A Recipe for Kangaroo Pie

Try your hand at Infinity Bakery’s spin on the classic.

Australia Day is upon us and nothing heralds its arrival quite like the consumption of our national food, the humble meat pie. Include one of our national mascots and you’ve got yourself a recipe that’s true blue. 

Not everyone is immediately comfortable cooking with Kangaroo, but Infinity Bakery owner William Petersen is an advocate. “Kangaroo is an interesting meat that does divide people. But cooked right, it creates a great flavour that is incomparable to most meats,” he says. 

Australia Day pies are a tradition at Infinity. “We serve them most years, usually alternating between wallaby, kangaroo, crocodile and emu just to keep it interesting,” says Petersen. “These are all fun meats to use in an Aussie pie and they’re always received really well.”

As for Petersen’s beverage of choice to enjoy alongside, he recommends a 4 Pines Kolsch beer. 

Test it out yourself:

Kangaroo Pie

Serves 4

Ingredients:

3 tbs olive oil
1 carrot, roughly chopped
1 stalk of celery, roughly chopped
1/2 leek
500g diced kangaroo meat
2 sprigs thyme
1 fresh tomato, chopped
½ cup red wine
store-bought puff pastry

Method:
In a pot, heat 1 tbs of olive oil over a medium heat, add carrot, celery and leek and stir until soft, to create the base. 

Add kangaroo meat and cook at high heat until the meat is browned. 

Add tomato and fresh thyme with remaining olive oil, half a cup of red wine and half a cup of water. Add more until liquid is level with the meat.

Cover the pot and cook for 2 to 3 hours on a low heat until the meat is tender when pierced with a fork. Remove the lid and cook on high heat to thicken liquid. Remove from heat to let meat mix come to room temperature or refrigerate for the night. 

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.

Add meat to baking dish and cover with puff pastry or mashed potato. 

Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve with local greens and a 4 Pines Kolsch.

Originally published on Broadsheet