Australian Meat Pie

Ingredients:
750 g (1.5 lb) minced steak (N. Americans, use lean ground beef, not extra lean)
2 beef stock cubes
salt, pepper
1.5 cups water
pinch nutmeg (generous)
2 tablespoons plain flour
1/4 cup water, extra
1 teaspoon soy sauce

Pie Base:
2 cups plain flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup water

Pie Top:
375 g (12 oz) packaged puff pastry
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon water

Making the filling:
1. Place meat into the pan, stir over low heat until meat is well browned. Drain off any surplus fat. Add crumbled stock cubes, water, salt, pepper and nutmeg, stir until boiling, reduce heat, cover, simmer gently for 20 min, remove from heat. Combine extra water and flour, stir until flour mixture is smooth. Add flour mixture to meat, stir until combined. Return to heat, stir until meat boils and thickens. Add soy sauce (to give brown colour), stir until combined. Simmer, uncovered, 5 to 10 min; remove from heat allow to become cold.

Making the pie base:
2. Sift flour and salt into basin. Place water and dripping into saucepan, stir until dripping melts; remove from heat. Make a well in center of dry ingredients, add liquid, stir until combined.

3. Turn out onto lightly floured surface, knead lightly. Roll out pastry to line eight greased pie tins. [We use "real" aluminum 6 or 8 in pie casings] Cut excess pastry around sides of pie plates using a sharp knife. Fill centers with cold meat filing.

Pie crust:
4. Roll out puff pastry on lightly floured surface, cut out rounds for top of pies, use a saucer as a guide. Wet edges of base pastry, and gently press tops into place, trim around edges with a sharp knife. Brush tops with combined egg-yolk and water.

Cooking:
Bake in hot oven 5 minutes or until golden brown, reduce heat to moderate, cook further 10 min.