Easy-peasy meat pies

Want your kids to think you’re a total superhero in the kitchen? Get a pie-maker. They’re pretty cheap at places like Kmart these days. My Sprogs would happily eat pies every night of the week. Their favourite is the trad meat pie, but they’ll inhale just about anything wrapped in pastry. Very handy with leftovers. Husband, however, restricts their pie consumption to every couple of weeks for health reasons. Party pooper. Give this meat pie recipe a go. I promise it’ll be a hit. If you don’t have a pie maker, make party pies in a muffin pan and bake them in the oven instead.

EASY-PEASY MEAT PIES

INGREDIENTS: 1 tablespoon rice bran oil; 1 onion zizzed in a food processor (the Sprogs are anti-onions so I hide them); 750g beef mince; 1/3 cup plain flour; 2 1/2 cups beef stock; I tablespoon tomato paste; puff pastry sheets (each sheet will make 2 pies).

METHOD: Saute onion in oil until softened. Add mince, breaking up lumps with back of spoon until browned. Blend in flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Gradually stir in stock and tomato paste. Bring to boil, stirring. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Cool. Heat pie maker. Defrost pastry sheets. Cut pastry circles, place large one in pie maker, fill with mince. Place smaller circle on top. Cook until golden (takes about five minutes max). Serve with lots of veg to make yourself feel better about all the evil pastry and don’t let them have seconds ’til they’ve eaten all their broccoli.