Minceonionpie Recipes

Steps:

• Heat sunflower oil in a large pan and gently fry onions until translucent.
• Add mince to pan and break up with a fork- add the water making sure the mince is completely covered and bring to the boil.
• Crumble in the oxo cubes and add the worcestershire sauce.
• Cover the pan and reduce heat- simmer gently for 20 minutes.
• When mince and onions are cooked allow to cool for about 15 minutes.
• Roll out pastry on a floured surface and use half to line a 9 inch round shallow baking tin- make a lid with remaining pastry.
• Put mince and onion mixture in tin and cover with pastry lid- thumb round the edges to seal and cut a small slit in centre of pastry lid- brush pastry with the milk.
• Cook in a preheated oven at 190c for 30 minutes.
• Best served with mashed potatoes and vegetable of your choice.

Steps:

• Mince pies freeze very well, taking some of the headache out of all that Christmas preparation. If I make lots of these before Christmas, I freeze them raw and then cook them on the day. Cooked mince pies can be stored in a biscuit tin or airtight box and warmed through gently before serving. They are perfect with a glass of spicy mulled wine or a cup of coffee for a festive snack.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F/200 degrees C/Gas mark 6. Brush the tin with melted butter.
• On a floured work surface, roll out the pastry to 1/8-inch/3 mm thick and, using the 2 1/2-inches/6 cm cutter, cut out 24 circles for the bases. Then use the smaller plain/fluted cutter or star cutter to cut-out 24 circles/stars for the lids. Re-roll the trimmings, if necessary.
• Line the holes of the cake tin with the larger pastry rounds. Fill each base with a teaspoon mincemeat and top with one of the smaller rounds or stars. Brush the tops of the mince pies with the beaten egg.
• Bake in the oven for 10 to 13 minutes until pale golden. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from the tin and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Dust with icing sugar (confectioners') to serve.
• This basic pastry is used in many popular recipes, from mince pies to quiches; it's also one of the easiest pastries to start with. The uncooked dough can be frozen or kept in the refrigerator for a couple of days.
• Shortcrust Pastry:
• Put the flour, salt and butter in a food processor and whiz briefly. Add half the beaten egg and continue to whiz. You might add a little more egg, but not too much as the mixture should be just moist enough to come together. If making by hand, rub the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs then, using your hands, add just enough egg to bring it together. With your hands, flatten out the ball of dough until it is about 3/4-inch/2 cm thick, then wrap in cling film or place in a plastic bag and leave in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or, if you are pushed for time, in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes. Variations: Sweet Shortcrust Pastry: In place of the pinch of salt, use 1 tablespoon icing sugar (confectioners'). Soured cream shortcrust pastry: Replace the egg with 2 tablespoons sour cream or creme fraiche, adding just enough to bring it together.
• This delicious mincemeat will keep happily in a cool dark place for at least a year. If you are making your own suet (the fat that surrounds the beef kidney), make sure that every trace of blood has been removed before you whiz it in the food processor, otherwise it will cause the mincemeat to go off.
• Mincemeat:
• Put the apple chunks in a small saucepan with 1 teaspoon water, cover and cook over low heat for about 8 to 10 minutes until the apples are cooked down to a pulp. Allow to cool.
• Mix the apples with the orange zest, orange juice, lemon zest, lemon juice, suet, raisins, sultanas, currants, candied peel, dark brown sugar, almonds, mixed spice, and whiskey in a large bowl and put into sterilized jars.* Leave to mature, if possible for at least 2 weeks before using.
• Cut the fruit in 1/2 and squeeze out the juice. (Reserve the juice for another use, perhaps home-made lemonade.) Put the peel into a large bowl, add the salt and cover with cold water. Leave to soak for 24 hours.
• Next day, throw away the soaking water; put the peel in a large saucepan and cover with fresh cold water. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer very gently for about 3 hours or until the peel is soft.
• Remove the peel from the pan and discard the water. Scrape out any remaining flesh and membrane from inside the cut fruit, using a teaspoon, leaving the white pith and rind intact.
• In a clean large saucepan, dissolve the sugar in 1 3/4 pints/1 litre of water, then bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the peel and simmer gently for 30 to 60 minutes until it looks translucent (shiny and 'candied') and the syrup forms a thread when the last drop falls off a metal spoon. Remove from the heat and allow to stand for 20 to 30 minutes to slightly cool.
• Put the candied peel into sterilized glass jars* and pour the syrup over. Cover and store in a cold place or in the refrigerator. It should keep, stored like this, for at least 3 months.

Steps:

• If uncooked meat is used, simmer beef 2 to 3 hours or until very tender, adding suet for last 1/2 hour of cooking. When cooked, chop beef and suet very fine, into about 1/4-inch pieces. Pare, core, and chop apples to make 3 cups. Mix beef, suet, apples, raisins or currants, white and brown sugars, spices, brandy, and cider or apple juice. Prepare the piecrust. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Roll out piecrust dough and line pie plates with pastry; fill each with half of meat mixture. Cover with top crusts, seal edges, and slit 2 holes on top for steam to escape. If desired, spread a thick layer of butter on pastry for flaky upper crust. Bake until apples are cooked and meat is heated through, about 1 hour.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
• Heat the oil in a deep frying pan and fry the beef mince for 4-5 minutes, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it browns.
• Add the onion,leeks,carrot's, and cook for 2-3 minutes, then stir in the tomato Puree, and cook for 2-3 more minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for a further minute, then add the chopped mushrooms, the stout or beef stock and a couple of dashes of Worcestershire sauce. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover the pan with a lid and leave to simmer for 20 minutes. Set aside and leave to cool, then turn the meat mixture into a one litre pie dish.
• Roll out the pastry on a floured work surface until it is slightly larger than the pie dish. Gently drape the pastry over the dish, pressing firmly onto the edges. Trim, then shape the edges into a fluted shape.
• Cut some leaf shapes out of the pastry trimmings and decorate the top of the pie, sticking them to the pastry with the beaten egg yolk.
• Make three or four slits in the pastry to allow the steam to escape, then brush the pie with the rest of the beaten egg yolk and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden-brown.

Steps:

• Chop the boiled calves' tongues (or boiled stew beef) very finely.
• Add the sugar, raisins, currents and citron; mix together well.
• Chop apples finely (do not mash) and add to the meat.
• Add all the spices, suet, candied peels, almonds and salt, and mix thoroughly.
• Pour over this mixture the fruit juices and grated peels, the brandy and the whiskey; and mix together.
• Put the mixture into a large crock with a lid.
• Place a clean cloth over the top of the crock and put the lid on.
• Place crock in a cool place for 3 weeks.
• Add more salt and spices at this time, if needed.
• Let stand at least 4 weeks before using.
• Mincemeat may be canned by water bath method.
• If using it for pie filling, bake between double crusts.

Steps:

• Place the ground beef in a large pot and pour in enough water to cover beef. Boil until beef is cooked through. Drain.
• Add water to cover cooked beef, add onions and enough bouillon granules to taste. Cook until the onions are soft. Season with salt and pepper to your taste and make sure the filling has enough bouillon to have a nice beef flavor.
• Combine the 1/4 cup water with the cornstarch and stir until smooth. Add to the beef mixture and cook until mixture has thickened. Allow to cool to room temperature.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Roll out pastry to fit a 9-inch pie plate.
• Pour beef mixture into the pastry crust and cover the top with pastry. Crimp edges and prick top.
• Bake in preheated oven until pie crust is lightly browned, about 40 minutes.