PERSIAN BULGUR AND BEEF PIE

Persian Bulgur and Beef Pie

We are a meat pie nation. If you hadn’t noticed already (or you are not Australian) the meat pie is our national dish. A little tragic in light of some of the amazing national dishes on offer from other nations. But who am I to complain? I on occasion break my own dietary rule and eat one, with sauce of course.

On that note, this is absolutely nothing like an Aussie meat pie, other than they share a few of the same core ingredients. A lot more fragrant, quite a unique crust and a hell of a lot easier to make than layers of puff pastry, etcetera! This makes a great meal with a tomato and mint salad, which is just that. (Chopped tomato, fresh mint, EVOO, salt and pepper.) And a word of warning; I have reduced the amounts significantly to my original, but it still feeds a small travelling troupe of minstrels, so I hope you’re hungry!

 NEED:

Crust;

180g bulgur wheat

200g warm water + 160g extra

1 tsp sea salt

20g EVOO

1 tsp ground cumin

130g bakers flour

 Filling;

100g brown onion, in pieces

20g EVOO

600g beef or lamb, minced

1 tbsp tamarind puree

25g pomegranate molasses

1 tbsp ground allspice

50g lemon juice, fresh

20g Umami Paste

70g walnut pieces

50g pine nuts, toasted

1 tsp sugar

Sea salt to taste

DO:

Make crust by placing bulgur wheat into Thermomix bowl & covering with 200g water. Stir 5 sec/speed 5. Allow to soak for 5 minutes in the bowl until it is a solid mass.

Add remaining crust ingredients & blend 20 sec/speed 4. Scrape down & repeat if necessary. Remove from bowl & set aside.

Preheat oven to fan forced 200°C & liberally oil a 23cm pie dish.

To make filling, place onion & EVOO into clean Thermomix bowl & chop 3 sec/speed 4.

Scrape down & sauté 3 min/Varoma/speed 1.

Add minced meat, tamarind, molasses, allspice, lemon juice, & Umami & cook 10 min/Varoma/Reverse + speed 1.

Check once or twice that the meat is rotating enough to cook evenly & assist with the spatula as needed.

Add nuts, sugar and salt & cook 2 min/Varoma/Reverse + speed 1.

Spread half the crust batter into the prepared pie dish & smooth with the MC to make it even.

Pour the filling mixture over & top with remaining crust batter. Brush with additional EVOO & smooth top as much as possible. Bake for 40 minutes until fragrant and bubbling.

SERVE:

Hot with a Tomato & Mint salad, & lemon wedges.