Cook this. Meat Pies with Beer and Vegemite.

Football, meatpies, Kangaroos and ..... beer ... and Vegemite.
Actually I'm happy to leave the footy and Kangaroos to themselves.  Aussies watching football - you need these. Get baking.

Meat pies

2 tablespoons olive oil 1 brown onion, finely chopped

 2 tablespoons plain (all-purpose) flour

 600 g (1 lb 5 oz) chuck steak, cut into 1.5 cm (5/8 inch) dice

 10 g (1/4 oz) butter

250 ml (9 fl oz/1 cup) beer

375 ml (13 fl oz/11/2 cups) beef stock

 1 small carrot, finely diced

 1 celery stalk, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 teaspoons Vegemite, or other yeast extract such as Marmite or Promite

11/2 tablespoons tomato paste (concentrated purée)

1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce

1 bay leaf

3 sheets of ready-made shortcrust (pie) pastry

3 sheets of ready-made puff pastry

 1 egg, lightly beaten

makes 6 individual pies

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a heavy-based saucepan over medium–high heat. Add the onion and sauté for 10 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Season the flour with salt and black pepper and use it to lightly coat the beef cubes all over. Add the remaining oil and the butter to the pan. Sauté the beef in three batches until lightly browned all over, adding more oil if needed. Set aside.

Add the beer and stock to the pan, scraping up any cooked-on bits. Return the beef and onion to the pan with the carrot, celery, garlic, Vegemite, tomato paste, worcestershire sauce and bay leaf. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 11/4 hours, or until the beef is very tender and the sauce is thick and rich. Discard the bay leaf and season to taste. Allow to cool slightly, then cover and refrigerate for 4 hours, or until cold.

Put two baking trays in the oven and preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F/Gas 6). Cut six 14.5 cm (53/4 inch) diameter circles from the shortcrust pastry and six 12.5 cm (43/4 inch) circles from the puff pastry. Line the bases of six pie tins measuring 12.5 cm (43/4 inches) across the top, 7.5 cm (3 inches) across the base and 3.5 cm (11/3 inches) deep with the shortcrust pastry circles — the pastry should come just a little way above the edge of the tins. Brush the edges lightly with the beaten egg.

Divide the chilled beef mixture between the lined pie tins. Lay a puff pastry circle over the top of each pie and press down around the edges of the shortcrust pastry, pinching together if you like to help the edges adhere.

Pierce a little air vent in the top of each pie using the tip of a small, sharp knife. Brush the top of the pies with the egg, avoiding the vent, and place directly onto the trays in the hot oven. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed and lightly golden, then lower the oven temperature to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4) and cook for a further 15 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and the filling hot.

VARIATION: Make little pot pies by filling individual ramekins with the beef and topping with a puff pastry lid. Cook for 10 minutes at 200°C (400°F/Gas 6), then 8 minutes at 180°C (350°F/Gas 4).

Recipes from Grub - Favourite Food Memories by Jane Lawson
Photographer Steve Brown. 

Homemade Crumpets

Australians have a fond attachment to this bubbly, yeast-leavened version of the pancake. Crumpets are (or were) commonly eaten toasted for breakfast - smothered with butter and  honey or Vegemite!

Thank you dear Simon Marnie (ABC Radio) for sharing your love of this recipe with your audience. It makes me smile to think of you whipping these up at home for the family! I agree - the store-bought version has NOTHING on homemade crumpets!

makes about 12 (serves 4–6)

2 teaspoons dried yeast
1 teaspoon caster (superfine) sugar
310 ml (103/4 fl oz/11/4 cups) warm milk
250 g (9 oz/2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
vegetable oil, for cooking (choose one with a mild flavour)

3 tablespoons drained stem ginger in syrup, very finely chopped, plus 1 tablespoon of the syrup
 250 g (9 oz/1 heaped cup) mascarpone cheese
4 ripe nectarines or small peaches, cut into thin wedges
golden syrup, maple syrup or honey, for drizzling


To make the crumpets, sprinkle the yeast and sugar over 125 ml (4 fl oz/1/2 cup) of the warm milk and stir until the yeast has dissolved. Cover with a clean tea towel (dish towel) and leave to sit in a warm place for 15 minutes, or until frothy.

