Three-days-to-payday spicy mince pasties

Serves:

Ingredients

• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 500 beef mince
• 1pkt taco seasoning
• 1 cup of tomato puree
• 2 sheets frozen puff pastry
• 1 egg, beaten with a splash of milk

Method

Set the sheets of pastry aside to defrost.

Heat a non-stick frying pan and add the onion. Cook over medium heat until transluscent, about 5 mins. Add the mince and cook until browned.

Add the packet of taco seasoning and mix through the mince and onions until thoroughly combined.

Add the tomato puree and mix through. Turn down heat and allow to simmer, occasionally stirring, for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 180C.

Take out two baking trays and line with baking paper. Lie a sheet of pasty across each tray and remove the plastic backing sheet.

Remove the mince from the heat and even divide it between the two pasty sheets. Spoon the mince in a long thick sausage shape down the middle of the pasty sheet.

Take up the edges of the pasty and bring them together on top of the cooked mince to make a large sausage roll shape. Pinch together the ends of the roll and where the pasty meets in the middle.

Slash three air vents into the pastry and, using a pastry brush, paint with the egg wash.

Put in the oven to cook for approx. 20 mins or until the pastry has browned and puffed up. Remove from the oven, slice and serve immediately.

Notes:

• I made this recipe up when I was first married and my teen-aged step-son was living with us. We were super-poor and I think I just couldn’t face another taco dinner. I looked at what I had in the pantry and came up with this. And it was delicious!
• The tomato puree transforms this from being simply a large taco in pastry!
• The spice in the taco mix in enough to give a little tang without being overwhelming. My kids have never had any trouble eating this dish and they aren’t much into spicy food.
• The mince mixture shouldn’t be too wet when you add it to the pastry – if you have a lot of liquid in your mince, drain it off or you’ll end up with very soggy pastry!
• This recipe was created by Ella Walsh for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder.

Serving Suggestions

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