Meat Pie

The number of meat pies you will get with the following ingredients depends on the diameter of the meat pie cutter you use. A cutter that is eight inches (twenty cm) in diameter will give you ten meat pies with the following ingredients.

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FOR THE MEAT PIE FILLING

· 1 Irish potato 

· 1 carrot

· 250g (8.8oz) minced meat

· 1 small onion

· 2 cksp vegetable oil

· 1 big stock cube 

· 1 tsp thyme

· 1 tbsp plain flour

· Some cold water

· Salt to taste

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FOR THE DOUGH:

· 1 kg (2.2 lbs) plain flour

· 2 tsp baking powder

· 500g (1.1 lbs) margarine (not butter)

· 2 pinches salt

· 125 ml / 4.2 oz cold water

Ornamental Ingredient

· 1 egg

METHOD:

THE MEAT PIE FILLING

1. Peel the potato and scrape the carrot, wash and cut these two into tiny cubes.

2. Wash and cut the onions into tiny pieces.

3. Using a pot, heat the vegetable oil (medium heat), add the diced onions and stir for a bit, add the minced meat and stir vigorously till the meat turns pale.

4. Add the stock cube and thyme. Pour water to the same level as the minced beef. Cover the pot and once the contents of the pot start boiling; add the diced carrots and potatoes.

5. When the ingredients are well done, dissolve 1 tablespoon of plain flour in ¼ cup of cold water and add to the meat pie filling. This keeps the filling moist and prevents it from drying up during baking. 

6. Add salt to taste, stir the contents and turn off the heat. Set the filling aside to cool down completely.

THE MEAT PIE DOUGH

1. Sift the flour into a sizeable bowl; add the baking powder and salt. You do not need a lot of salt for the dough because the meat pie gets most of its taste from the filling. Mix these dry ingredients very well.

2. Use a tablespoon to scoop the margarine in small bits into the bowl of flour. The smaller you make the bits of margarine, the easier it will be for you to rub them into the flour.

3. Use finger tips to rub the margarine into the flour till the mix becomes like crumbs.

4. Add cold water in bits and mix by hand till a stiff ball of dough is formed. At most, all you need for the 1 kg of flour is half a cup of water.

5. Place the dough on a flat surface and knead till smooth. 

6. Put back in the bowl, cover and leave it to rest for about 10 minutes. This gives the dough a softer texture and makes it easier to work with. 

CUT, FILL, FOLD AND CLOSE

1. Break the egg, beat it and set aside; you will use it for glazing.

2. Rub margarine on the insides of the oven tray and set aside. This is so that the undersides of the meat pies do not burn or stick to the tray during baking.

3. Set your oven to 170°C (335°F) and leave to preheat while you continue with the meat pie. For fan ovens, set to 150°C (300°F) and gas mark 3 or 4 for gas ovens.

4. Knead the dough again. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin to a 5mm thickness. If well mixed, the dough should not stick to the surface.

5. Use a cutter, be it the cover of a small pot or a meat pie cutter, to make round cuts on the rolled out dough.

6. Remove the excess dough, leaving behind the round cuts.

7. Scoop some filling into the centre of the round cuts, the quantity should be such that you can comfortably close the dough without overflows. 

8. Rub the egg on the inside edge of the cut meat pie dough. This ensures that the meat pie is perfectly sealed and does not open up while it is being baked.

9. Fold one part of the dough to meet the other end. 

10. Use a fork to press the 2 edges together to close the pie making sure that the top and bottom dough are combined. This is so that the pie does not open during baking.

11. Place this in the greased oven tray and repeat steps 4-10 for the rest of the dough. Rub the egg on the meat pies using a brush. This gives the pies a golden brown look when done.

12. Set the tray in the preheated oven and bake for 40 to 50 minutes or till light brown. This time will depend on the type and heating capacity of your oven. 

Whatever type of oven you have, the important thing to note is that the best meat pies are the ones baked at medium heat. You can confirm that the meat pie is done when it starts browning. It is alright to open the oven to check this.