Serves 2 INGREDIENTS ½ onion, finely chopped ¼ tsp pepper 200g beef mince, washed and rinsed 2 tsp KNORROX Barbeque Spice 1 sheet puff pastry 4 slices cheddar cheese 2 gherkins, sliced thinly 3 tbsp tomato sauce 1 egg, beaten Serving suggestion: Green salad METHOD 1. Preheat the oven to 200°C and line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. In an oiled pan, sauté the onion with the pepper until translucent. Add in the beef mince and the KNORROX Barbeque Spice and cook for 10 minutes or until the meat is cooked and most of the liquid has evaporated.
3. While the mince is cooking, take a piece of cardboard and draw a heart-shape outline on a card, about 10x12cm in size. Cut it out for a hacky heart stencil.
4. Roll out the sheet of puff pastry on a floured surface and divide it into 4 rectangles. Place the heart stencil over each piece of the pastry and outline it with a knife to get 4 heart pastries. *Chef’s Tip: Roll the remaining pastry into a ball and wrap in cling-film. It will keep for about 2 months!
5. Pack 2 of the hearts onto the baking tray, spaced evenly apart. Divide the cooked mince filling over the pastries, leaving a 0.5cm gap bare around the edges. Top each layer with 2 slices of cheese, the gherkin slices and the tomato sauce.
6. Brush a thin layer of egg wash around the empty border of each heart and top each filled pastry with the reserved hearts, ensuring that it matches up evenly and covers the filling. Using a fork, press the edges of the pastry around to ensure that they are tightly closed. *Chef’s Tip: You can add a left over strip of dough around the edges to ensure that it is sealed!
7. Brush the tops of the pies with the reserved egg wash and cut a small cross shaped slit on the tops of the pies. *Chef’s Tip: This helps the steam to escape and ensures the pies don’t crack open during baking!
8. Bake the pies in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the tops of the pies are golden and puffed.
9. Remove the pies from the oven and allow to cool for about 2 minutes. Using a cake lifter, place a pie on a plate alongside a green salad, serve and ENJOY!
Planning to try this? If yes, please share your pictures with us on the Foodies Of SA Group on Facebook. We'd LOVE to see it! 😍
