Just curious -- is calling ground beef "mince" the origin of
"mincemeat"?

I'd venture a good guess that mincemeat (meaning, minced meat) predates
ground beef. Originally, the beef was just cut or pulled into tiny
bits - minced. My grandmother (German descent) always made mincemeat
pie with real beef instead of what is called mincemeat in the US today.
She did NOT use ground beef, but rather cooked the beef and then cut
it up. However, I never liked it as much as a US version of mincemeat
that used apples and other sweet stuff as a dessert pie filling. ;-)


N.

I have a dynamite recipe for the beef & apples kind you like. It costs a
mint to buy it in a jar and nowhere near as good as my old timey recipe.

I will post it if you want it.
--
Lefty

Life is for learning
The worst I ever had was wonderful

On Wed 05 Apr 2006 03:12:49p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it LadyJane?

Wayne I think the mushy peas is just tinned peas blitzed. Probably a
little of the canning liquid blitzed in too, so the mixture is gloopy..
Never made them myself either... however, after discussing disgusting
pie anecdotes with my husband Graeme (of 29 years) I discovered last
weekend that he apparently LIKES pies and mushy peas. Go figure!
Who says after 29 years you know all there is to know about your
partner???

Think he'll be eating the peas solo though. wink

LOL! I'm with you. David does like tinned peas, whereas I don't. He might
light them mushed up a bit. I'll have to propose that to him. :-)


--
Wayne Boatwright @¿@¬
_____________________

I particularly hate peas and carrots in pies, but that's just me.
Often commercial pies do use those veges. If I added any veges to a
mince pie it would be onions only. For a chicken pie I'd add mushroom,
and perhaps onions.

Kathy in NZ

On Wed, 5 Apr 2006 14:35:04 -0400, "fudge"
wrote:

The pies I et in the Whangamatta area of the North Island had a lot of fat,
sinew and grissle in them. They were edible but not the best cuts of the cow
were used. They tasted a bit bland. That recipe of yours sounds good but I
would add some peas and maybe some carrots. Perhaps commercial pies are a
way of using up all the leftover chunks of the cow.

f.j.

"Kathy in NZ" wrote in message
...
Wayne

Individual meat pies are classic fast food in NZ. See for yourself. Go
to google.co.nz, put mince pie in the search field, click on "search
in NZ", and see how many schools have it on the lunch orders.

Here's how I would make mince pies. (I have half a dozen indivual pie
moulds, oval in shape).

1 lb mince (ground beef)
water
salt
pepper
worcestershire sauce (optional)
dried beef stock powder (optional)

In a pot, add a little oil, heat, and add mince. Brown, breaking up
any lumps.
Add enough water to cover the meat, but don't add too little. The
water will become the gravy.
Add 1 teaspoon salt, pepper to taste, a good dash of worcestershire
sauce (if desired). I would add a teaspoon of dried beef stock.
Simmer 30 minutes
Thicken with a slurry of flour and water (you don't want it runny).
Simmer a little longer for flour to absorb.

Using flaky pastry, roll out, and using a pie mould, cut the bases
large enough to overlap when put in the tins. Cut tops the same way,
making them smaller. Grease pie tins and place a base in each tin.
Fill with the cooked mince, top with a pastry lid and seal the edges.
Brush with beaten egg (if desired for glaze. It's cosmetic only).
Using end of sharp knife, make one or two steam openings in the lid.
Bake at about 350F for about 30 minutes (relying on memory here, so it
might be longer), or till pastry is cooked through.

Note: Don't roll the bases too thin. A pie is traditionally eaten in
the hand, so you don't want it to fall to pieces or sag.

That's my recipe for a mince pie. As you can see, it hasn't many
ingredients. It's really just mince and seasonings. But there are many
variations on that theme and many different types of pies. I like
"chicken and mushroom" pies too. Most stews or casseroles that use
boneless meat and which don't have large chunky veges can be used as
fillings for pies. And of course, instead of individual pies, you can
make a large pie for the family. It should be a shallow pie, not a
deep one.

Kathy in NZ

On Wed, 05 Apr 2006 13:30:21 GMT, (Phred)
wrote:

In article , (Kathy in NZ) wrote:
Wayne

Individual meat pies are classic fast food in NZ. See for yourself. Go
to google.co.nz, put mince pie in the search field, click on "search
in NZ", and see how many schools have it on the lunch orders.

They've just banned meat pies and other "junk food" at all government
schools (or only primary schools?) in Qld. Some items will be allowed
once or twice a year on special occasions at a school.

This bloody Labor mob is gradually going right overboard in
legislating to run people's lives for them. It won't be long before
we all have to use only Premier Pete's Pink Poop Paper.

Cheers, Phred.

Well, pies are our equivalent of the worst in American fast food. It's
high in fat and cholesterol.

Recently I had a cholesterol blood test at the doctor's . It had gone
up steeply.

"What have you been eating?" asked the doc, amazed.

"A winter of pies," I confessed. And I had. After years without eating
pies last winter I overindulged and it showed up in my cholesterol
test.

Warning: pies are an ocassional indulgence, not an every night/day .
They should not be on the menu in schools.

