Pies and Sausage Rolls

[guccibabe]

i would love to start making my own pies/ party pies but am totally clueless when it comes to recipes/pastry etc..
can anyone suggest some great recipes including how to use pastry?
also what sort of equipment to use, like cutters/tins for example! thanks heaps!!!

[Phteven]

I'm so lazy - I just buy the villi's frozen pies. They're so yummy.
When I do make my own pies I usually cheat and use frozen pastry from the supermarket. For filling I just cook up some meat and whatever veges I have in the fridge, add seasoning and thicken it with a bit of corn flour.
You can buy pie tins at the supermarket - the bottom and sides seperate so you can take the pie out for easy cutting.

[christy]

I'm lazy & buy premade pastry for my pies. I use my own pie tins & for mini pies I use muffin tins. Sorry....

Fillings I use all sorts. Mainly I make a cottage pie with mince, beef stock cubes, bay leaves, 1 carrot grated 1 zucchini grated & 1/4 cup corn. I cook it all up and add corn flour & a dash of soy sauce at the end & then pop it in the premade pastry with mashed potato on top.

[Michelle71]

For speed I use the pre-made pastry. Occasionally I just make the filling, then separately cut circles of puff pastry and cook them in the oven. I serve the filling on a plate with mash and veges and just add the pastry as a *lid*.

Hand made pastry is great when you have time - the Donna Hay cook books give some simple recipes but pastry can be temperamental (sp?) and I always have the pre-made stuff as backup.

[Melinda]

I always use the Pampas Puff Pastry - I don't make my own.

I usually cook up my pie mixture in the slow cooker. It's simply some blade steak (say 500g) diced and seasoned with flour and salt and pepper, some beef stock and a tablespoon or so of gravox with a bit of water, a few tablespoons of tomato sauce and a tablespoon or so of worcestershire, plus any vegies you fancy.

[Lucy]

Honesty, I am qualified as a chef, and love to think of myself as a domestic goddess, but I wouldn't stress yourself over making home-made pastry......I can, but chose not to! Espeically in warm weather, life is just too short! To make GOOD homemade pastry, IMHO, you need cold hands and a marble slab at the very least........so I say go the pre-made stuff from the supermarket!!(Puff and shortcrust, ready rolled, ready made quiche bases etc......they are very reasonable and excellant quality........)

[mummy2Kaitlyn]

I just made the most perfect meat pie filling the otherday ! So yummy....

500G mince meat
Cup of frozen peas and corn
1 Onian
1 Grated Carrot
1grated Zucchini
6 Large mushrooms
4 tablespoons of beef stock
1 cup of water
5 Tablespoons of tomato sauce
Cornflour and water to thicken

1. Brown meat and remove from saucepan
2. Cook Onian , Carrot and Zucchini for 5 mins then add meat back in .
3. Add peas and corn cook for 2 mins
4 . Add beef stock , water and tomato Sauce and allow to simmer until cooked
5 . Then add corn flour and cook until thickened

I did not add salt and pepper because it was for Kaitlyn as well ..but you could.

cant help you on the pastry as I put it in Volvuents(SP) and topped with mashed potato...so good!

[*Rae*]

I make a delish chicken pie recipe....very easy and YUMMO!!!!!!

40g butter
1sml leek - or onion, sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic, crushed
450g chicken breast, chopped coursely
2 tablespoons cornflour
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup cream
2 sheets ready rolled puff pastry
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to moderately hot.
Melt butter in large frying pan and cook leek and garlic until softened. Add chicken and cook til browned. Add blended cornflour and wine, then stock and cream. Stir until mixture boils and thickens. Reduce heat, simmer uncovered for 5 mins. Allow time to cool.
Cut each piece of pastry in half and place onto greased oven trays. Spoon a small amount of cooled chicken mixture onto one half of one piece of pastry, leaving 1cm border; brush edges with egg. Fold pastry over to enclose filling; pinch edges together to seal (i press down with a fork) Cut 2 sml slits in top of pasrty square; brush top with egg. Bake uncovered for about 15mins or until slightly browned.

Easy Quiche Filling:
4 eggs
1cup cream
1 cup grated cheese - tasty (i also add a bit of parmesan)
Diced ham or bacon pieces - a lge handful or so
Cherry tomatoes - cut in half - about 1/2 punnet
Chopped dill - about 1 tablespoon
Sea salt and cracked pepper

I kind of make up the amounts of ingredients to suit my tastes - the beauty of quiche is that u can muck around with it a bit and add what u like.

U can either make one lge quiche using short crust pastry or mini quiches. I've also used voulevant (sp?) cases - but sprinkle the bottom with breadcrumbs first to absorb some of the liquid so that it doesn't leak out too much.