Homemade Meat Pies from scratch

Meat pies as they are known by many have a nostalgic attachment to them.. from back in the day! There’s nothing as wonderful as having the aroma of freshly baked pies fill up your kitchen. It gets everybody’s taste buds dancing and ready to partake! This here recipe is fairly simple and those that had these pies in my home enjoyed to the very last crumb. Update (2021): I recently encountered sweet onion, Maui type, and we wrote about it here. If you can lay your hands on it, you could replace the regular onion in this recipe with it.  It would add a nice mild twist to the pie filling. Yum.

Equipment needed

• Mixing bowl
• Table knife
• Fork
• Baking sheet
• Sharp knife
• Rolling pin

Instructions

1. Get all your ingredients together. These include;  500g stewing beef; 1 small onion, finely chopped ; 1 medium carrot, chopped; 2 cloves garlic, minced; Salt and pepper to taste; 3 tbsp oil for frying; 2-3 medium tomatoes, chopped; 1 tsp flour; 500ml water; 1 egg, beaten; For the pie dough; 120g butter/ puffex, cubed; 235g plain flour; ¼ tsp salt; 5-6 tbsp cold water.
2. We’ll begin by preparing the dough. Sieve the dry ingredients, i.e. salt and plain flour into a bowl. Rub in the butter/puffex.
3. Add the water and mix using a knife until the mixture is combined and the bowl is left clean. (You may add a bit more water as you see fit, ensuring that it doesn’t get soggy). When the dough comes together, cover with cling wrap and refrigerate until required. Prepare the filling.
4. Cut the beef into small, bite size cubes. Season the flour with some salt and pepper.
5. Toss the beef cubes into the flour. Heat oil in pot. Add the beef and fry until browned.
6. Add onions, garlic and bit more salt and pepper. Cook for about 2 minutes or until the onions are translucent.
7. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently until the meat is tender and easy to pull apart and the stew is thick. If it’s too thick for your liking you may add a little more water and simmer briefly. When the filling is done, set aside and allow to cool. (NB- The filling should not be watery)
8. Take refrigerated dough. Lightly flour your working area and turn the dough onto it. Roll the dough out into a large flat, thin circle.
9. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Line a baking sheet with baking paper and lightly grease it.
10. Take a saucer and use it to cut out circles from the dough. Dab some water around the edges of the circles using your finger. This is to help seal the pie when you’ve put the filling.
11. Take the cooled filling and spoon some onto the half side of the circle. Pull the other half over to close the pie and place it onto the prepared baking sheet.
12. Repeat process until all the dough is used up. Decorate the edges of each pie with a fork by gently pressing on them. Cut a small slit in the middle of each pie to create an air vent which is needed to let the steam out when the pies are baking.
13. Lightly brush each pie with the beaten egg. Bake in preheat oven for 25-30 min or until the pies are golden brown. Enjoy!

Enjoy with your preferred beverage and some fries and a salad or just as is!

Recipe Updated: November 2021