Steak & Ale Winter Pie

How to make a pub and restaurant standard, Steak & Ale Winter Pie at home, step by step instructions, from start to finish.

Ingredients

Method

Filling:
500g / 18oz Stewing Beef
1 Onion (med size, diced)
155g / 5½oz Carrot, (diced)
200g / 7oz Mushrooms
20g / 1tbls Tomato puree
250mls Amber Ale
250mls Beef stock
Bouquet Garni (made up from
Parsley, Thyme, Bay leaf)
2tsp Cornflour/starch
Salt & Black Pepper to taste
Pastry:
340g / 12oz Plain flour
170g / 6oz Butter (cold)
65g Water (ice cold)
8g /1tsp Salt

Making the Pastry:
By far the best way to make shortcrust pastry is to use a food processor. It’s very quick and easy, but more importantly, it keeps all the ingredients cold, which is essential when making shortcrust pastry.
Add the flour, salt, and cold butter to the processor with the blade tool attached.
Pulse the machine until you have a fine breadcrumb consistency; this should only take 30 to 45 seconds.
Next step; set the machine running while slowly pouring in the ice-cold water.
Once the pastry comes together and starts rolling around the machine, it’s done (see the video), once again, this should only take 30 to 45 seconds to complete.
Once done, remove it from the machine.
You should now have around 560g / 20oz of pastry.
Divide it into 2 pieces, 1^st, 300g / 11oz for the base of the pie, and 2^nd, 260g / 9oz for the top or lid of the pie.
Wrap each piece in cling film, refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before using it.
Making the pie filling:
In a large frying pan, on a high heat, stir-fry the diced steak until it has some colour.

Transfer the meat to a medium size saucepan.
In the same frying pan, fry the onions, carrot and mushrooms until soft, then add those to the saucepan with the meat.
Add the beef stock and the amber ale to the saucepan.
Bring it to a low boil, then add the tomato paste, and the bouquet Garni.
Season the mixture with salt and black pepper.
Get the lid on the pan, reduce the heat to very low, simmer for 1 hour.
Once the meat is tender, add the cornflour mixture a little at a time, until the filling has thickened, your filling is done.
Allow it to completely cool, this is best made the day before and refrigerated overnight.
You can however, cool it enough to use by floating the pan in a sink of cold water, this normally takes around 30 minutes.
Beat the egg and a dash of milk in a container (egg-wash).
Grease a suitable pie tin, see the video for the tin that I use.
Roll out the larger of the 2 pastries, to 3mm thick, once rolled, line the greased pie tin with it, leave plenty pastry hanging over the rim.
Fill the pastry case with the now cold steak & ale filling, and level it off.
Roll out the other piece of pastry to the same thickness as the base, 3mm. roll it up onto the rolling pin.
At this point preheat your oven to 170°C / 340°F / Gas mark 3.
Brush egg-wash all around the lip of the pastry base.
Line it up, and unroll the pastry lid over top of the pie base.
Gently press it down with the palm of your hands.
Using your forefingers and thumbs, crimp all around the edge of the pie, (see the video for this technique).
Trim off the excess pastry, and re-crimp to tidy it all up.
Cut a few vent holes in the middle of the pie.
Brush the whole surface with the egg-wash.
Optional step. You can add various patterns and shapes to the pie using up any spare leftover pastry, (see the video for an example)
Get the pie into the preheated oven, bake for 50 minutes.
Halfway through turn the pie 180° for even baking.
Once done, remove it from the oven, allow it rest for 10 minutes on a wire rack.
Get it out of the pie tin, slice and serve with mashed potatoes or chips/fries, mushy peas n gravy.
Enjoy.