Name: Peppered mince and aged cheddar pie
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 2
Ingredients: 2 tablespoon olive oil; 1 medium onion, diced; 2 clove garlic, crushed; 1 star anise; 300 gram prime beef mince; 1 tablespoon plain flour; 1/2 cup grated carrot; 1 teaspoon dried thyme or oregano; 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce; ½-¾ cup water or vegetable stock; 1/2 teaspoon sea salt; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; 1-2 sheets flaky puff pastry (or half block); 100 gram aged cheddar (this recipe used Meyer), grated or crumbled; Milk, for glazing

Peppered mince and aged cheddar pie

This mince pie recipe sets out to convert even the most ardent meat pie purists who spurn the idea of mince and cheese - with a secret weapon, quality aged cheddar

Serves 2

Cook

40M

Ingredients

2 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 clove garlic, crushed

1 star anise

300 gram prime beef mince

1 tablespoon plain flour

1/2 cup grated carrot

1 teaspoon dried thyme or oregano

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

½-¾ cup water or vegetable stock

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1-2 sheets flaky puff pastry (or half block)

100 gram aged cheddar (this recipe used Meyer), grated or crumbled

Milk, for glazing

Method

1.Heat the oil in a large pan on medium and sauté onion until translucent. Add the garlic and star anise, then cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the mince and brown, breaking up with a fork so that large clumps don’t form. Sprinkle over the flour, then add the carrot, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, stock, salt and pepper. Simmer for 30 minutes to an hour until it deepens in colour and thickens slightly. Taste and season more if you need to. Remove the star anise. Cool.

2.Heat oven to 180°C. Line two small pie tins (I use 10.5cm x 4cm deep springform tins) with pastry and fill with cooled mince filling. Add a little cheese to each.

3.Brush the edges with milk and place a pastry lid on each, pressing the edges together to form a seal. Prick the lid with a sharp knife to let the steam escape during cooking. Brush the top with milk.

4.Cook for 30-40 minutes until the top is nicely golden brown. Let sit for 10 minutes before turning out of tins.

5.Serve with plum sauce or chutney or… tomato sauce, if you must!

The secret to a decent pie is to select good ingredients – good-quality pastry and top cuts of meat. – Find springform cake tins at your supermarket – they’re perfect for pie making.

Note

Nici Wickes

Ingredients

Method

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