Steak and Ale Pie

It is a special evening tonight; we are entertaining my wife's parents. It is my mother-in-laws 60th birthday. I always get nervous about cooking for them, as they have very specific likes and dislikes. However the good thing is that they like what I call "proper traditional grub".

So after much thinking and much consultation with my wife, I have decided to make a mouth-watering Steak and Ale pie with short crust pastry, served with mashed potato, green cabbage and carrots.

Ideally I would have made the pie filling yesterday, but I forgot one very important ingredient for Steak and Ale pie - the Ale, so I picked this up today a nice bottle of Black Sheep Ale.

The approximate cost of the meal per person is £2.50p

I looked around for a recipe, but didn't really find one that ticked all my boxes, so this is my version.


Ingredients for the pie filling

800g diced beef
3 TBLSP of plain flour
Pepper
Oil for frying
200g of closed cap mushrooms, wiped clean and halved
2 onions, peels and sliced
1 TBLSP sugar
4 garlic cloves, crushed
300ml good-quality beef stock
300ml brown ale
1 TSP tomato purée
2 TSP of dried thyme
3 TBLSP Worcestershire sauce
1 TBLSP of flour

Ingredients for the pastry

200g plain flour
Pinch of salt
100g butter - diced
Cold water
1 egg beaten for glazing the pie

Method for the filling:

• In a bowl add the flour and pepper and mix
• Add the beef into the bowl and mix until the beef is covered with flour
• Add some oil to a frying pan, and cook the beef on a high heat in batches until browned all over
• Once browned remove the beef with a slotted spoon and set aside the beef in a large pan
• Add a bit more oil to the pan, and fry the mushrooms for 2 minutes, and set aside with the beef
• Add more oil, and add the onions and sugar and cook over a medium heat for 20-30 minutes, stirring often until brown and caramelised
• Add the garlic to the onions and cook for 1min
• Add the TBLSP of flour to the onions and mix well
• Put the onions, beef and mushrooms in a large pan and mix well
• Add the thyme, Worcestershire sauce, tomato puree, stock and ale to the pan and bring to the boil
• Reduce heat and simmer gently with lid on for two hours
• After two hours taste and adjust seasoning if required, also try some of the meat to ensure it is very tender, if not allow to cook a while longer
• Remove from heat and allow to cool
• After the meat is cooked, take a colander and strain the gravy - you should if everything has gone to plan have a lot of gravy (it will become clear as to why)
• Place the meat into your pie dish, and pour some of the gravy over the meat, you do not want the gravy to be above the meat. See below picture.

• Set aside the remaining gravy to serve with the meal

Method for the short crust pastry:

• Place flour and salt in a bowl
• add the butter
• Rub the butter into the flour until it looks like fine breadcrumbs

The flour and butter rubbed in

• Take a tablespoon and start adding the water, one tablespoon at a time, mixing the water into the flour and butter. Repeat adding the water until the dough comes together

The resulting dough after adding the water

• Put the dough in a plastic food bag/cling film and put it in the fridge for at least half an hour

Method of assembling the pie:

• Take the dough out of the fridge and roll out
• Cut a thin strip and brush egg round the edge of the pie dish
• Put the all-round the edge of the pie dish and then brush with the egg

The pie rim lined for the lid

• place the rolled out lid onto the pie
• Then with a tines of a fork, press gently down to seal
• with the remaining egg brush the top of the pie to glaze
• Cook for 50 minutes at 220 degrees C and serve

The pie ready for baking