Murcia´s own meat pie

Murcia´s own meat pie

When Murcia people are feeling hungry there is nothing that quite hits the spot like pastel de carne, or meat pie.

These are best bought piping hot from bakeries and pastry shops where the experienced experts have often spent decades practicing their skills. The pies are round and just the right size for one person, or two people trying to slim. The wavy flaky pastry on top is attractively browned in the oven. The ingredients include tasty meats and boiled eggs.

As mentioned, they are best bought from the pastry shops but if you want to have a go at making Murcia meat pie, here´s how to make two pies.

Filling ingredients

Quarter kilo of finely chopped beef steak
50g of pork lard
Quarter liter of white wine
One clove
Two bay leaves
Salt
Hard boiled eggs
Slices of chorizo

Pastry ingredients

Half a kilo of flour
Half a teaspoon of salt
Juice of half a lemon
One teaspoon of butter
400g of margarine

Knead the pastry ingredients together, except the margarine, and divide into two. Make a hole in the centre of each and knead each lump. Set aside and allow to rest for half an hour before kneading again. Do this three more times. Butter two moulds and lay down a pastry base.

Meanwhile, cook the filling ingredients in a frying pan for about 20 minutes.
Then put the filling into the pastry moulds. Add slices of hard boiled egg and slices of chorizo. Add a pastry lid to each mould, brush with beaten egg and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes.

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©Phillip Bruce 2009