A Fair Dinkum Aussie

I love that Aussies just love being Aussie so much. I love that they feel so patriotic every 26th January when Australia Day comes around. So what if not all Aussies know that Australia Day commemorates the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788. That's not the important thing. The important thing is that they are proud to be Australian and they just love this amazing country they call home. Now much as I will always be Irish the fact that I have now been an Australia citizen for the last 8 years means I know feel the love for this great country every year too.

There are a number of important requirements to make it a proper Australia Day. You must be outdoors as much as possible so thank God for the good weather here, there must be meat ... oh go on then, shrimp on the BBQ (or barbie), there must be an Australian flag and most importantly there must be lots of fun.

We are now at the age where lots of our friends are having kids so recently the all day picnic has been a great day out for everyone. People can come and go when it suites them or their babies. The kids can play without parents being worried about them destroying someone else's house. Dogs can join in the fun for those who haven't ventured into the kids realm yet. We have had a couple of these days out recently and we are learning from each one how to make them better. The main issue we have now is that we all bring enough food to feed everyone which means we end up with enough food to feed an army. In the future we are going to coordinate who brings what so there is not as much food left over.

For this Australia Day we headed to a local Park that looks out onto Sydney Harbor. We brought our little portable BBQ and of course the necessary steaks and prawns. I knew it would be a while before the guys got the BBQ up and running so I decided to make up some little finger food to keep us all happy until the main course. Everyone knows that one of the most popular food in Australia is the meat pie and so that exactly what I made for such and auspicious day.

I had a recipe for these gorgeous little beef and Guinness pies that I really wanted to make. Unlike most pictures of food which entices me by appealing to my appetite these little pies were just so cute. And how could you go wrong. Everyone knows if you wrap anything in pastry it tastes great. These pies were very popular with the guys but I also noticed some of the girls going back for seconds and thirds.

I used Fillet of beef because I wanted the best little morsels of meat in each pie. I also had some left over Guinness and so found I had a very will kitchen helper in J who was more than happy to help me polish it off. That boy just loves his Guinness maybe that's why he got himself and Irish/Aussie wife. Guinness in a meat pie - heaven for him.

Mini Beef and Guinness Pies

MAKES 36

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
500g beef skirt steak, chopped finely
1 medium brown onion (150g), chopped finely
2 tablespoons plain flour
375ml bottle guinness stout
1 cup (250ml) beef stock
5 sheets ready rolled shortcrust pastry
1 egg, beaten lightly

1 Heat oil in large saucepan, add beef; cook, stirring, until browned. Add onion; cook, stirring, until softened. Add flour; cook, stirring, until mixture bubbles and is well browned.
2 Gradually add stout and stock, stirring until gravy boils and thickens. Cover, reduce heat; simmer, stirring occasionally, 1 hour. Uncover; simmer, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes. Cool filling 10 minutes then refrigerate until cold.
3 Preheat oven to hot (220°C/200°C fan-forced). Lightly grease three 12-hole mini (1 tablespoon/20ml) muffin pans.
4 Using 6cm pastry cutter, cut 36 rounds from pastry sheets; place 1 round in each of the muffin /pan holes. Using 5cm pastry cutter; cut 36 rounds from remaining pastry sheets.
5 Spoon 1 heaped teaspoon of the cold filling into each pastry case; brush around edges with beaten egg. Top each pie with smaller pastry round, press gently around edge to seal; brush with remaining egg. Using sharp knife, make two small slits in top of each pie.
6 Bake pies about 15 minutes or until browned lightly. Stand 5 minutes in pan before placing on serving platters.

[tip: Cooked pies can be frozen for up to two months]