"Garage" pies - South Africans in Germany

Foodies SA has the perfect Garage pie recipe with video instructions Here is the video and the recipes, visit their page for more yummy recipes

Pepper steak Pies

2 sheets (400g each) store-bought puff pastry, thawed
2 tbsp (30ml) oil
500g beef steak, cut into 1.5×1.5cm cubes
1 onion, finely chopped
100g button mushrooms, finely sliced
2 tsp (10g) Robertson Black Pepper
1 tsp salt
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp cake flour
1½ cup beef stock
1 egg, beaten

Preheat the oven to 200°C and line a baking tray with baking paper.
Unroll both rolls of puff pastry and, using a large cookie cutter, 10cm in diameter, cut out 12 circles. Roll the leftover pastry together and keep for later.
Place 6 of the circles onto the baking tray, evenly spaced apart. Keep the remaining 6 circles for later.
In a medium-sized pan over a high heat, add in the oil and the steak cubes. Allow the steak to cook for about 15 minutes, turning it over often until browned on all sides.
Lower the heat to a medium, and add the onions, mushrooms and Robertsons Black Pepper to the pan and cook for 15 minutes until the onions are slightly caramel in colour and the mushrooms are cooked and has released some liquid.
Add the garlic to the pan and the flour and stir well. Add the beef stock and mix until combined. Simmer on a low heat for another 20-25 minutes or until the gravy has thickened and reduced slightly and the meat has tenderized. Season the filling with salt to taste. Allow to cool completely. This will help the sauce to thicken.
Divide the filling between the 6 circles on the tray, leaving a ½cm border around the edges. Cover the pepper steak filling with the remaining pastry circles and use a fork to seal the edges all around. *Chef’s Tip: Wet the border slightly to help seal the pies!
Brush the tops of the pies with the beaten egg. *Chef’s Tip: Egg wash gives the pies a golden brown crust!
Roll out the leftover puff pastry and use a circle-shaped cookie cutter to cut out 8 small circles. Place a circle on top of each pie to create a decorative top. Ensure to brush the circles with egg.
Place the pies in the oven for 30 minutes or until golden and puffed. *Chef’s Tip: To prepare in advance, freeze the uncooked pies on the tray. Once frozen, pack into a container and bake from frozen when ready! Allow for 5 extra minutes in the oven when baking from frozen.
Allow to cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Serve and ENJOY!

Creamy Chicken & Mushroom Pies

2 sheets (400g each) store-bought puff pastry, thawed
1 tbsp (15ml) oil
1 onion, finely chopped
100g button mushrooms, sliced
4 tbsp cake flour
1½ cups (375ml) milk
3 (500g) chicken breasts
2 tbsp (30g) Robertson Chicken Spice
3 tbsp lemon juice
¼ tsp salt and pepper
1 egg, beaten

Preheat the oven to 200°C and line a baking tray with baking paper.
Unroll both rolls of puff pastry and, using a large cookie cutter, 10cm in diameter, cut out 12 circles. Roll the leftover pastry together and keep it for later.
Place 6 of the circles onto the baking tray, evenly spaced apart. Keep the remaining 6 circles for later.
In a medium-sized pan over low heat, melt the butter and add the onion. Cook until softened and slightly golden.
Add in the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes or until lightly browned.
Cut the chicken up into small cubes, about 1x1cm in size. Place the chicken in the pan and add in the Robertsons Chicken Spice. Allow to simmer on medium heat for 5-8 minutes until the chicken has cooked through.
Add in the flour and stir well. Add the milk, a little at a time and, using a spatula, mix well until combined and smooth. Keep stirring while on the heat.
Ensure the sauce has thickened well.
Add in the lemon juice and salt and pepper and immediately turn off the heat. Allow the chicken filling to cool completely. This will help the sauce thicken.
Divide the filling between the 6 circles on the tray, leaving a ½cm border around the edges. Cover the chicken filling with the remaining pastry circles and use a fork to seal the edges all around. *Chef’s Tip: Wet the border slightly to help seal the pies!
Brush the tops of the pies with the beaten egg. *Chef’s Tip: Egg wash gives the pies a golden-brown crust!
Roll out the leftover puff pastry and use a star-shaped cookie cutter to cut out 6 small stars. Place a pastry star on top of each pie to create a decorative top. Ensure to brush the stars with egg.
Place the pies in the oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown and puffed. *Chef’s Tip: To prepare in advance, freeze the uncooked pies on the tray. Once frozen, pack into a container and bake from frozen when ready! Allow for 5 extra minutes in the oven when baking from frozen.
Allow to cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Serve and ENJOY!

Spinach & Feta Pies

2 sheets (400g each) store-bought puff pastry, thawed
1 tbsp (15ml) oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 bags (200g each) baby spinach
2 tbsp (30g) Robertsons Garlic Flakes
¼ tsp each salt and pepper, to season
2 tbsp flour
¾ cup milk
3½ rounds (200g) feta cheese, crumbled
1 egg, beaten

Preheat the oven to 200°C and line a baking tray with baking paper.
Unroll both rolls of puff pastry and, using a large cookie cutter, 10cm in diameter, cut out 12 circles. Roll the leftover pastry together and keep for later.
Place 6 of the circles onto the baking tray, evenly spaced apart. Keep the remaining 6 circles for later.
In a medium-sized pan over a low heat, add in oil and the onion. Cook until softened and very lightly golden, about 5 minutes.
Add in the spinach, Robertsons Garlic Flakes and salt and pepper and cook for 10 minutes or until the spinach has wilted and most of the water has evaporated.
In a small bowl, combine the flour and milk and stir well until the flour has dissolved into the milk without any lumps.
Pour the milk slurry into the pan along with the crumbled feta cheese and allow to cook for another 5 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Turn off the heat and allow the flling to cool completely.
Divide the filling between the 6 circles on the tray, leaving a ½cm border around the edges. Cover the spinach and feta filling with the remaining pastry circles and use a fork to seal the edges all around.
Brush the tops of the pies with the beaten egg. *Chef’s Tip: Egg wash gives the pies a golden brown crust!
Roll out the leftover puff pastry and use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out 6 small hearts. Place a heart on top of each pie to create a decorative top. Ensure to brush the hearts with egg. *Chef’s Tip: Wet the border slightly to help seal the pies!
Place the pies in the oven for 25 minutes or until golden and puffed. *Chef’s Tip: To prepare in advance, freeze the uncooked pies on the tray. Once frozen, pack into a container and bake from frozen when ready! Allow for 5 extra minutes in the oven when baking from frozen.
Allow to cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Serve and ENJOY!