Sift the flour and 1 teaspoon salt into a bowl and make a well in the centre. Whisk the remaining milk with the egg and pour into the well. Add the yeast mixture, then whisk to form a smooth, soft batter. Cover with a tea towel and allow to rest in a warm place for 1 hour, or until the batter has doubled in volume and is covered with bubbles. Mix the bicarbonate of soda with 1 tablespoon water and beat it into the batter. Leave to rest for a further 10 minutes before cooking.

Meanwhile, mix the chopped ginger and ginger syrup through the mascarpone cheese and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Heat a large, heavy-based frying pan over medium heat. Brush with vegetable oil. Working in batches, carefully ladle 1/4 cupfuls of the crumpet batter into the pan, leaving space in between for spreading. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the top is completely covered with popped bubbles and is dry to touch. If you like, flip the crumpets over and cook for a further 30 seconds, or until just very lightly golden. Remove from the pan and cover with a tea towel to keep warm while you cook the remainder. (You can also cook the mixture inside egg rings for a less rustic result, but you will need to use a little less mixture in each one.)

Serve two or three crumpets per plate, topped with a dollop of ginger marscapone, some nectarine slices and a drizzle of golden syrup. You can reheat any leftover crumpets by toasting or grilling (broiling) them.

VARIATION: For a savoury breakfast, smear the hot crumpets with butter and Vegemite or Marmite and top with a poached egg.


PSSST! If you like the recipes from GRUB you are going to love my new book 
MILKBAR MEMORIES! Check it out HERE!


*Image above by the seriously lovely Photographer Steve Brown
Grub was published in 2007  by Murdoch Books and is currently out of print. Jane Lawson now owns the copyright of text and images which must not be used without permission.

Bacon and Egg Rolls with Homemade BBQ Sauce

While I'm feeling generous  .... Here's another recipe from my cookbook 'Grub - Favourite Food Memories'.  It is easy to make excellent Bacon and Egg sangers at home when you know how to make your own quick and easy BBQ sauce !

serves 4

BARBECUE SAUCE
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 small brown onion, chopped
11/2 tablespoons tomato paste (concentrated purée)
1 tablespoon golden syrup  ( you can use maple too)
11/2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
pinch of cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
11/2 teaspoons mustard powder

6 long, thin slices of good-quality bacon
olive oil/ butter, for pan-frying
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 large handfuls of baby rocket (arugula) leaves or baby English spinach
4 soft white bread rolls, split & buttered ( or you can spread with good quality mayo or aioli)


To make the barbecue sauce, heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium–high heat. Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes, or until lightly golden. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for a few seconds, then add the golden syrup, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne pepper, paprika, mustard powder and 80 ml (21/2 fl oz/ 1/3 cup) water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes, or until thickened. Season to taste and set aside.

Cut the bacon into half-lengths. Brush a large frying pan with a little olive oil if your bacon is particularly lean ( this would never happen in my house - we like it streaky!) and place over high heat. Add the bacon and cook, turning occasionally, for 4–5 minutes, or until cooked to your liking.
When the bacon is almost ready, heat some butter in a  large, heavy-based frying pan over medium–high heat and carefully crack the eggs into the pan, keeping them well spaced so they don’t run into each other (use egg rings if you prefer). Fry the eggs until cooked to your liking — if you like your yolks runny like I do, especially when served in a roll, don’t flip the egg, just cook it without turning for 2–3 minutes, or until the white is fully set and the yolk is still a little wobbly.

Put some baby salad leaves on the bottom half of each bread roll and top each one with three pieces of bacon, an egg and a dollop of the barbecue sauce. Top with the bread roll lids and serve immediately. This one is best eaten with your hands!

*Image above by the seriously lovely Photographer Steve Brown and must not be replicated without permission.

Grub was published in 2007  by Murdoch Books and is now out of print. The rights to text and images have reverted to Jane Lawson.

Puddles, cuddles and banana cheesecake

What a lovely way to spend a weekend. A long overdue drive down the Victorian coast to visit friends in the sleepy, beachside village of Anglesea. 

Great company, excellent food cooked by my talented friend Gina, delicious local wines....

                          

(I'm always chuffed when friends cook from my books - this banana cheesecake is from Grub, and if I do say so myself - its a little ripper - I will post the recipe here soon!!)

But most importantly I finally met her little girl (bad Aunty Jane!!)

Time flies all too fast when you spend a fair amout of time out of your own country.  

What fun we had jumping in puddles. 

And whizzing around on oversized critters with her big brother

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

And eating together of course....