We couldn't think of a better bloke to be named as Australia's Pie-Minister than all-round Aussie legend Robert "Dipper" DiPierdomenico.
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The former Australian Football League high-flyer spent a 17-year career with Hawthorn, playing 240 games and kicking 130 goals, winning five premierships and the league's highest honour, the Brownlow Medal, in 1986.
And now, perhaps, he's achieved an even higher honour, with the title of Pie Minister, ahead of National Pie Day on June 1.
"While Australians were stocking up on toilet paper, I stocked up on pies," DiPierdomenico said.
"I love them, I can't get enough of them. I reckon they're the most Australian food you can get your hands on."
The idea for Australia's National Pie Day came from Australia's home of pies, the Southern Highlands of NSW, the region that turns into the Southern Pie-lands for the month of June each year.
With the nation coming out of hibernation due to the ongoing impacts of COVID-19, 2020 has been declared the year of Pie Time in Pie-solation, with virtual events such as behind-the-scenes pie making, pie and pinot masterclass, cricket and pies, paddock to pie plate and more planned for the month.
DiPierdomenico is urging the nation to join him in celebration of the pie.
"On Australia's National Pie Day, get your pies out for breakfast, smash a pie for lunch and pull your pies out for dinner," he said.
"If you're stuck at home in pie-solation, get the local bakery or café to deliver you a pie, pick one up from your local shop or favourite bakery, or pull out the big guns and bake a pie."
We may have jumped the gun last week in Food & Wine with our Easy as Pie recipes, so check those out. We also tried to think of some local places where you could get a good pie.
Here's a few of my favourites:
Husk Bakery: available from the Capital Region Farmers' Market, Saturday mornings at EPIC or in your suburb if you're lucky enough, via the Husk at Home van. Good selection of pies, $5 each or six for $25. Flavours include beef and pepper, lamb and mint, French veggie and Moroccan lamb, among others. huskbakery.com.au
Country Pride Butchers, Lyneham: yes, it's my local, I know. But Geoff Martin and the lads make the best family-size meat pies, perfect with mash. Full of tender meat and golden pastry.
Griffith Butchery, Griffith: great range of hand-held and family-size pies made on the premises. From cottage beef pie, to lamb and curry pie, and my favourite chicken and vegetable.
Bakehouse, Ainslie: Baker Baden Burke reckons he's got the perfect hangover pie - "The Mongrel" - which combines a secret-recipe spicy mince with layers of bacon, tomato and egg.
Three Mills Bakery, Fyshwick: Surely you've ordered a home-delivered weekend brunch box by now? No one can leave isolation without doing this. Get them to add in the limited-edition bake-at-home family-size pie available in beef, shiraz and native pepperberry; chicken, leek and riesling; and Murrumbateman mushroom flavours.
Flute Bakery and Patisserie, Fyshwick: May be known to covet these for lunch. There's usually a chicken and leek one on the menu. Try to ignore the cakes.
Dobinsons, various locations: always a great selection of flavours. Try the beef and Guinness pie.
But if you're willing to travel further afield and actually head to the "pie-lands", with news that from June 1, some interstate travel will be allowed, plan a trip to take in some pies.
Some businesses will reopen including some of the favourite bakeries and locations along the Pie Trail. Visitors should call those businesses they wish to visit to ensure they will be open.
Group manager tourism and economic development, at Destination Southern Highlands, Steve Rosa said the region was keen to welcome visitors but said the virtual events would be good fun as well.
"We want to see all Australians enjoying their pies, taking part in our virtual events, and of course holding their pies high on Australia's National Pie Day," he said.
- Pie Time runs in the Southern Highlands from June 1-7. For more information about Pie Time is Pie-solation and National Pie Day, head to pietime.com.au
Chunky steak pie
Kick off Pie Time in Pie-solation with this chunky steak pie recipe by the famous Robertson Pie Shop. Try Will Bleeker's recipe yourself and then see how it compares to the real deal with a visit to the Southern Highlands once travel restrictions ease.
Ingredients
1kg diced chuck steak
1 brown onion, chopped
1/2 cup of peas and corn
2 carrots, peeled, chopped into chunks
2 potatoes, chopped into chunks
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cups beef stock
1 packet premade puff pastry
1 packed premade shortcrust pastry
Parisienne essence, optional
Note: you can substitute or add any other vegetables you like
Method
1. Place all ingredients (except pastry) into a slow cooker and season with salt and pepper.
2. Cover with beef stock and cook in a slow cooker for eight hours.
3. Optional: Will says use Parisienne essence to colour the mix but be careful or your chunky steak pie will be too dark.
4. At the end of cooking, thicken with cornflour if you are going to hold the pie in your hands to eat. Blend 1/4 cup of water with 4 tbsp of cornflour into a paste. Add this to the mixture and cook on high until thickened.
5. Preheat oven to 220C.
6. Grease one large or four individual pie pans with butter.
7. Line the base with shortcrust pastry and blind bake so it won't go soggy. To blind bake cover with a sheet of baking paper and weigh it down with a layer of rice or dried beans. Bake for 20 minutes at 180C, then lift out the paper and brush the base with beaten egg.
8. Fill the pie base with meat mixture. Brush the rim with egg wash and cover with puff pastry. Press around the edges to seal.
9. Brush the top with egg wash (an egg thinned with a bit of water).
10. Bake until the top of your chunky steak pie is golden, about 20-25 minutes.
Tip: Use the leftover pastry pieces to decorate the top of the pie.