This comes from an old memory that I have from a number of trips that I used to make to San Diego in the early ’90s. Every trip I’d go to the Embarcadero Center downtown and get a pie from a now-defunct, quick food joint called Aussie Meat Pie’s. They went out of business in the late ’90s, and when I went back, I was very disappointed with their demise. But the flavors stayed with me, and when one of the guys in the group announced that he was making a trip to Australia, I asked him what his favorite meat pie was. He promised to make sure and eat a few so he could compare flavors when he returned. Upon his return, this is what I whipped up, and he says it’s very similar to that of his favorite place, Harry’s Cafe de Wheels in Woolloomooloo.
Ingredients:
- 1.5 lb. 93-7 ground beef
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon olive oil or 2 teaspoons butter
- 3 beef bullion cubes, crushed
- 1/4 cup tomato sauce (ketchup)
- 3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon ground oregano
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 4 tablespoons wheat flour
- 1 cup frozen green peas
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese (substitutions allowed for your favorite cheese)
- 2 puff pastry crust pie pans (see Crusts). Note that if you saved the puff pastry top, the cheese is optional.
Filling:
In large sauce pan, combine beef and onions with olive oil or butter and cook till brown. Then add 3/4 cup of water, bullion cubes, tomato sauce, Worcestershire, oregano, nutmeg and bring to a boil, cover and then simmer for 15 minutes. Combine remaining water and flour and mix into to pan. Bring it back to a boil for 5 minutes stirring frequently. Allow to cool to room temperature and mix in frozen peas and refrigerate till final assembly.
Final Assembly and Cooking:
Preheat oven to 375. In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, half and half. Beat till fully mixed. Add pepper to taste. Warm prepared filling, if you refrigerated it, and place equally into two pie crusts. Pour egg mixture equally over filling and very lightly mix it together. Top with 1 cup of cheese on each pie; add a little more seasoning of your choice. I usually sprinkle on a little pepper. If you made your puff pastry with the removed tops, put tops back on now. Place pies in middle of oven and bake for 40-45 minutes or until cheese is a golden brown. Remove from oven and pack it up for the rink.