Even though winter hasn’t seemed to settle in just yet by us, we still have some cold enough days to justify a steak, ale and cheese pie. This takes a while to be cooked but in truth, you do about 20 minutes preparation and the oven does the rest. Perfect to have a lazy Sunday at home when the most pressing matter is when you can eat the delicous pie and what movie to choose to see you into the evening. I love weekends like that, don’t you?
This recipe comes from a friend that loves Jamie Oliver recipes so much that she passes them around to anyone that will listen. She had made at the words “steak”, “cheese” and “pie”.
Steak, ale and cheese pie
olive oil
2 onions chopped
2 cloves of garlic chopped
30g of butter
2 carrots peeled and chopped
2 sticks celery peeled and chopped
about 4 field mushrooms. sliced
1 kg brisket of beef or stewing steak cut into 2 cm cubes
small amount of fresh rosemary picked and chopped
salt and pepper
1 can of Guinness
2 tablespoons flour
200g fresh Cheddar cheese
500g puff pastry
1 egg, beaten
Preheat oven to 190C/375F.
In a large overnproof pan, heat about a tablespoon of oil on a low heat. Add the onions and fry gently for a few minutes. Turn the heat up and add the garlic, butter, carrots, celery and mushrooms. Mix everything in before stirring in the rosemary, beef, some salt and a teaspoon of pepper.
Fry for a few minutes, then pour in the Guinness, stir in the flour and add some water (if needed) to cover. Bring to the simmer and cover the pan with a lid and cook in the oven for one and a half hours. Remove and give the stew a stir, continue cooking for another hour.
Remove from the heat and stir in half the cheese, season and let the filling cool slightly.
When you are ready to make your pie. Roll of a piece of the puff pastry to line the bottom of your pie dish. Butter the pie dish and line the pastry inside, leaving some edges dangling. Pour in your filling mixture and sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top. Roll out another piece of pastry for the top of the pie and place over the mixture. You can do whatever fancy pie work here you like but I usually just crimp the edges together, create a hole in the centre with the tip of a knife and brush the top with beaten egg. Bake for 45 minutes until the pastry is cooked and golden. Jamie suggests serving this with peas, and if you would like to feel really English, add some chips (fries) as well.
Unfortunately my photography did not justify the taste of the pie and it was too lovely and warm from the oven for me to spend that much time trying to get a decent shot. But trust me, this recipe is a keeper.
