Overview
Kiwi Mince and Cheese pie
By Amy // Posted Apr 14, 2021 // Category Savoury
In New Zealand and Australia, meat pies are an iconic takeaway meal/snack. They’re cheap, filling and can be found literally everywhere you go!
I’m quite obsessed with pies. I grew up eating tons of mince and cheese pies and steak ones. It’s really great to see a rise in gourmet pies in NZ, but I still have a soft spot for the traditional mince and cheese pie.
When making this recipe, I wanted my gravy to be thick and for there to be a rich beef flavour, just like how I remembered them. I love the combination of savoury mince gravy, oozing cheese and flaky pastry.
Traditional recipes call for the use of Tasty cheese, but I used Swiss cheese for its milder and sweeter taste. I think Colby would work well as well. It’s up to you what kind of cheese you use.
The shortcrust pastry makes the bottom taste biscuity and the puff pastry makes it nice and flaky on top. Plus, this recipe uses store bought pastry, so it’s much easier for you to make your pies.
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tips
1. Stir the mince filling constantly
When you are simmering the mince at a low heat, you should stir it often. This is to prevent the mince from sticking to the bottom of the pan. If you feel like it needs more liquid, add just a little extra water. Remember, your gravy should be thick, not thin.
2. Blind baking
Blind baking is the process of baking the crust without the filling so that the pastry has time to crisp up and cook. You need to put the shortcrust pastry into the pie mould, poke the bottom with a fork, then place some baking paper on top of the pastry. Then you need to put some baking beans on top of the baking paper. After, bake it for around 10 minutes in a preheated oven.
If you want to, you can skip the blind baking process. It’s ok to skip this part, but you may have a soggy bottom.
3. Alternative pie moulds
I used pie moulds (click on link) that I found on Amazon. But you can find alternatives to these moulds.
If you don’t have pie moulds, you can use either a jumbo muffin tin, or make smaller ones using normal muffin tins. Also, this recipe can make a single 23cm (9inch) pie. I made a large pie using a circular pyrex pie dish and it turned out great as well.
4. Use cold filling
If you have the time, it is recommended to use cold fillings. When you use filling that’s hot, it can cause the filling to bubble and leak out of your pie. If the filling is cold, it will heat up slowly and not get to quite an intensely bubbling state. So, your pies will not have spillage and look very clean and nice.
5. Double the recipe
As making the mince can be time consuming, I’d recommend that you double the recipe. You can safely keep half the recipe in the freezer for up to 3 months and use it when you want to. Perfect for a easy and quick dinner in the future.
*Disclosure: The links to Amazon products are affiliate links. I will be paid a commission if you use this link to make a purchase.
Season the mince with salt and pepper. Heat up a large pan on a medium-high heat and add the oil. Once the pan is hot, add half of the mince and brown. Break up the mince to smaller pieces. Once browned, transfer the mince to a large bowl and repeat the browning with the remaining uncooked mince. Transfer to the large bowl.
Next, add the onions and cook until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a minute. Put the browned mince back into the large pan. Sprinkle the flour over the minced beef and onions and toss to coat.
Stir in tomato paste and add the stock. Add the mixed herbs and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a boil. Once it's started to boil, transfer to the lowest heat and let it simmer for around 45 minutes. Stir very often so that the mince doesn't start to burn. At the very end, season with salt and pepper to your liking. Let the filling cool.
When the filling is cooling, start preparing the pastry. Leave the shortcrust pastry and puff pastry on the counter to defrost. Preheat the oven to 220 C (430F).
Get your 4 pie moulds (mine are 13cmx3cm). Find a round bowl that is larger than your pie mould and cut out 4 circular pieces of shortcrust pastry. Press the shortcrust pastry into the pie moulds. Trim the excess pastry and poke some holes in the bottom using a fork. Place some baking paper into each pie mould and place baking beans on top of the baking paper. Blind bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.
Take the baking paper and baking beans out. Fill each pie with mince filling, be careful not to overfill. Place the grated cheese on top of the mince filling. Cut out four circular pieces of puff pastry using the same bowl as before and place it on top of the pie filling. Trim the excess pastry, crimp the edges using a fork and poke two holes in the centre using your fork. Brush the beaten egg on top of each pie and crack some pepper on top of each pie.
Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Serve hot with tomato sauce. These pies can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Heat in the oven before serving the frozen pies.
Ingredients
Directions
Season the mince with salt and pepper. Heat up a large pan on a medium-high heat and add the oil. Once the pan is hot, add half of the mince and brown. Break up the mince to smaller pieces. Once browned, transfer the mince to a large bowl and repeat the browning with the remaining uncooked mince. Transfer to the large bowl.
Next, add the onions and cook until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a minute. Put the browned mince back into the large pan. Sprinkle the flour over the minced beef and onions and toss to coat.
Stir in tomato paste and add the stock. Add the mixed herbs and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a boil. Once it's started to boil, transfer to the lowest heat and let it simmer for around 45 minutes. Stir very often so that the mince doesn't start to burn. At the very end, season with salt and pepper to your liking. Let the filling cool.
When the filling is cooling, start preparing the pastry. Leave the shortcrust pastry and puff pastry on the counter to defrost. Preheat the oven to 220 C (430F).
Get your 4 pie moulds (mine are 13cmx3cm). Find a round bowl that is larger than your pie mould and cut out 4 circular pieces of shortcrust pastry. Press the shortcrust pastry into the pie moulds. Trim the excess pastry and poke some holes in the bottom using a fork. Place some baking paper into each pie mould and place baking beans on top of the baking paper. Blind bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.
Take the baking paper and baking beans out. Fill each pie with mince filling, be careful not to overfill. Place the grated cheese on top of the mince filling. Cut out four circular pieces of puff pastry using the same bowl as before and place it on top of the pie filling. Trim the excess pastry, crimp the edges using a fork and poke two holes in the centre using your fork. Brush the beaten egg on top of each pie and crack some pepper on top of each pie.
Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Serve hot with tomato sauce. These pies can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Heat in the oven before serving the frozen pies.
Servings 4
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 481
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 29g45%
- Saturated Fat 9g45%
- Cholesterol 41mg14%
- Sodium 630mg27%
- Potassium 154mg5%
- Total Carbohydrate 17.6g6%
- Dietary Fiber 1.2g5%
- Sugars 2g
- Protein 38g76%
- Calcium 459%
- Iron 1%
- Vitamin D 4%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
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