'Boerewors' pot pie

Boerewors is a heavily spiced South African sausage. Some contain only beef, but my favourite variety includes the ingenious combination of beef, pork and bacon. It wasn't long after I first had this variety of boerewors that I was inspired to make a pie using the same spices and meats. Because I have little patience for pastry at the best of times, it'd be a pot pie. That being said, if you want to create a short crust base or create 'party pies' in a muffin tin, go right ahead. I'll eventually get around to doing the later, as I'd like to be able to give my girlfriend something nice to take to work for lunch.

Too, you might've noticed that there's a lot of coriander (cilantro) in this dish. South Africans love their coriander. Don't worry about it if you're not the greatest fan of the stuff, though, as the flavour of the spices will mellow considerably during cooking.

400 grams each of pork and beef (for the beef, go for chuck steak or stewing steak), cut into 2-3 centimetre cubes
100 grams of bacon, diced (you can also use the more expensive spek)
4 tbs freshly ground coriander
2 tbs sea salt
1 tbs freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp freshly ground allspice
1/4 tsp freshly ground cloves
500mL beef stock (if you haven't made your own, at least spend a little extra to get good quality stuff)
2 small onions or one large one, sliced
a couple of springs of fresh thyme
a couple of cloves of garlic, crushed
a generous splash of Worcester sauce
a splash of red wine vinegar
a splash of brandy or cognac
a generous pinch of corn flour
an egg, beaten
a splash of milk
a sheet of store-bought puff pastry, thawed

Combine the dried spices in a bowl. Rub into the cubes of pork and bacon. Place in the fridge for a few hours, covered.

On a low flame, heat a little oil in a large saucepan. Fry the garlic and onion, stirring constantly. When they start to soften, add the pork and beef and seal them lightly. Once sealed, add a splash of brandy, a splash of red wine vinegar and a generous splash of Worcester sauce. Let it sizzle away for a moment and then add the beef stock. Add the diced bacon and a couple of springs of fresh thyme. Simmer on a very low heat, partly covered, for a couple of hours or until the meat is very tender. Season with extra salt, pepper and Worcester sauce if you feel it necessary. Remove the springs of thyme and add a generous pinch of corn flour. Stir it in and remove the saucepan from the heat. The 'stew' won't thicken immediately, so don't keep adding corn flour under the assumption you haven't used enough--it'll thicken as it cools. It's possible and, indeed, preferable to make the filling the day before you serve the pie.

Pre-heat the oven to 180*C. Pour the cooled filling into a pie pan. It should be thick. If it's quite obviously too thick, add a little splash of stock. Place the pastry sheet over the pie pan, ensuring you it is completely covered. Trim off any excess pastry. Use a skewer or the tip of a paring knife to prick a few holes in the pastry--this will allow the steam to escape. Finally, combine the milk and the beaten egg in a cup or other small vessel. Using a pastry or basting brush, brush the milk/egg wash all over the pastry. Place the pie in the oven for 20-30 minutes or until the pastry has turned crispy and golden.