RECIPE

Cheesy Beef Ragu Pies

Name: Cheesy Beef Ragu Pies
Cook time: 300 minutes
Total time: 300 min
Yield: 24
Ingredients: 1 tbsp. Olive Oil; 500 g Beef Chuck Steak, chopped into 5 cm pieces; 1 Red Onion, finely chopped; 4 tsp. MasterFoods™ Professional Crushed Garlic; 1 tbsp. Fennel Seeds; 2 tbsp. MasterFoods™ Professional Oregano Leaves; 2 Bay Leaves; 1 sprig fresh Rosemary; 1 tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar; 1 tbsp. Unsalted Butter; 1 tbsp. Plain Flour; 1 tbsp. Tomato Paste; 1 cup MasterFoods™ Professional Tomato Sauce, plus more for serving; 1 400 g tin Crushed Tomatoes; 150 ml Beef Stock or water; 250 g strong Cheddar Cheese, cut into 6cm slices; 12 sheets of Puff Pastry; 2 Eggs, lightly beaten; 1 bunch fresh Lemon Thyme; 100 g Parmesan Cheese, grated; MasterFoods™ Professional American Mustard, for serving

TIME

300 minutes

INGREDIENTS

21 items

MAKES

24 servings

You don’t just need to add pasta to a slow cooked ragu, add this rich, tasty goodness to pastry topped with cheese and baked with more cheese – so good! Can be made ahead and frozen for up to three months and cooked from frozen.

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INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp. Olive Oil
500 g Beef Chuck Steak, chopped into 5 cm pieces
1 Red Onion, finely chopped
4 tsp. MasterFoods™ Professional Crushed Garlic
1 tbsp. Fennel Seeds
2 tbsp. MasterFoods™ Professional Oregano Leaves
2 Bay Leaves
1 sprig fresh Rosemary
1 tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar
1 tbsp. Unsalted Butter
1 tbsp. Plain Flour
1 tbsp. Tomato Paste
1 cup MasterFoods™ Professional Tomato Sauce, plus more for serving
1 400 g tin Crushed Tomatoes
150 ml Beef Stock or water
250 g strong Cheddar Cheese, cut into 6cm slices
12 sheets of Puff Pastry
2 Eggs, lightly beaten
1 bunch fresh Lemon Thyme
100 g Parmesan Cheese, grated
MasterFoods™ Professional American Mustard, for serving

PRODUCTS USED

MasterFoods Oregano Leaves 120g

MasterFoods Professional American Mustard 2.5kg

MasterFoods Professional Garlic Powder Jar 680 g

MasterFoods Professional Gluten Free Tomato Sauce 4L Bottle

1
Preheat an oven to 150°C.
2
In a large casserole dish, add oil and brown meat in batches. Remove and set aside.
3
Add onion and a splash of water to help deglaze the pan.
4
Once onion is soft, add the garlic, fennel seeds, and herbs, and cook for 3 minutes until browned.
5
Deglaze with the balsamic vinegar. Once most of the moisture has evaporated off, add the butter and flour, and cook until the flour has been cooked out, about 1 to 2 minutes.
6
Return meat and resting juices to the pan and stir to combine.
7
Mix through the tomato paste and tomato sauce and coat the meat.
8
Add the crushed tomatoes and enough stock or water to just cover the meat.
9
Cover and cook in the oven for 4 hours until meat is tender and falls apart. For the final 30 minutes of cooking, remove lid so that the sauce thickens and reduces slightly.
10
Leave the mixture to cool completely (this can be done up to 3 days in advance).

1
Preheat an oven 200°C. Using a 10 cm round cutter, stamp out a pastry circles to use for both the top and bottom of each pie. Cover with cling film to prevent drying out.
2
Lay out a pastry circle for the base. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of ragu mixture in the centre and top with a piece of cheddar, leaving enough space for a border around the edge.
3
Brush the edges with the beaten egg wash and place a second pastry circle on top as the lid, using a fork to press down all around and seal.
4
Pierce the top to allow steam to vent, and place a small sprig of lemon thyme inside.
5
Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper and chill, covered, until needed. Repeat with the remaining pastry circles. For best results, pastry should be fridge cold prior to baking.
6
Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until pastry is golden.
7
Remove from the oven, sprinkle over freshly grated parmesan, garnish with fried sage leaves and serve with mustard and more tomato sauce.

1
Add star anise and a cinnamon stick for a richer, more aromatic flavour.
2
Add ½ cup red wine for extra depth of flavour and richness.
3
Add a thin layer of MasterFoods™ Professional Hot English Mustard to the pastry base for heat and extra flavour.
4
This can also be made with short crust pastry instead of puff pastry.