Brush all over the top of the pastry with a little more of the beaten egg and allow to dry for 10 minutes. Then brush over with egg once more. This gives the pastry shell a bit more strength and will help to stop it falling apart when sliced. Place it in the oven and roast for 20 minutes. Once cooked, remove from the oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes before carving.
I love this pie; it is a proper beef pie with gorgeous gravy and masses of flavour, guaranteed to satisfy. I like to serve it with mash and buttered Savoy cabbage.
BEEF WITH BUTTON MUSHROOMS & RED WINE
SERVES 6
1.5kg (3lb 5oz) chuck stewing or braising steak, cut into 4cm (1½in) cubes
30g (1¼oz) plain flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
4 tbsp olive oil
115g (4oz) pancetta, cut into little sticks
½ bottle full-bodied red wine, Merlot or Burgundy
300ml (10fl oz) beef stock
1 bouquet garni
salt and freshly ground black pepper
20 pearl (or ‘button’) onions, peeled and trimmed
225g (8oz) button mushrooms
30g (1¼oz) butter
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 egg, beaten
450g (1lb) good-quality butter puff pastry
Coat the beef cubes thoroughly with the seasoned flour. Heat half the olive oil in a large saucepan on a high heat – use an ovenproof saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Fry the pancetta in the oil until browned and remove it from the pan, then add the meat and fry in batches until browned all over, adding a little more oil if necessary. Set the meat aside with the pancetta.
Reduce the heat to medium, pour in half the wine and bring to the boil, using a wooden spoon to scrape up the gubbins that have stuck to the bottom. Return the meat and pancetta to the pot. Pour in the rest of the wine and just enough of the stock to leave the top halves of the uppermost pieces of meat showing above the liquid. Add the bouquet garni, stir and season with pepper. Pop the lid on the saucepan and simmer in the oven for 1½ hours.
Meanwhile, simmer the onions in a small pan in the remaining stock for 5 minutes. Remove the onions and discard the stock. Fry the onions and mushrooms gently in the rest of the oil and the butter for 10 minutes, and then set aside until needed. Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F/Gas 7). Once the meat has finished simmering, remove the bouquet garni and stir the onions and mushrooms through. Taste for seasoning.
Spoon the mixture into a pie dish, ensuring the meat is piled high in the centre to support the pastry. Brush the rim of the pie dish with a little of the beaten egg. Roll out the pastry and cover the pie. Trim the pastry around the edge, and press to seal with a fork around the rim. Cut a hole in the top to let the steam escape and brush the pastry all over with beaten egg. Bake the pie in the oven for 30 minutes.
Deliciously sweet with a gorgeous rich colour. Adding the sweet potato to the mash makes a nice alternative to just potatoes and is also lovely with bangers. Don’t worry about the alcohol in the lager; it burns off in the cooking.
BEEF & BEER PIE WITH SWEET POTATO MASH
SERVES 6
FOR THE FILLING:
1kg (2lb 4oz) chuck stewing or braising steak, cut into 4cm (1½in) cubes
1 tbsp plain flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
4 tbsp olive oil
2 knobs of butter
2 large red onions, chopped
6 large carrots, peeled and chopped into 1cm (½in) cubes
300ml (10fl oz) lager
6 juniper berries, crushed
2 sprigs rosemary
2 sprigs thyme
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp soft light brown sugar
300ml (10fl oz) beef stock
1 handful fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
FOR THE MASH:
4 small Maris Piper potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
50g (2oz) butter
Roll the meat in the seasoned flour. Put the oil into a large pan on a medium to high heat and fry the meat in batches until browned all over. Don’t put too much meat in the pan at any one time or it won’t brown properly. Remove the meat from the pan and reserve for later.
Reduce the heat to medium, add the butter, then gently fry the onions and carrots until the onions are soft – about 10 minutes. Return the meat to the pan and add the lager, juniper berries, rosemary, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar and beef stock. Gently simmer for 1½ hours, stirring from time to time, and adding more stock if necessary.
Meanwhile, make the mash. Boil all the potatoes in plenty of salted water until they are very soft when poked with a sharp knife. Drain the potatoes well and then mash with the butter and plenty of salt and pepper. I use a mouli (pictured here) for a lovely lump-free mash. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F/Gas 7). Once the meat is done, remove the herb stalks and stir through the chopped parsley. Taste and season with salt and pepper accordingly. Pour the mixture into your pie dish and top with the mash by spooning large dollops all over, then using the back of your spoon to smooth over until the meat is completely covered. Take a fork and rough the surface of the mash into small peaks, which will become lovely and brown with crispy bits. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes or until piping hot in the middle and golden on top.
Serve with buttered runner beans.
This pie is served at my brother Tom’s fantastic pub. While I was living in Australia he called me up and in a very excited voice said, “Soph, I’ve bought a pub and named it after you.” “Thanks, that’s so sweet of you,” I replied. He giggled, “Yes. It’s called The Cow.”
COW PIE by William Leigh
SERVES 6
4 slices of beef shin about 2.5cm (1in) thick (see tip)
about 2 tbsp vegetable oil
sea salt and a fully charged pepper mill
4½ or 5 large onions, finely sliced into half moons (you want more than you think)
2–3 cloves garlic, finely sliced
2 handfuls button mushrooms, halved and quartered, or 12 shucked oysters (see tip)
1 monstrous bunch of fresh herbs, including thyme, bay leaves, rosemary, sage, parsley stalks and tarragon (only a touch of rosemary and sage as they are so vicious)
375g (13oz) good-quality butter puff pastry for 1 large pie, or 500g (1lb) for 6 individual pies
1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 tbsp milk
This recipe is a corruption of the mighty “Grillade des marinieres du Rhône” as taught to me by the highly estimable chef Jeremy Lee.
So,