Pie Floater

Since I'm not allowed to cook kangaroo steaks, here's a recipe for a completely different Australian masterpiece: the pie floater, South Australia's gift to the culinary world.  Imagine if you will: flaky pie crust, filled with seasoned ground meat and vegetables like leeks, carrots, and celery.  So sort of like a beef or lamb pot pie.  This is then floated in a bowl of bright green pea soup and served with a dollop of tomato sauce on top.  Yep.  I don't understand it either.  But let's try!  This is, without question, the best recipe I've found.  Mainly because it's the only one that makes each part of the floater individually; many say "Pick up a meat pie at the butcher's" - a silly thing to say when you live in the 99% of countries who don't have meat pie-selling butchers.  It also doesn't require mediocre tomato sauce, because why?  I'm translating this from the original Australian English. INGREDIENTS Part I: 1 tablespoons olive oil 1 yellow onion, finely chopped 1 lb ground beef 1⁄4 cup tomato paste 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups beer (good beer - not Fosters) 1 1⁄2 cups chicken stock 2 teaspoons Vegemite (use Marmite if Vegemite not available) 1⁄4 cup chopped fresh parsley Part II: 1/2 tablespoon olive oil 1⁄2 yellow onion, extra, finely chopped 1/4 lb potato, peeled, finely chopped 2 cups frozen peas 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint 3 cups chicken stock Part III: 4 sheets frozen butter puff pastry, just thawed 1 tablespoon creme fraiche STEPS Part I: Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add onion. Cook for 5 minutes. Increase heat to high. Add ground beef. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until the ground beef starts to brown. Add tomato paste and flour. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add beer and stir. Add stock and Vegemite. Simmer for 30 minutes until thickened. Add parsley. Set aside to cool. Part II: While the ground meat mixture is simmering, heat remaining oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add extra onion. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add potato, peas, mint and stock. Simmer for 20 minutes or until potato is soft. Cool slightly. Blend with a hand blender. Part III: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Preheat oven tray on lowest shelf. Use a pizza cutter to cut a disc from the corner of 4 pastry sheets. Ease remaining pastry into four 4-inch (10cm) diameter round springform pans. Divide ground beef mixture among pans. Top each with a pastry disc. Press to seal edges. Trim excess. Cut 2 slits on each pie top. Place on tray. Bake for 15 minutes. Transfer tray to top shelf. Cook for 15 minutes until golden. Return soup to medium-high heat. Add creme fraiche. Simmer until warmed though. Divide soup among 4 bowls. Top with pies. Adapted from: http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/pie-floaters/19fe25ad-7203-40ce-a4a7-e2f1821e791a  

Om Podcasten

In this podcast, we'll visit 200 Wonders of the World, from the Pyramids to the Great Barrier Reef, to tell the story of our people, our civilization, and our planet. My name is Caroline Vahrenkamp, and I'm a travel junkie. The world is filled with amazing places that reflect the greatest achievements of human accomplishment. In these uncertain times, understanding our great shared history may help to bridge the divides between us. And if not, it will be a fun ride anyway! We'll discuss the history of each place and the story of the men and women who lived there. We'll cover travel notes, examine what else to see while you're in the area, and dig into the local cuisine. Expect a new episode every two weeks. And thanks for listening!