Culinary Travel: Australia

Sydney offers plenty of historical and contemporary Australian flavor. The marvelous Sydney Opera House looks like a great origami sailboat, floating peacefully in a harbor.

Lovely, laid-back Melbourne has something for everyone: family fare, local and international art, haute boutiques, multicultural dining, Australian and Aboriginal history, spectator sports, and pulsing, swanky nightlife.

Australia’s third-largest city, Brisbane is the hub of Queensland culture, offering a peek at the past and a glimpse into the future.

The humble meat pie is as Australian as it gets. While Americans love hamburgers, Australians love their meat pies and sausage rolls more. The original settlers in Australia preferred low-cost, plentiful mutton as the meat for their pies. Beef is now the meat of choice in pies with a variety of styles.

Australian Meat Pies

Filling – Ingredients
2 lbs chuck or round steak
2 bacon slices  chopped
1  large onion, peeled and finely chopped
13 fl. oz water
½  teaspoon black pepper
½  teaspoon salt
¼  teaspoon thyme
2  tablespoons flour

Filling – Directions
Remove any fat and cube the chuck into about 1 cm (½ inch) pieces.

Fry the bacon and onion over a low heat and add the chuck when the onions are slightly soft.

Season with salt, pepper and thyme, add the water, cover and simmer for about 1 hour.

In a bowl, slowly add a little water to the flour and stir until it forms a smooth, runny mixture.

Slowly stir the flour-water mixture into the meat mixture until it thickens. Remove from heat and let it cool.

Pastry:   Ingredients
2 cups flour
pinch salt
2 ounces margarine or butter
5 fluid ounces cold water
1 package commercial puff pastry

Pastry – Directions
In a mixing bowl, add salt to the flour and then cut in the margarine until mixed with the dough.

Add water and lemon juice to the dough.

Remove the dough and gently knead on a lightly-floured surface.

Let the dough rest for about 20 minutes and then roll it out.

The Pie – Directions
Line the small pie dishes with the pastry and fill with the cooled meat mixture.

Moisten the rim of the pies with milk or beaten egg so the tops will stick to it.
Place a layer of commercial puff pastry on top of each pie to form a lid and trim away the excess.

Press the edges together with a fork to seal.

Make a hole in the centre of each pie to allow the steam to escape and glaze the tops with beaten egg or milk.

Meat PieBake pies at 375° F for 15 - 20 minutes or until golden brown on top. Serve hot with tomato sauce on top.

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