Steak and Ale Pie
Ingredients:
1 tbsp oil
1 medium onion – sliced
Mushrooms – sliced (optional)
2 tbsp plain flour
Salt, black pepper
1 tsp dried mixed herbs
500g diced beef – I like Aberdeen Angus from Lidl
1 bay leaf
300ml dark ale or stout – I use Guiness
Lardons – as many/little as you like (optional, though I find it gives a good depth of flavour)
125ml beef stock
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 generous tsp blackcurrant conserve – again, gives good depth of flavour, or use 1tsp caster sugar.
Pastry.
Method:
Preheat oven to 180C/Fan 160C/gas 4/350F
Heat oil in a heavy pan, fry onions until soft but not browned. Add mushrooms, cook until soft. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Cook the lardons if using, until crisp. Remove, set aside.
Coat the beef in the flour, salt, pepper, herbs. Add to the pan in batches and brown, then set aside.
Add the beer to the pan and deglaze it, scraping up all the stuck flour. Add the stock, tomato puree, blackcurrant conserve/sugar, bay leaf. Add the beef, and rest of ingredients already cooked as above. Stir well and bring to the boil.
Cover the pan with a tight lid and cook in the oven for about 2 hours or until the beef is tender.
We’ve had this as is, with a hunk of crusty bread, adding carrots to it to bulk it out. It freezes well, though you will need to ‘thin’ it a little once defrosted.
If having as a pie, omit the carrots. I use a puff pastry block, though you could use ready rolled, or make your own puff or shortcrust pastry. I line a pie dish, then add the cooled meat mixture, top with a pastry lid, and bake at 220C/Fan 200C/gas 7/425F until the pastry is cooked and golden brown, and the filling is hot when tested with a metal skewer. This serves 4 as a pie, served with vegetables of your choice.
My pie, as my son politely stated, looks a tad rustic due to the flaky/puff pastry. You’d possibly get a better-looking pie if you used shortcrust pastry. Tasted good though, served with roasted and steamed veggies.
The pecan pie was a chocolate pecan pie recipe from the net. Nice enough, but I prefer regular pecan pie so didn’t keep the recipe.
What are 'Lardons?' I know what 'Morons' are, they are carrots.
Gracie has replied to Bee OrchidStormlizard club has replied to Bee OrchidIncidentally, in Sweden and parts of Denmark people use small 'Cocktail sausages for the same reason as your tatty bacon.
I'll take taste over looks anytime,rustic how all pastries used to look
Stormlizard club has replied to Jenny McIntyre clubJenny- I bought a single 500ml bottle of Guiness for less than £2 in Sainsbury's. You could simply use extra beef stock though the beer gives it a good flavour and dark colour, or any other dark beer to be honest..
Sign-in to write a comment.