Kathy in NZ

On Wed, 05 Apr 2006 16:31:40 GMT, "Lefty" wrote:


"Kathy in NZ" wrote in message
...
Wayne

Individual meat pies are classic fast food in NZ. See for yourself. Go
to google.co.nz, put mince pie in the search field, click on "search
in NZ", and see how many schools have it on the lunch orders.

Here's how I would make mince pies. (I have half a dozen indivual pie
moulds, oval in shape).

1 lb mince (ground beef)
water
salt
pepper
worcestershire sauce (optional)
dried beef stock powder (optional)

Kathy in NZ

Just curious -- is calling ground beef "mince" the origin of "mincemeat"?
Seems logical -- if so, what is the term for "mincemeat" in your form of
English? If I called pie "mince" in the USA it would probably be taken for
meaning "mincemeat pie", the sweet dessert made with ground meat.

I'll bet that out of the confusion someone once said "to hell with it, let's
just call it hamburger" and it stuck :-)
--
Lefty

You need to be careful with mince pie recipes to distinguish between
"Christmas mince pies" and meat "mince pies".

In NZ (and Britain) a Christmas mince pie would not contain any meat.
It would contain a selection of dried fruits. Ad yes, it's a dessert
or cake item. But NO MEAT.

Kathy in NZ

Wayne Boatwright wayneboatwright_at_gmail.com wrote in
28.19:

On Wed 05 Apr 2006 02:34:23p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it
LadyJane?

The worst thing I've heard of is the Pie Floater - which I believe
originated in South Australia. It's essentially a shallow bowl half
filled with tomato sauce (ketchup) and the pie is placed face down
into it. Salt content must be horrendous!!
(Admits to preferring sauce WITH my pie, rather than pie WITH my
sauce!!)


Some nice and interesting options. I'v never had mushy peas. Don't
think they'd be easy to find here. I have to agree, the Pie Floater
sounds dreadful!

That is NOT a pie floater. The pie is placed upside down in pea soup, not
in tomato sauce. Tomato sauce may be put on the pie, but there's
certainly not half a bowl of it. Personally I prefer my pie with the
sauce, but without the pea soup - I've never tried a floater myself.

http://www.nationaltrustsa.org.au/he...s_2003.htm#Pie
--
Rhonda Anderson
Cranebrook, NSW, Australia

On Thu 06 Apr 2006 04:36:56a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Rhonda
Anderson?

Wayne Boatwright wayneboatwright_at_gmail.com wrote in
28.19:

On Wed 05 Apr 2006 02:34:23p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it
LadyJane?

The worst thing I've heard of is the Pie Floater - which I believe
originated in South Australia. It's essentially a shallow bowl half
filled with tomato sauce (ketchup) and the pie is placed face down
into it. Salt content must be horrendous!!
(Admits to preferring sauce WITH my pie, rather than pie WITH my
sauce!!)


Some nice and interesting options. I'v never had mushy peas. Don't
think they'd be easy to find here. I have to agree, the Pie Floater
sounds dreadful!

That is NOT a pie floater. The pie is placed upside down in pea soup, not
in tomato sauce. Tomato sauce may be put on the pie, but there's
certainly not half a bowl of it. Personally I prefer my pie with the
sauce, but without the pea soup - I've never tried a floater myself.

http://www.nationaltrustsa.org.au/he...s_2003.htm#Pie

That's an interesting history. Not sure if I'd care to eat one like that,
though. :-)

--
Wayne Boatwright @¿@¬
_____________________

(Kathy in NZ) wrote in
:

On Wed, 05 Apr 2006 13:30:21 GMT, (Phred)
wrote:

In article , (Kathy
in NZ) wrote:
Wayne

Individual meat pies are classic fast food in NZ. See for yourself.
Go to google.co.nz, put mince pie in the search field, click on
"search in NZ", and see how many schools have it on the lunch orders.

They've just banned meat pies and other "junk food" at all government
schools (or only primary schools?) in Qld. Some items will be allowed
once or twice a year on special occasions at a school.

This bloody Labor mob is gradually going right overboard in
legislating to run people's lives for them. It won't be long before
we all have to use only Premier Pete's Pink Poop Paper.

Cheers, Phred.

Well, pies are our equivalent of the worst in American fast food. It's
high in fat and cholesterol.

Recently I had a cholesterol blood test at the doctor's . It had gone
up steeply.

"What have you been eating?" asked the doc, amazed.

"A winter of pies," I confessed. And I had. After years without eating
pies last winter I overindulged and it showed up in my cholesterol
test.

Warning: pies are an ocassional indulgence, not an every night/day .
They should not be on the menu in schools.

Kathy in NZ


Thanks Kathy...... I just bought some Four and Twenties today.
Looks like I'll just save them for the guests :-)



But *Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaate*!!!! Have you tried the Yatala pies????!!!!!



Pretty bloody good, if I say so myself!!

In article . com, "LadyJane" wrote:
[snip]

The worst thing I've heard of is the Pie Floater - which I believe
originated in South Australia. It's essentially a shallow bowl half
filled with tomato sauce (ketchup) and the pie is placed face down into
it. Salt content must be horrendous!!
(Admits to preferring sauce WITH my pie, rather than pie WITH my
sauce!!)

