Beef Pies with Sour Cream Pastry

It's Australia Day on Thursday and us Aussie's generally love a good meat pie. Here's my version of a genuine, chunky beef pie with a Mmm-mmm, tasty filling. The secret is in the slow cooking but definitely add the beer.. it makes all the difference. Even a little red wine goes really well (if you want to replace some of the water, but it's optional and add it to the beer, not instead of the beer). In addition to the filling these pies have a lovely sour cream based pastry which is quick and easy to make in a food processor. Happy Australia Day for January 26!
Beef Pies with Sour Cream Pastry

*Beef chuck steak (cubes), approx 1.2kg
*Beer, 1/2 cup
*Water, 1 cup
*Beef stock powder, 2 tablespoons
*Worcestershire sauce, 3 tablespoon's
*Tomato paste, 2 tablespoon's
*Plain flour, 3 heaped tablespoon's
*Carrot x 1, finely chopped
*Celery x 2, finely chopped
*Tomatoes x 1 can (diced) 400gm
*Oil spray for frying/sauteeing
*Salt and pepper to taste
*1 egg (for glazing pastry)

SOURCREAM PASTRY

*Plain flour, 2.5 cups
*Butter, cold x 170gm, diced
*Sourcream x 3/4 cup
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*Preheat oven to 180 degree's (fan forced) or 200 degree's (no fan)
*Dust beef in flour (I did this in batches using a big freezer bag, shaking the beef in the bag)
*Lightly brown beef in a frypan (in batches, so as not to overcrowd the pan)
*When beef is seared and set aside, wipe out pan and saute onions, celery and carrot until soft
*Add beer, water and beef stock, bring to a soft boil
*Add tinned tomatoes and thyme, bring to a soft boil, stir
*Put beef in a large baking/casserole dish, pour over tomato/stock mixture
*Cover and bake in oven for 2 hours
*For pastry, put all ingredients in a food processor and blend (you'll have a breadcrumb-like mixture)
*Empty food processor contents into a large bowl and with your fingers form a dough
*The mixture will appear to barely form a dough, you want it to only just form.. a tiny bit of extra sourcream may be added, but shouldn't need it
*Refrigerate dough for half an hour (covered in plastic food wrap)
*When beef is finished cooking, spread it out onto a flat tray so it cools down quickly
*Roll out dough and cut rounds using a large cup or glass
*Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with oil and put rounds of dough in the base of each cup
*Add a heaped tablepoon of pie filling onto each piece of dough
*Cover each mound of pie filling with another round of rolled dough and press down to form a lid
*Brush little pies with beaten egg and cut a tiny slit into the tops of each pie with a knife
*Bake pies in a 180 degree's celcius oven for around half an hour until just golden
*Serve with tomato sauce