New Zealand meat pies recipe (2024)

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for New Zealand meat pies from Rockwell & Sons, Melbourne.

Aug 11, 2014 12:44am

By Casey Wall

  • 50 mins preparation
  • 2 hrs 45 mins cooking plus cooling, resting
  • Serves 12
  • New Zealand meat pies recipe (1)

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"I've always been fascinated with meat pies, but it's a chore to find good ones," says chef Casey Wall. "My Kiwi business partner, Manu, loves to talk up the pies of New Zealand and he's right. Petrol stations there serve better pies than a lot of Australian bakeries. This is my attempt to recreate one of the many pies we ate in Wellington."

Ingredients

  • 60 ml (¼ cup) vegetable oil
  • 500 gm minced beef
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
  • 7 gm sea salt flakes
  • 20 gm cornflour
  • 1.2 kg butter puff pastry (see note)
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 120 gm coarsely grated cheddar

Rich beef stock

  • 1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 300 gm beef scraps (see note), cut into cubes
  • 100 gm piece of belly bacon, cut into 3cm cubes
  • 1 onion, unpeeled, thinly sliced
  • 5 garlic cloves, unpeeled, halved
  • 6 thyme sprigs
  • 3 fresh bay leaves
  • 1 tsp black peppercorns
  • 65 ml brandy
  • 65 ml Worcestershire sauce
  • 1.5 litres butcher-quality chicken stock

Method

Main

  • 1

    For rich beef stock, heat a stockpot over high heat, add oil (it should smoke slightly when added), then add beef and bacon, and brown well on all sides, scraping often to keep from catching on
    the bottom of the pan (8-10 minutes). Add onion, garlic, herbs and peppercorns and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender (6-8 minutes; reduce heat to medium if necessary so you don't burn the bottom of the pan). Deglaze the pan with brandy and Worcestershire sauce, scraping the base of the pan, and reduce until liquid is almost evaporated (4-5 minutes). Add 250ml stock, reduce until evaporated (10-15 minutes), then add another 250ml stock and repeat. Add remaining stock and simmer over low heat until well flavoured (45-50 minutes). Strain through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan (discard solids) and simmer over medium heat until reduced to 275ml (8-10 minutes). Set aside.

  • 2

    Heat oil in a large saucepan over high heat, add minced beef and stir occasionally until cooked through (8-10 minutes), then drain in a sieve, reserving 1½ tbsp of fat. Return reserved fat to the pan, add onion and garlic and sauté until tender (8-10 minutes), then add beef, rich beef stock and salt and bring to the boil. Meanwhile, stir cornflour and 25ml cold water in a small bowl until smooth, add to beef mixture and stir continuously until sauce thickens (4-5 minutes), remove from heat and cool completely. Beef mixture can be made 1-2 days ahead and stored in the refrigerator.

  • 3

    Preheat oven to 180C. Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface to 4mm thick (if you're using pre-rolled pastry, it will probably already be the correct thickness). Place on trays and refrigerate to rest (30 minutes). Cut out twelve 8.5cm rounds (these will be the tops) and twelve 13cm rounds from pastry (re-roll scraps and use for larger rounds if necessary). Line twelve 125ml muffin tins with larger rounds and divide half the cheese among lined tins. Spoon in beef mixture (freeze any leftovers for future use) and top with remaining cheese. Top with remaining pastry rounds, press edges together to seal and crimp with a fork. Brush with eggwash and bake until golden and puffed (25-30 minutes). Serve hot.

Notes

Note Order butter puff pastry from your local pâtisserie or use shop-bought pastry sheets, such as Carême. Order beef scraps from your butcher.
Drink Suggestion: In New Zealand these would be served with a Tui in the North or a Speight's in the South. We've gone with Two Birds Sunset Ale. Drink suggestion by Manu Potoi

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New Zealand meat pies recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is a New Zealand pie? ›

They're talking about the humble meat pie, which has been part of New Zealand's cuisine since the early British settlers, with the year 1863 being the earliest mention. The inside scoop. The single-serve portion culinary delight is just the right size to hold in your hand and eat from a paper bag.

What is a meat pie called in America? ›

A pot pie, in US and Canadian dialects, is a type of meat pie with a top pie crust that is commonly used throughout the continent, consisting of flaky pastry.

