Aussie Recipes 4, 5 and 6

Meat Pie

• Plain flour, to dust
• 375g block frozen puff pastry, thawed (Pampas brand)
• Melted butter, to grease
• 2 (25 x 25cm) sheets ready-rolled frozen shortcrust pastry, thawed (Pampas brand)
• 1 egg, lightly whisked
• 700g lean beef blade steak, cut into 3cm cubes
• 2 tbs plain flour
• 60ml (1/4 cup) vegetable oil
• 1 brown onion, roughly chopped
• 2 medium carrots, peeled, roughly chopped
• 1 large celery stick, thickly sliced
• 310ml (1 1/4 cups) good-quality beef stock
• 2 tbs finely chopped fresh curly parsley
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Freshly cracked black pepper

Method:

1. To make beef filling, place beef in a medium bowl, add flour and toss to coat. Heat 2 tbs of oil in a medium heavy-based frying pan over medium-high heat. Add beef and cook, using a wooden spoon to stir often, for 6 minutes or until light brown. Transfer to a medium heatproof bowl. Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining oil to pan. Add onion, carrots and celery, and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Return beef to pan with stock, parsley, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 1 hour or until beef is tender. Increase heat to medium and cook, uncovered, for a further 10-15 minutes or until sauce is a thick gravy. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Transfer beef filling to a medium heatproof bowl and set aside for 10 minutes. Cover and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to partially cool.
2. Meanwhile, line a tray with non-stick baking paper. Lightly flour a clean surface and use a rolling pin to roll out puff pastry, rotating occasionally, to a 30cm square 3-4mm thick. Invert a shallow 25cm (top measurement) pie plate on pastry and use a sharp knife to cut pastry 2mm from edge of plate. (Do not drag - the pastry layers may stick together and the edge won't puff into separate crisp layers in the oven.) Lift pastry onto lined tray, cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge until required.
3. Preheat oven to 200°C. Brush a pie plate with melted butter to grease. Place shortcrust pastry sheets on a clean surface and cut 1 sheet in half. Brush 1 edge of whole sheet with water and lay a half sheet along this edge, overlapping by 1cm. Press to join and smooth out join. Repeat process on an adjacent edge of whole sheet, overlapping ends of half-sheets as well. Gently lift pastry onto greased plate and ease into plate to line. Smooth pastry and press around top rim of plate. Hold plate and rotate while using a small sharp knife at a 45° angle to cut away excess pastry.
4. Use a fork to prick pastry base evenly about 25 times. Place in fridge for 15 minutes to rest (to help reduce shrinkage during cooking). Blind-bake the pie base before adding filling to ensure it is well cooked and crisp. To do this, place a 30cm square of non-stick baking paper or foil over the pastry and top evenly with about 1 cup of dried beans or rice to stop the pastry from bubbling. Place pie plate on a baking tray and cook in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Carefully remove paper or foil and beans or rice (see note) and bake for a further 8-10 minutes or until golden. Transfer the pie plate to a wire rack and, if necessary, use a clean tea towel to carefully pat down any pastry that has puffed during cooking. Set aside for 15 minutes to cool. Increase oven temperature to 220°C.
5. Spread cooled filling evenly into base. Remove puff pastry from fridge. Use a pastry brush to lightly brush pie edge with a little cold water. Place puff pastry on top of pie and gently press edges together to seal. (Do not press the outer edge, or it will not puff well during cooking.)
6. Use a small sharp knife to cut a 4cm cross in pastry centre to allow steam to escape during cooking. Lightly brush top with whisked egg.Place pie on baking tray and bake in oven for 15 minutes. Reduce oven to 190°C and cook for a further 20-25 minutes or until well puffed, golden and heated through. If necessary, shield areas of pastry top and edges browning faster than others with pieces of foil. Serve immediately.

Lamingtons

• Melted butter, to grease
• 75g (1/2 cup) self-raising flour
• 75g (1/2 cup) plain flour
• 70g (1/2 cup) cornflour
• 6 eggs, at room temperature
• 215g (1 cup) caster sugar
• 1 tbs boiling water
• 170g (2 cups) desiccated coconut
• 300g (2 cups) icing sugar mixture
• 35g (1/3 cup) cocoa powder
• 60ml (1/4 cup) milk
• 60ml (1/4 cup) boiling water

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 160°C. Brush a 19 x 29cm (base measurement) lamington pan with melted butter to lightly grease. Line the base and sides with non-stick baking paper, allowing it to overhang slightly.
2. Sift the combined flours together into a large bowl. Repeat twice.
3. Use an electric beater to whisk the eggs in a large clean, dry bowl until thick and pale. Gradually add the sugar, 1 tbs at a time, whisking well after each addition until mixture is thick and sugar dissolves.
4. Sift the combined flours over the egg mixture. Pour the boiling water down the side of the bowl. Use a large metal spoon to gently fold until just combined. Pour mixture into the prepared pan and use the back of a spoon to smooth the surface. Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Turn cake onto a wire rack, cover with a clean tea towel and set aside overnight to cool.
5. Trim the edges of the cake and cut into 15 squares. Spread the coconut over a plate.
6. To make the chocolate icing, sift the icing sugar and cocoa powder into a medium bowl. Add the milk and water and stir until smooth.
7. Use 2 forks to dip 1 cake square into the warm icing to evenly coat. Allow any excess icing to drip off. Use your fingers to roll the cake in the coconut to evenly coat, then place on a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining cake squares, icing and coconut. Set aside for 1 hour or until icing sets.

Rosemary and Garlic Roast Lamb

• 1.8kg leg or shoulder of lamb
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 16 (about 2cm each) sprigs fresh rosemary
• Olive oil, to brush
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 6 (about 180g each) sebago (brushed) potatoes, peeled, washed, dried, quartered
• 2 1/2 tbs olive oil
• 1kg butternut pumpkin, unpeeled, cut into 4-5cm pieces, deseeded
• 1 tbs plain flour
• 375ml (1 1/2 cups) beef stock
• 500g green beans, steamed, to serve

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 220°C. Use a small sharp knife to make 16 1cm-deep slits in the lamb. Use your fingers to press a slice of garlic and a sprig of rosemary into each slit. Place the lamb in a large ovenproof and flameproof roasting pan, and brush all over with oil. Season well with pepper. Roast the lamb in preheated oven for 15 minutes.
2. Reduce oven temperature to 180°C. Meanwhile, place the potatoes, 1 1/2 tbs oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Toss well to combine. Place the pumpkin, remaining oil, salt and pepper in a separate bowl and toss to combine.
3. Remove the lamb from the oven and arrange the potatoes around the edges of the pan. Roast for 40 minutes and then arrange the pumpkin around the lamb, and roast for a further 50 minutes (this will give you a well-done cooked leg of lamb). Carefully transfer the lamb to a carving plate or shallow tray, cover loosely with foil and set aside to rest. Increase oven temperature to 230°C. Transfer the vegetables to a large roasting pan lined with non-stick baking paper. Return the vegetables to the oven to continue roasting while making the gravy.
4. Place the roasting pan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute, using a flat-bottomed wooden spoon to scrape the base of the pan to dislodge any bits that have cooked onto it. Gradually stir in the stock until well combined. Increase heat to high and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to
5. medium-high and boil, uncovered, stirring occasionally for 4-5 minutes or until the sauce thickens and reduces by about half.
6. Serve the lamb with the roast vegetables, gravy and steamed green beans.