE FAVOURITE”) serve with tomato sauce.