Aussie Pork Meat Pie

Paired with Sonoma Cutrer 2017 Winemakers Release Vine Hill Pinot Noir

Equipment needed

  • 6 8-ounce, 2” deep, 4 ¼” wide ramekins
  • 1 8-inch-wide soup bowl

Ingredients for the filling

  • 2 pounds ground pork (ask your local butcher for fatty ground pork butt/boston butt)
  • 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1 ¼ tsp kosher salt
  • 1 ¼ tsp black pepper, fresh ground
  • olive oil as needed
  • 1/2 cups onion, small dice
  • 1 ½ cups carrots, peeled, small diced
  • 1 cup button mushrooms, rough chopped
  • 1 tbsp minced fresh garlic
  • nutmeg few grinds on a microplane grater
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 tbsp cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
  • 2 cups beef stock
  • 2 cups pinot noir

Ingredients for the crust

  • 8 cups all-purpose flour
  • 6 sticks (3 cups) butter, cold small diced
  • 1 tbsp sea salt, finely ground
  • 1 ½ cup – more as needed water, ice cold

Ingredients for the egg wash

  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 whole milk
  1. Place the ground pork in a medium bowl.
  2. Season with salt and pepper, add the flour, and toss to coat. Set aside.
  3. In a large Dutch oven (4 ½ to 5 quart), heat 2 tablespoon olive oil over medium high until smoking point
  4. Add the ground pork. Occasionally stirring, sear the pork until golden brown.
  5. Add the remaining olive oil, onion, carrots, mushrooms, garlic, and nutmeg. Cook for three minutes, stirring as you go.
  6. Clear a spot in the center and add tomato paste and cook for one minute.
  7. Add vinegar and stir, scraping up and brown bits, then add Worcestershire sauce.
  8. Add beef stock and pinot noir, bring to a boil medium simmer.
  9. Reduce until the liquid is thickened.
  10. Add a little more water as needed to finish with a thick sauce.
  11. Remove from heat. (If making ahead, cool, cover and chill. But reheat before filling ramekins)
  12. While the pork is cooling, make the bottom crust by adding 4 cups flour, ½ tablespoon sea salt, and 3 sticks cold butter (1 ½ cups) to a food processor. Pulse to break up the butter into pea-sized pieces.
  13. Add ¾ cup ice cold water and pulse to combine and then slowly add more water as needed until the dough starts to come together but is still a little crumbly.
  14. Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap and pour dough contents into center. Then use edges of plastic to push the sides into a ball. Wrap tightly and flatten into a disc and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
  15. For the top crust repeat steps 12 through 14.
  16. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place a rack in a cookie sheet and place into the oven to heat up along with the oven.
  17. Flour your counter and roll out the bottom crust dough to a ¼ inch thick. Then use the 8” bowl as a guide and cut out six circles.
  18. Press these into the six ramekins pressing the overlapping dough into the sides. Let the excess flop over the top.
  19. Fill each ramekin up to the brim with warm filling.
  20. Repeat set 17 for the top crust.
  21. To make the egg wash, beat the egg with the milk and brush over each overhanging edge of each ramekin then cover each ramekin with the top crust and squeeze the two doughs together until they stick. Use a pair of scissors and cut around the edge to remove excess dough. Use a brush and brush off any excess flour.
  22. Brush the tops with the egg wash then using a paring knife, make a vent hole in the top of each.
  23. Place the ramekins on the preheated rack and pan and bake for 10 minutes then lower heat to 350 degrees and bake for 15-25 minutes longer, or until tops are golden brown.
  24. Remove and serve hot, serve with Lisa Groom’s ketchup.

Lisa Groom’s Tomato Sauce

  • 20 (about 9 pounds) tomatoes, very ripe
  • 2 quarts white onion, peeled, cut in half, sliced
  • 2 ounces kosher salt
  • 1 tsp ginger, ground
  • 1 tsp cinnamon, ground
  • 1 tsp cloves, ground
  • 1 tsp allspice, ground
  • 2 cups apple cider vinegar
  • 3 tbsp granulated sugar ¾ pound, plus
  1. Add the vinegar, sugar, salt, garlic, allspice, clove, and cayenne to a medium sauce pot. On high heat bring the vinegar to a boil.
  2. Add the tomatoes and onions, reduce heat to low.
  3. Simmer, uncovered, 2 hours or until thick, stirring frequently.
  4. Purée until smooth.

Note: you can freeze the remaining tomato sauce for future use.