There is nothing nicer than a warming Beef and Ale Pie on cold winter days. Personally I like my pie served with a selection of roasted seasonal vegetables.
This pie uses Yorkshire Ale from the Black Sheep Brewery, one of my personal favorites, but you are free to substitute this with any ale of your choosing. I would advise using one with a decent strength – a weak ale will lead to a mediocre beef and ale pie!
Enjoy!
1 oz butter with 1 tbsp olive oil
2 lbs stewing steak or shin beef, diced
1 oz plain flour seasoned with salt and pepper
2 red onions, peeled and sliced
2 banana shallots, peeled and sliced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
4 oz small Chestnut mushrooms, sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and grated
Bouquet Garni – 3 parsley stalks, 1 sprig thyme and 1 bay leaf tied together with fine string
14 fl oz Black Sheep Yorkshire Square Ale
1 pint beef stock
10 oz ready rolled puff pastry
Egg wash – 1 egg
- Place a large casserole over a medium heat
- Put the beef and seasoned flour into a large plastic bag, toss to coat
- Add the butter and oil to the casserole, when hot brown the beef in batches, remove and put to one side
- Add the onions, shallots, carrots, mushrooms, garlic and Bouquet Garni, cook for two minutes, return beef to the casserole along with the stock and beer
- Bring up to the boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer gently for two hours or until the meat is tender, remove the Bouquet Garni and discard
- Season to taste, transfer to the ovenproof pie dish
- Preheat oven to 200ºC
- Brush the edges of the dish with egg, cut a thin strip of pastry and place around the dish, top with the pastry, crimp with a fork, cut off excess
- Cut two vents in the top and brush with the egg
- Put in the centre of the oven and bake for 35 minutes, or until the pastry is a light golden brown
- Serve with seasonal vegetables