This seems like it makes a great big batch, but trust me, you can easily eat a couple at a time, and they are a great size for kids.
Makes 15
Ingredients
- 1 quantity Rough Puff Pastry 2
- Bolognese mince:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ onion, finely chopped
- 1 stick celery, finely chopped
- 1 carrot, grated
- Salt
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 500g beef mince
- 1 heaped tbsp tomato paste
- 125ml red wine
- 1 can (400g) crushed tomatoes
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- Pepper
- 1 tbsp grated or powdered Parmesan
- 1 egg
- Powdered Parmesan to top
Method
To make the Bolognese mince, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a shallow saucepan or sauté pan. Add the onion, celery and carrot with a pinch of salt, and gently sweat until it starts to soften. Add the garlic and continue to sweat until tender. Remove them from the pan and set aside.
Add the remaining oil to the pan and place in the mince with a good sprinkle of salt. Brown the mince on a high heat while breaking up any lumps with a wooden spoon. Add the tomato paste and stir through the mince thoroughly. Add the wine and leave to reduce until almost all of the liquid has disappeared.
Put the vegetables back in, along with the tomatoes, dried oregano and a pinch of salt and pepper. Simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring until the liquid has reduced. Check the seasoning. Set aside to cool then stir in the grated Parmesan.
Preheat the oven to 210˚C fan bake.
Work with half the pastry at a time on a lightly floured bench. Roll the pastry to 3mm thick and cut into fifteen 12cm x 10cm rectangles. Place 1 tablespoon of the Bolognese mince onto one half of each pastry rectangle. Spray or brush the edges with water, fold over the empty half of the pastry and seal the edges. I usually have to re-roll some of the edges to use up the filling.
Lay the pies on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Whisk the egg and egg-wash the tops. Cut some air holes with a sharp knife and sprinkle with more Parmesan.
Bake for 15 minutes, until golden brown.
Easy as Pie: A Relaxed Approach to Pastry and Pie Making by Wendy Morgan. Published by Bateman Books, RRP $39.99.
