[Recipe 3] GRAND FINAL DAY MINI MEAT PIES
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Our Grand Final* is on this Saturday but I’ve gotta confess that I’m not a football fan. I went to one match when I was 13, deciding there and then that I didn’t ever need to relive the experience.
Most sport-related activities don’t really float my boat; but I do like the charged, slightly mental, atmosphere on Grand Final day though. Friends usually drop in to watch the whole
The pies are super easy to whip up as they use store-bought pastry. They’re also relatively healthy as they’re made with a reserved portion of Full-of-veggies bolognaise (originally posted back in February), which is plugged full of veggies and lentils. Enjoy! Have a beaut weekend readers. Hope your team wins!
*Overseas readers: The Grand Final is the end-of-Season championship game for Australian Rules Football, mildly akin to the Super Bowl or World Cup, but with a speck of the budget. If you’re not familiar with it, Aussie Rules is probably the weirdest game you’ll ever have seen. Grown men in tiny shrunken shorts kick, punch and throw a misshapen ball around. If a goal is scored, a man in a silly outfit gesticulates from under the goal posts.
[Recipe 3] Grand Final Day mini meat pies
Ingredients (makes 20 mini pies):
4 tablespoons plain (all-purpose) flour
♦ 1 kilo (2 lb) reserved full-of-veggies bolognaise
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
5 sheets frozen shortcrust pastry, thawed
3 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Tomato sauce or Easy spiced tomato chutney, to serve
Preheat oven to 220°C (425ºF).
Grease 2 x 12-hole standard-sized muffin pans (you’ll need to grease 20 holes).
Blend flour with 3 tablespoons hot water to form a smooth paste.
♦ Spoon reserved full-of-veggies bolognaise into a medium-sized saucepan.
Add flour paste and bring to boil. Simmer, uncovered, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes, or until thickened. Stir in worcestershire sauce.
Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until cold.
Using a 10cm (4-inch) round cutter, cut out 20 circles from the shortcrust pastry. Press into prepared pan holes, covering them with a tea towel as you go, to prevent them drying out.
Brush inside pastry cases (this prevents them going soggy), and the edges, with egg.
Divide cooled bolognaise mixture among pastry cases.
Using a 7cm (2¾-inch) round cutter, cut out 20 circles from the puff pastry. Place on top of pies. Press edges together to seal. Cut out little football shapes from the puff pastry scraps and place one on top of each pie. You can score little lines for the laces on top too, if you have the patience. Brush tops of pies with egg, and prick with a fork.
Bake for 15–20 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown.
Serve with tomato sauce or Easy spiced tomato chutney.
- If you don’t have a 10cm (4-inch) round cutter, trace around a lid with a sharp knife (a lid from a 450g tin of Milo is the perfect size).
- The Grand Final Day mini meat pies can be cooked the day before and stored in the fridge.
- If using fresh full-of-veggies bolognaise (not frozen) you can freeze the cooked mini meat pies, between sheets of baking paper, for up to one month. Thaw overnight in the fridge. To reheat pre-cooked pies, place the pies on a baking tray and bake at 180°C (350ºF) for 15 minutes, or until heated through.
Waw! Those pies look so irresistable & funny! Pretty too!
A very tasty filling too! Cool pics too! xxx
Thanks lovely Sophie!
I have to admit, I was screaming at the TV. I just didn’t want the Bulldogs to win! Your pies looked like they would have been a hit with the boys. Love the little footballs 🙂
Thanks Cass. There was quite a bit of screaming at the telly going on here too!
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http://lovelybuns.wordpress.com/2012/10/01/raining-liebster-awards/
Thanks for my award Candy! To paraphrase Wayne and Garth, ‘I’m not worthy’.
Great looking meat pies. Love how you use 2 different kinds of pastries must remember this idea.
Thanks Norma. I find the shortcrust forms a more solid bottom for cradling the filling, but puff is so much prettier for a lid!
I’ve never made meat pies for the family — but you know, I think they are going to LOVE these. I can’t wait to give them a try. I’ve not heard of the Grand Finale, but I have heard of Australian Rules Football. Also recall hearing the charming expression “playing footie in the nutie.” (We don’t hear that much over here in Canada!)
Playing footie in the nutie sounds like fun! With our accent though, it would be ‘foodie in the noodie’. Hope your family love the little pies! My boys love anything miniature.
wha? footy is like football in the u.s. but they wear shrunken shorts?
nice! do they call soccer “soccer” there?
these are the cutest little football pies!!!
US football looks more manly and fun to me; those helmets and mouth guards and all that padding. Husband tells me the rules are completely different. Yep, soccer is soccer 🙂
Thanks Kim!
I can’t commit to a whole season of footy, but I do prefer that to most other sports (South Aussie, can’t really help it!) I love your description of the game for your international readers though! Those meat pies look great!
Thanks. Must admit though that my initial description of footy mentioned the score-keeper’s uniform as a white lab technician’s coat. The husband reminded me that they haven’t worn those things for years. I would’ve really given away my lack of footy knowledge if I’d posted that! Have a great weekend.
Haha! I probably wouldn’t have even noticed, because that’s how I still remember them too!!
Wow I may not follow football… at all (unless its union!) but loving this gorgeous meatpie creation – I can see all these vege fillings to fill it with 😉
Cheers
CCU
Absolutely! I’ve made little pies out of anything really – leftover risotto, butter chicken curry, spicy beans. If there is a pastry lid (or a crumbed coating) on top, the kids won’t even peep to see what’s inside. It goes straight down their little gullets.
Hooray for your great meatpie recipe – the culinary icon of Australian cuisine!
Thanks! It is isn’t it, and I guess footy is the icon of Australian sport, so the two go hand in hand really.
I totally agree with your opinion of footy. That must be why we are friends and our family never drops in on yours on that day. I will be giving your party pies a go but maybe with a little pastry soccer ball or paintbrush on them.
Paintbrush party pies! Love it.