A Feast Fit for a King… To start with savory

Yummmmmmm

We are aussie, and what could be more aussie than a meat pie? A BIG MAN Meat Pie, that is what! 1kg of beef, 500 grams of mushrooms, tomato sauce, more salt than you know what to do with – good lord we are all going to have a heart attack! Lucky i dont do this often that is for sure (especially seeing i have prepared sweets as well, and we thought this was going to give us a heart attack!)

Big Man Pie

Stuff you’ll need for your heart attack

1kg chuck steak cut into 1cm cubes
3 onions
5-6 cloves of garlic
500ml beef stock (if your not keen on too salty – and next time i think i will reduce the beef stock qty, go for 250 ml + 250 ml water
500 grams chopped mushrooms
3/4 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup bbq sauce
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon vegimite
1 tablespoon sugar (or fake sugar)
mixed herbs
pepper

5 sheets of ready made puff pastry

3 cups peas
Fresh mint chopped, or prepackaged mint
Knob of butter

How i did it (gave us all heart attacks that is)

Mommy why are you cooking at 8am?

First peel and dice the onions and garlic, then dice the chuck steak if not already diced. Heat a little oil in a pan and fry off the onion and garlic. While the onion and garlic is frying coat the beef in seasoned flour. Once the onion and garlic is nicly sauteed and somewhat clear, place in a slow cooker (or crock pot if you fancy). Next seal / fry off the beef in some oil, remember to do it in batches so as it doesnt stew in the pan. Place into the slow cooker as you go. Once all the beef is sealed and in the slow cooker , fry off the mushrooms, again in batches so they dont stew. Place into the slow cooker.

Once the mushrooms are out of the pan, place all the sauce ingredients including stock into the pan and scrape the bottom (apparently they tell me that this is where the flavor is) heat the sauce to a bubble then pour into the slow cooker and add the herbs.

Put the slow cooker on high, covered for an hour or two, then uncovered for the sauce to thicken and reduce, i had the cooker on for a total of nine hours, so uncovered for seven hours. I added more herbs and a little fake sugar at hour 6 as i found the sauce very salty. I know next time i would only use half the stock and replace with water – but my husband (king for the night) assured me that the beef was fantastic and the flavor was just right, not too salty (but then again i think he has lost his salty taste buds)

Right, now that the beef is done, grease and line a spring form baking tin, then arrange four of the sheets of puffy pastry into the tin. Now i use store bought because it is easy and what my husband likes, if you like shortcrust then go for it! I think the traditional pie uses shortcrust on the base and puffy on the lid, so eh do what you please with the pastry! Blind bake the base for about umm maybe 20-30 minutes depending how thick the pastry was, i am sure you all know how to blind bake, so again ill leave that one up to you

Now we are cooking with gas! (not really thats a figure of speech) Right so once the pie crust is par cooked, place the beef mix into it and then the last sheet of pastry on top for the lid. Dont forget to cut a little steam hole in the top, and brush the top with an egg. Place it back in the oven for about 20 -30 minutes or until the top is cooked through.

While the pie is cooking place the two cups of peas on to boil / cook them in the microwave, which ever takes you fancy at the time. Once the peas are cooked, add a knob of butter and some mint or mint paste and roughly mash them.