Homemade Meat Pie in Shortcrust Pastry with homemade tomato paste – Dairy-free version

👨‍🍳 Method

For the homemade tomato paste ✓ Homemade · or skip – back to store-bought

1. 1
   Wash the tomatoes, remove the cores and quarter each tomato.

   KnifeCutting board
2. 2
   Put the tomatoes, the salt and half of the olive oil in a wide pot, cover and cook over medium heat about 20 minutes, until the tomatoes soften and release their liquid.

   StoveWide, shallow pot
3. 3
   Pass the tomatoes and their liquid through a food mill or sieve and return the purée to the pot: the skins and seeds stay behind.

   Food millorFine sieve
4. 4
   Cook uncovered about an hour at a lively simmer, stirring now and then, until the purée reduces by half.

   StoveWooden spoon

   💡The paste burns easily as it dries: stir and scrape the bottom and edges, and once it is thick, don't walk away.
5. 5
   Preheat the oven to 110°C (230°F).

   Oven

   💡Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.
6. 6
   Grease a wide baking dish with the rest of the olive oil and pour in the purée in a thin layer. Dry in the oven about 3 hours, stirring and scraping the edges every 30 minutes, until the paste is thick, sticky and brick red.

   OvenBaking sheetSilicone spatula
7. 7
   Let the paste cool.

   Jar

For the Wrapping Dough

1. 8
   Put the flour in a bowl.

   Bowl
2. 9
   Add the cold margarine in cubes and rub it in with your fingertips, until coarse crumbs form.

   💡The margarine must stay cold: margarine that melts in your hands gives a hard dough instead of a crumbly one. Work quickly, and if the dough warms up, put it back in the fridge.
3. 10
   Add the cold water and quickly bring together with your hands, without kneading, just until the dough comes together.

   💡Knead as little as possible: long kneading develops gluten, and the dough comes out tough and shrinks in the oven.
4. 11
   Wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least 30 minutes.

   Plastic wrapRefrigerator

   💡Chilling firms the margarine and relaxes the gluten: the dough rolls out easily, doesn't stick to the counter and doesn't shrink in the oven.

For the Pastry Filling

1. 12
   Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat.

   StoveFrying pan
2. 13
   Add the onion and fry 5–8 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion is soft and translucent and starts to turn golden at the edges. If it browns too fast, lower the heat.

   Stove

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
3. 14
   Raise the heat to medium-high and add the meat. Press it flat over the bottom and leave it for 2–3 minutes without stirring, until a brown crust forms.

   Stove

   💡Brown ground beef in the pot without pressing it: leave it as one 'cake' for a few minutes until a brown crust forms, then break it into chunks. Deep browning = deep flavor.
4. 15
   Break it up with a wooden spoon and fry for 5–7 more minutes, stirring, until no pink is left and the meat browns.

   StoveWooden spoon
5. 16
   Add the carrot, mushrooms, tomato paste, stock and thyme to the meat and cook about 20 minutes, until the liquid evaporates and the filling is thick.

   Stove
6. 17
   Season with salt and black pepper.
7. 18
   Remove from the heat and cool the filling completely, about half an hour.

   💡Fill dough only with completely cooled filling: a hot filling softens the dough, makes it hard to seal and makes the pastry soggy inside.

To assemble

1. 19
   Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F). Roll out about two-thirds of the dough and line a pan with it, sides included.

   Oven
2. 20
   Fill with the cooled filling and smooth the top.
3. 21
   Cover with the rest of the dough, press the edges together and brush with beaten egg, and poke a few small holes for steam.

   💡Press the edges of the top crust firmly onto the edges of the bottom crust, and the holes in the top let steam escape: that way the top doesn't puff up and the filling doesn't bubble out.
4. 22
   Bake 30–35 minutes, until the pie is golden.

   OvenBaking pan

   💡Check by the cue (until…), not just the clock: every oven bakes a little differently.