What is in a 4 and 20 meat pie? ›

Water, Wheat Flour, Meat (min 25%) (Beef, and a Mutton), Margarine (Vegetable Oil and or Animal Fat, Water, Sat Emulsifiers (471, Soy Lecithin), Acidity Regulates (331, 330), Antioxidant (307b (Soy)), Colour (160a), Flavours), Thickeners (1412, 1422), Carrots, Textured Soy Protein (Soy, Colour (150a)), Seasoning ( ...

What is the best pie in New Zealand? ›

New Zealand's best pie is a record-breaking roast duck and mushroom. Patrick Lam celebrates his eighth Supreme title at the Bakels NZ Pie Awards 2023. Put down your steak and cheese, Aotearoa: the best pie in the land is roast duck, onion and mushroom.

What brand of meat pies are made in New Zealand? ›

Big Ben pies are proudly baked right here in New Zealand and have been since 1969! We have baked all our pies with 100% pure, NZ beef and chicken. As natural tinker's we like to try and make things a little better all the time.

What makes NZ pies so good? ›

Bakers of the best pies braise their cuts of steak, make a chicken roux rather than white sauce for their chicken pies and ensure the vegetables are blanched properly. Since 1999, New Zealand's best pie has been a traditional mince and cheese or steak only a few times.

What is the meat pie capital of the world? ›

The city of Natchitoches in northern Louisiana (named after the Natchitoches Indian tribe, pronounced NAK-uh-tush) offers a regional delicacy popular since the late 1700's – the Natchitoches meat pie.

What is the number 1 pie in America? ›

Apple Pie. Apple pie is arguably one of the most popular pie flavors. A symbol of America, the apple pie was actually invented by the British. Apple pie is simply made with sliced apples on double-crusted pastry dough.

Which country invented the meat pie? ›

Historians have recorded that the roots of pie can loosely be traced back to the ancient Egyptians. The bakers to the pharaohs incorporated nuts, honey, and fruits in bread dough, a primitive form of pastry. Drawings of this can be found etched on the tomb walls of Ramses II, located in the Valley of the Kings.

What is a British meat pie called? ›

What are meat pies called in England? This may shock you but meat pies are usually called 'meat pies. ' Unless they are called steak and kidney pie or steak and ale pie or steak and potato pie or chicken and leek pie.

What country invented pie? ›

The Ancient Egyptians created the first example of what we know as pies today. Later on, closer to the 5th Century BC, the Ancient Greeks were believed to invent pie pastry as it is mentioned in the plays of the writer Aristophanes and it was possible to work as a pastry chef in this era, a separate trade to a baker.

What is the best thickener for meat pies? ›

FINO PIE THICKENING is a balanced blend of cereals and starches especially designed for thickening and stabilising pie meat.

Are meat pies unhealthy? ›

Sadly, they're not great as a regular part of your diet. An average individual meat pie provides around 450kcal, but the biggest problem is the 12g of saturated fat inside it – that's more than half the daily guideline. If you have buttery mashed potato or chips on the side, the fat content of your meal is even higher.

Can you heat a meat pie in an air fryer? ›

Heat up slices of pie at 170°C in your air fryer for 4-5 minutes (or use your gadget's in-built reheat mode). They'll be warm all the way through and pastry will remain gloriously flaky.

What is considered to be a New Zealand dessert? ›

Lolly Cake, a popular New Zealand dessert, is a no-bake treat made from crushed malt biscuits, condensed milk, butter, and colourful fruit puffs called Eskimos. It's chilled in the fridge, then sliced and served as a sweet indulgence.

What is the signature dish of New Zealand? ›

New Zealand offers a range of iconic dishes such as pavlova, hāngī (a Māori earth-oven-cooked feast), and kumara (sweet potato). Popular treats include hokey pokey ice cream and Whittaker's chocolate.

What is the difference between New Zealand and Australian pies? ›

While pies are a whole different ball game

You wouldn't think that a meat pie could be so different across the ditch, but they are. Australians use short pastry on their pies, whereas NZ uses a more flaky pastry.

What's the national dish of New Zealand? ›

New Zealand cuisine
A pavlova, a popular dessert in Australia and New Zealand
Country or regionNew Zealand
National dishesFish and chips, meat pie
National drinksBeer, coffee, lemonade, wine
See alsoBeer in New Zealand, list of restaurants in New Zealand, Māori cuisine, pub food, wine in New Zealand

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