Mini Meat Pies

A fun, all-Aussie appetizer from The Essential Finger Food Cookbook; little meat pies - traditional or uncovered - made from ready rolled shortcrust pastry baked in patty tins.

• Ready In: 45 mins
• Yields: 24 mini pies

Ingredients

• 6  sheets  shortcrust pastry, pre-rolled
• 2  small tomatoes, sliced
• 1⁄2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

• Filling

• 1  tablespoon  oil
• 1  onion, chopped
• 2  garlic cloves, crushed
• 500  g beef mince
• 2  tablespoons plain flour
• 375  ml  beef stock
• 80  ml tomato sauce
• 2  teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1⁄2 teaspoon mixed herbs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
2. Cut pastry into 48 circles if making traditional pies, or 24 if making uncovered pies using a 7 cm round cutter.
3. Press 24 circles into two lightly greased 12-hole patty tins.
4. To make filling, heat oil in heavy-based pan, add onion and garlic and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes or until onion is soft.
5. Add mince and stir over high heat for 5 minutes or until well browned and all liquid has evaporated; using a fork to break up any lumps of mince.
6. Add flour, stir until combined then cook over medium heat for 1 minutes.
7. Add stock, sauces and herbs and stir over the heat until boiling.
8. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes or until mixture thickens.
9. Stir occasionally then allow to cool.
10. Divide filling among pastry circles.
11. Top each with two half slices of tomato and sprinkle with oregano.
12. Bake for 25 minutes or until pastry is golden brown and crisp.
13. For traditional pies, place the remaining pastry rounds over the tomato and oregano topping and seal the edges with beaten egg before baking.
14. Serve hot.