It couldn’t get any more Australian if we tried. Pie, check. Sauce, check. Kangaroo, check. We also make party-pie versions of this. Aussie party, check.
Kangaroo pie
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Serves 6–8
Ingredients:
For the pastry:
For the pie filling:
Method:
To make the pastry:
In a food processor, blitz the flour, ground wattleseed and a pinch of salt together for a few seconds. Add the butter and blitz again until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs. Whisk together the egg yolks and 3 tbsp of water, then mix in with the pastry until it forms a ball. Wrap the pastry in plastic wrap and leave it to rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour. Before using, remove the pastry from the fridge to bring it to room temperature.
Note: You can make the pastry the day before, as long as you take it out of the fridge at least an hour before using to bring it to room temperature.
To make the pie filling:
Place a saucepan over medium heat, add the olive oil and onion and cook until soft. Increase the heat a little and add the mince, making sure to break it up into small bits. Cook until just browned, stirring with a wooden spoon often so it does not stick to the pan. Mix the cornflour and 1 tbsp of stock to form a paste, add to mince, then slowly add the remaining stock. Add all the sauces, bay and lemon myrtle leaves, Vegemite and drained beans, and stir through. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium–low and simmer for 5–10 minutes, or until thick. Remove the bay and lemon myrtle leaves, season with salt and pepper to taste, and set aside to cool while you prepare the pie dish.
Preheat the oven to 200°C or 180°C for fan-forced. Place a baking tray in the oven. Grease a 23cm round by 5cm deep pie dish with a little butter.
Bake for 35–45 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown. Reduce the heat by 10–20°C after about 20 minutes. Remove the pie from the oven and leave it to rest for about 10 minutes before cutting. Sprinkle with roasted wattleseed and serve with Bush Tomato Sauce.
Bush Tomato Sauce
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Makes 500ml
Ingredients
Note: This is a quick sauce and is thin. If you want a thicker sauce, keep reducing it until you get the consistency you are happy with.
Method
Place a large non-stick frypan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the garlic, and once it begins to colour lightly, add the basil and tinned tomatoes. Using the back of a spoon, squash the tomatoes as much as you can. Stir in the sugar, rosemary, bush tomato and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then remove the pan from the heat.
Allow to cool then store the sauce in a clean jar in the fridge – it’ll keep for a week or so, and you can also freeze it in portions.
Extracted from Warndu Mai (Good Food) by Rebecca Sullivan and Damien Coulthard, published by Hachette Australia, hardback, RRP $45. Photography by Luisa Brimble.
