Another N.Z. Classic-The Meat Pie

Ok, so we've been craving Kiwi classics around our house. Maybe it's due to the fact we won't be able to travel there for some time. :(

You can't visit New Zealand without running into a meat pie shop or one in every servo (a serving station/gas station). And you would be seriously missing out on a bunch of deliciousness if you didn't indulge in many of these during your trip. With an endless amount of flavors available, it's hard not to find one you'll drool over.

I decided to keep it classic last night and made Mince (ground beef) and Cheese pies for our family dinner. I usually just pull out a package of frozen puff pastry to use, but decided to finally try my hand at making my own and it was a success. I won't go into that recipe here, but I used the recipe from An Italian in My Kitchen and it was pretty simple.

What IS a meat pie? Well, basically it's an individual pie that has been filled with a meat stew/gravy mixture and cheese usually. You can basically mix up any meat and veggie stew mixture, make sure the gravy isn't too runny and put it in a mini pie shell and top with pastry or with mashed potato. Its savory and delicious and is best served with tomato sauce (ketchup), Thai sweet chili or BBQ sauce. I like to serve mine with a green salad on the side as well.

So, without further adieu, here is the recipe for these delightful little morsels.

Ingredients:

3 garlic cloves minced

1 tsp olive oil

1 lb ground beef

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp Soy sauce

1/3 c flour

1/2 tsp pepper

2 c beef stock

1/2 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, gruyere, mozzarella)

2 sheets frozen puff pastry

1 egg scrambled with a tsp of water

6 mini pie tins

In a skillet, heat oil and cook garlic for a minute before adding ground beef. Cook beef over med-high heat, breaking it up until it is no longer pink. Turn heat to low and add Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, Soy sauce and pepper and mix until combined. Sprinkle in the flour, stir it in and cook for an additional minute. Then add half your stock and stir. Add remaining stock and turn up the heat a bit. Simmer for 30 mins or until it has thickened. Let cool.

Roll out your puff pasty and cut 6 rounds slightly bigger than your 6 mini pie tins. Line your tins with pastry and fill half way with meat mixture. Top each with shredded cheese and then with rounds of pastry that are just the size of the top of the tin. Fold over bottom pastry to seal the two pieces and cut a couple of small slits in the top of the pastry to let steam out while baking. Brush pastry with egg wash.

Bake pies at 400F for 25-30 mins or until golden. Let stand a few minutes before serving with your choice of sauce.

Classic New Zealand Ham & Egg Pie

Who doesn't love a tried and tested classic dish sure to please everyone? This is how I feel about this recipe. Once I married my husband, a Kiwi (which means a New Zealander), I became acquainted with this beauty. I love this savory breakfast pie similar to a quiche on any morning that time allows. It's simple, quick and oh so tasty. I recently made it while catering for a Make48 @gomake48 event and got asked a few times for the recipe, so you know it is good.

New Zealand Ham & Egg Pie

1 premade pie crust

2 c. chopped ham

1/4 c. onion

2 tbsp. chopped chives (if you have)

1 c. shredded cheese (cheddar, gruyere, or what you have on hand)

6-7 whole eggs

1 tbsp. chopped parsley (fresh or dried)

Salt & Pepper

Preheat oven to 400F.

Unroll a premade pie crust and place in a pre-sprayed round pan, pressing to fill bottom of pan and up the sides. Prick with a fork over the base.

Take 2 c. ham, either deli meat or leftover cooked ham and chop up and sprinkle on the base.

Next, chop up 1/4 c. of onion and sprinkle on top of ham. I also chop up chives (if I have them in the garden) and sprinkle it on the onion.

Follow that with 1 c. cheese - use what you have - but I like to use a swiss & gruyere mix or a sharp cheddar.

Then you will crack 6 or 7 eggs whole on top of the cheese.

Sprinkle the eggs with chopped parsley and salt & pepper to your taste.

Turn down oven to 375F and cook for 30 mins.

Slice and enjoy!

Blackberry Cobbler

I ❤️ Blackberry season!!!

One of my favorite treats to make is blackberry cobbler. It’s warm, fruity, tangy and a little bit crunchy. And it sure hits the spot when you want a dessert that comes from your harvest.

This simple dessert is easy to whip up in no time and can be kept simple or dressed up a bit for a dinner party.

2 1/2 C Fresh Blackberries, washed

1 C Sugar

1 C Flour

2 t. Baking Powder

1/2 t. Salt

1 C Milk

1 Stick Butter, melted

Stir together berries and sugar and let sit 20-25 mins. This will bring out the juices and is called macerating. (for those who like to know the names of things like me)

After about 15 minutes preheat oven to 375° F and start mixing up your batter.

Stir together flour, baking powder, salt and milk with a spoon. Then stir in the melted butter and hand mix until blended with few lumps.

Pour into a small-ish baking dish and top with the blackberry mix evenly. Bake for 50 minutes. Top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a mint sprig. Enjoy your ride to berry heaven!