Beef and Beer Pies with Pea Purée

Makes 8

When our children were young one of their favourite dishes was pie floater, a rich beef pie sitting in the middle of a bowl of thick pea-and-ham soup. These lovely pies encapsulate all that the original dish represents and they are far more transportable.

There are two types of pastry here to give a special level of crunch – a base of homemade shortcrust with a top made from ready-rolled puff pastry sheets. You could easily use ready-rolled shortcrust pastry sheets for the base if you prefer.

These pies for me encapsulate some of the Australian tradition – beer, pies and tasty pea purée.

Ingredients

1 egg yolk, lightly whisked with 20ml cold water, for glaze

2 sheets ready rolled puff pastry, thawed

For the pastry

250g plain flour

¼ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon sea salt

125g cold butter, diced

1 egg yolk, lightly whisked with 80ml cold milk

For the filling

20 ml olive oil

800g beef mince

100 g rindless bacon, diced

1 onion, finely diced

½ teaspoon curry powder

30 ml tomato sauce (ketchup)

3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons soy sauce

20g tomato relish

½ teaspoon sea salt

375 ml beer (dark ale or even stouot)

3–4 teaspoons cornflour mixed to a thin paste with 40 ml cold water

For the pea purée

400g fresh or frozen peas

½ teaspoon sea salt

2 spring onions, white part only, roughly chopped

3 teaspoons lemon juice

125 ml cream

1 egg white, lightly whisked

15g finely grated Parmesan (optional)

Method

To make the pastry

Place the flour, baking powder, salt and butter in a food processor and process until it resembles breadcrumbs (alternatively rub together with the fingertips to this stage).

Turn the flour mixture out into a large bowl and mix with enough of the egg yolk/milk mixture to bring it together into a soft dough.

Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm up before using.

To make the filling

Heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan over medium-high heat and cook the beef with the bacon until well coloured (around 10 minutes). Add the onion and curry powder and cook for 3 minutes more.

Add the sauces and relish, salt and beer. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and gently simmer for 20 minutes. Thicken with some or all of the cornflour paste to reach a thick consistency. Cool.

To make the pea purée

Cook the peas in boiling water to which the salt has been added for 3–5 minutes until just tender. Drain, and immediately plunge into cold water to hold the colour. Drain again. Cool slightly, then purée in the food processor with the spring onions, lemon juice, cream and egg white (and Parmesan if using).

To assemble

Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Grease eight 200 ml capacity individual pie tins.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to 5 mm thick, approximately. Cut circles from this, large enough to come up the base and sides of the pie tins.

Brush the pastry right up to the edges generously with whisked egg glaze. Divide the meat mixture between the tins and spread out evenly.

Top each pie with the pea purée mixture.

Cut circles from the thawed puff pastry sheets to fit amply over the top of the pies. Crimp the edges to seal. Add 3 teaspoons of water to the remaining egg mixture and glaze the tops of the pies with this. Prick each pie twice in the centre with the tip of a sharp knife.

Bake 20–25 minutes until the pastry is golden brown.

Leave to stand 5 minutes before removing from tins.