'Evening ma'am,

I feel obliged to correct this bit of misinformation. No offence
intended. :-)

As one who consumed his first pie floater quite recently (courtesy of
some refugees from South Australia) I can vouch that they float in
*pea soup*, NOT in friggin' ketchup. You may, of course, add adequate
ketchup ON the pie.

Here's a description with pictu http://www.lard.net/piefloat.html
(Click on the pic for a larger version, if you can stomach it.

Here's a more picturesque description (remarkably similar pic though):
http://thegreenman.net.au/mt/archives/000536.html

Happy digesting!

Cheers, Phred.

--
LID

Just curious -- is calling ground beef "mince" the origin of "mincemeat"?
Seems logical -- if so, what is the term for "mincemeat" in your form of
English? If I called pie "mince" in the USA it would probably be taken
for
meaning "mincemeat pie", the sweet dessert made with ground meat.

I'll bet that out of the confusion someone once said "to hell with it,
let's
just call it hamburger" and it stuck :-)
--
Lefty

You need to be careful with mince pie recipes to distinguish between
"Christmas mince pies" and meat "mince pies".

In NZ (and Britain) a Christmas mince pie would not contain any meat.
It would contain a selection of dried fruits. Ad yes, it's a dessert
or cake item. But NO MEAT.

Kathy in NZ

That is what I was wondering. My recipe for mincemeat would qualify as a
"Christmas Mince with meat" -- it is beef, apples, raisins, and spices. The
beef isn't even noticeable but adds a lot. You should try it. It is really
delicious and very rich.

It is surprising how many baked goods call for meat. My ex-MIL used to make
"Pork Cake", a moist spice cake that used ground pork
--
Lefty

Life is for learning
The worst I ever had was wonderful

Lefty wrote:

Just curious -- is calling ground beef "mince" the origin of
"mincemeat"?

I'd venture a good guess that mincemeat (meaning, minced meat) predates
ground beef. Originally, the beef was just cut or pulled into tiny
bits - minced. My grandmother (German descent) always made mincemeat
pie with real beef instead of what is called mincemeat in the US today.
She did NOT use ground beef, but rather cooked the beef and then cut
it up. However, I never liked it as much as a US version of mincemeat
that used apples and other sweet stuff as a dessert pie filling. ;-)


N.

I have a dynamite recipe for the beef & apples kind you like. It costs a
mint to buy it in a jar and nowhere near as good as my old timey recipe.

I will post it if you want it.
--
Lefty

Thanks - I don't much care for the beef mincemeat, myself. I like
mincemeat pie for dessert, and for that, I don't want beef in it.

Ground beef in a pastry envelope - that's something entirely different
;-)

N.

Rhonda and Phred wrote:
that they float in
*pea soup*,

Mentioned the thread to husband last night and he nearly choked when I
mentioned the tomato sauce thing too!
Mushy peas, Jane, peas!

Must have been too ****ed the other night and gotten my wires
crossed....nothing new there! (****ed or x-wires!)

sorry for grossing everyone out...
STILL think it sounds disgusting with the peas!

humblest apologies to all and thanks to Rhonda and Phred - we all muck
things up occasionally - especially when over indulged in a good Aussie
red (or four or five)

winks mischieviously....

LadyJane
--
"Never trust a skinny (or ****ed) cook!"

On Thu, 06 Apr 2006 13:23:55 GMT, (Phred)
wrote:


As one who consumed his first pie floater quite recently (courtesy of
some refugees from South Australia) I can vouch that they float in
*pea soup*, NOT in friggin' ketchup. You may, of course, add adequate
ketchup ON the pie.

Here's a description with pictu http://www.lard.net/piefloat.html
(Click on the pic for a larger version, if you can stomach it.

As someone who comes from a pie culture, I must confess I had never
heard of a pie floater till this discussion, and hope I never do
again. It looks absolutely disgusting.

Kathy in NZ

In article , (Kathy
in NZ) wrote:
On Wed, 05 Apr 2006 13:30:21 GMT, (Phred)
wrote:
In article , (Kathy in NZ)
wrote:
Wayne

Individual meat pies are classic fast food in NZ. See for yourself. Go
to google.co.nz, put mince pie in the search field, click on "search
in NZ", and see how many schools have it on the lunch orders.

They've just banned meat pies and other "junk food" at all government
schools (or only primary schools?) in Qld. Some items will be allowed
once or twice a year on special occasions at a school.

This bloody Labor mob is gradually going right overboard in
legislating to run people's lives for them. It won't be long before
we all have to use only Premier Pete's Pink Poop Paper.

Well, pies are our equivalent of the worst in American fast food. It's
high in fat and cholesterol.

Recently I had a cholesterol blood test at the doctor's . It had gone
up steeply.

"What have you been eating?" asked the doc, amazed.

"A winter of pies," I confessed. And I had. After years without eating
pies last winter I overindulged and it showed up in my cholesterol
test.

Warning: pies are an ocassional indulgence, not an every night/day .
They should not be on the menu in schools.

Cheers, Phred.

--
LID