Savory pie in pastry

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Wrapping Dough

1. 1
   In a bowl, mix the flour and salt.

   Bowl
2. 2
   Add the oil and the water and Knead about 5 minutes, until you get a smooth, soft dough that doesn't stick to your hands.

   ⚙ KneadingBowlStand mixer

   💡If the dough sticks, add a tablespoon of flour; if it crumbles, a tablespoon of water. Good dough is as soft as an earlobe.
3. 3
   Cover and let the dough rest 30 minutes at room temperature.

   💡Oil-and-water dough needs no rising: the rest relaxes the gluten, so the dough rolls out thin without shrinking back.

For the Pastry Filling

1. 4
   Heat the olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat.

   ⚙ Pan-fryingStoveFrying pan
2. 5
   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.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡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. 6
   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. 7
   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. 8
   Season with salt and black pepper.
6. 9
   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.
7. 10
   Preheat the oven to 180°C (355°F). Roll out about two-thirds of the dough and line a pan with it, sides included.

   ⚙ Preheating the OvenOven

   💡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.
8. 11
   Fill with the cooled filling and smooth the top.
9. 12
   Cover with the rest of the dough, press the edges together, 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.
10. 13
    Bake 35 minutes, until the pie is golden.

    ⚙ BakingOvenBaking pan

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