When I have a craving for meat I always think of a meat pie. I am a big fan of ground meat and you cannot beat the feeling of a spicy meaty mixture in the middle of crunchy filo pastry.
I usually prefer to use veal in my ground meat adventures (more to follow!). I often use a mixture of different meats to make the dish more exciting. In this recipe I used 750 gr (1.6 lb) of veal and 250 gr (0.5 lb) of lamb. Of course you may use some nice beef and skip the mixing idea. It’s totally up to you and to the preferences of your guests or family.
The ground meat pie is an excellent idea for starter and a medium tray may give you ~ 16 pieces. It is also great for lunch the day after, served with some fresh salad.
Ingredients
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1 kg (2.2 lb) of ground meat.
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10 sheets of filo pastry.
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1 onion chopped.
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1 red pepper.
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1 red chilli pepper.
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1 leek.
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A bunch of flat-leaf parsley.
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4 garlic cloves finely chopped.
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3 teaspoons of tomato paste.
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4-5 sweet and juicy tomatoes.
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200 gr (7 oz) grated cheese of your choice (Gouda, Edam, Machego etc).
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½ teaspoon nutmeg.
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1 teaspoon paprika.
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Salt and ground pepper.
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Extra virgin olive oil.
Start by preparing the vegetables: Slice the onion, red pepper and leak in small pieces and finely chop the chilli pepper and garlic cloves.
The vegetables
In a large frying pan, add 4 table spoons of olive oil and start frying the vegetables in medium heat. When the onion starts getting soft, add the ground meat and stir well. Add the paprika, nutmeg, salt and pepper and keep stirring so all the parts of the meat start getting brown.
Start frying!
The meat has a lot of water and you should let it cook 10-15 minutes until all the juices have gone. In the meantime, add the tomatoes and parsley to the blender and prepare the tomato sauce. When the meat is ready, add the blended tomatoes and the tomato paste together with ½ cup of hot water. Stir well and let it cook for ~ 15 minutes until the juices have reduced.
Mixture is ready
Using a kitchen brush spread some olive oil in the bottom and the walls of a medium baking tray. Add the first filo sheet making sure that there is some left covering the walls. Depending the size of the tray, you may need 2 sheets. Spread some olive oil on the filo sheet and add the second one. Use 4-5 of them in total and each time make sure you spread olive oil between the sheets. That will prevent them from turning into biscuits!
Add the meat mixture from the pan into the tray. Spread the grated cheese over the meat. Start placing the top sheets (4-5). Remember to spread some olive oil with the brush! When finished, fold the filo sheet from the walls so the pie is contained. For the last time, use the brush to add some oil on the top of your pie.
Before the oven.
Using a knife, cut your pie along one direction of the tray in 3 or 4 stripes depending on the size of the tray. Cook the pie in preheated oven at 200 Celsius (390 Fahrenheit) for ~ 40 minutes until golden brown. For better results, avoid to use fan-assisted oven and use the top and bottom heating elements.
Ready to indulge.
Bon Appetit!
