Beef And Ale Pie Recipes

STEAK AND ALE PIE WITH MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Place the beef stew meat, onion, and ale in a large saucepan. Simmer over low heat until the meat is tender, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Season the beef with garlic, thyme, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Mix in the potatoes and mushrooms. Cover and simmer over medium heat until potatoes are just tender enough to pierce with a fork, 10 to 15 minutes. Whisk a small amount of the sauce together with the flour in a small bowl, and stir into the beef. Simmer until slightly thickened.
• Fit one pie crust into the bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch pie plate. Spoon the hot beef mixture into the crust and top with the remaining pie crust. Cut slits in the top crust to vent steam and crimp the edges to seal them together.
• Bake in preheated oven until the crust is golden brown and gravy is bubbling, 35 to 40 minutes.

HOW TO MAKE STEAK AND ALE PIE

Steps:

• For the pastry, sift the flour and the salt into a large mixing bowl, then put into the fridge for a few minutes to chill. (Keeping the flour and bowl cold will help you to get a better result later and create nice separate layers or pastry.)
• Meanwhile, cut the butter into small cubes. Using a round-bladed knife, stir it into the bowl until each piece is well coated with flour. Pour in the water, then, working quickly, use the knife to bring everything together to a rough dough.
• Gather the dough in the bowl using one hand, then turn it onto a work surface. Squash the dough into a fat, flat sausage, without kneading. Wrap in cling film then chill it in the fridge for 15 minutes.
• Lightly flour the work surface and the pastry. Roll out the pastry in one direction until it's about 1cm thick and three times as long as it is wide, or about 45x15cm/18x6in. Straighten up the sides using your hands now and again, and try to keep the top and bottom edges as square as possible.
• Fold the bottom third of the pastry up, then the top third down, to make a block about 15x15cm/6x6in. It doesn't matter if the pastry isn't exactly the right size, the important thing is that the corners are square.
• Turn the dough so that its open edge is facing to the right, like a book. Press the edges of the pastry together using the rolling pin.
• Roll out and fold the pastry again, repeating this four times in all to make a smooth dough, with buttery streaks here and there. If the pastry feels greasy at any point, or starts to spring back when as you roll, then cover and chill it for 10 minutes before continuing. Chill the finished pastry for an hour, or ideally overnight, before using.
• For the filling, mix the beef with the flour and some salt and pepper. An easy way to do this without making too much mess is to put everything into a large food bag, seal, then shake well.
• Heat a tablespoon of the oil in a large heatproof casserole up to a medium heat, then add half the beef, shaking off the excess flour and keeping the chunks well spaced so they fry rather than sweat. Brown for about 10 minutes, until golden-brown all over.
• Transfer the first batch of meat to a bowl, then add a splash of brown ale or water to the pan and scrape up any meaty bits. Tip the liquid into the bowl of meat. Wipe out the pan, then add a tablespoon of oil and brown the second batch of beef. When the beef is golden-brown transfer it to the bowl and set aside.
• Add the final spoon of oil to the pan and heat gently. Add the garlic, onions, carrots, celery and herbs to the pan and fry for a few minutes, until softened.
• Put the beef back into the pan. Pour in the stock and brown ale, then add the tomato purée and balsamic vinegar. If necessary, add a little more stock or hot water to ensure the meat is covered in liquid (this will prevent the beef from drying out). Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer the stew for 1-1½ hours until the beef is almost tender and the sauce has thickened. Set aside to cool, overnight if possible.
• Melt the butter in a large frying pan, then add the mushrooms. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then fry over a high heat for 5 minutes, or until golden-brown. Mix with the cooled pie filling and add to the pie dish.
• To make the pie, preheat the oven to 200C/Fan 180C/Gas 6. Flour the work surface, then roll out the pastry to the thickness of two £1 coins and wide enough to cover a family-size pie dish with some excess. Brush the edge of the pie dish with a little water or beaten egg.
• Use a sharp knife to cut the pastry to fit the top of the dish - if it's too big it doesn't matter. Lift on top of the pie, laying the pastry over a rolling pin to lift it. Press down gently to seal.
• Holding the knife blade horizontally, make a patterned edge by pressing down gently all around the edge of the pastry (this will help the layers in the pastry to puff up).
• Cut a couple of slits in the top of the pie to release steam. Brush the top of the pie with the beaten egg - taking care to avoid getting egg on the edges of the pastry as it will stick the layers together. Chill for 10 minutes, or until the pastry is firm. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling and the pastry is golden-brown and puffed all over.

STEAK AND ALE PIE

Steps:

• Trim any excess fat and sinew off the meat then cube into bite-size chunks then pat dry with paper towels and season generously with salt.
• Sear the meat in a large, deep pan or Dutch oven in batches until browned all over.
• Remove the beef from the pan then sauté the onion, celery, carrots, garlic and herbs for 5 minutes or until starting to soften.
• Add the beef back to the pan along with any of its resting juices then pour in the ale and beef stock. Season with salt and pepper then cover with a lid and reduce the heat.
• Allow to simmer for 2-3 hours over low heat (or place in an oven preheated to 160ºC/320ºF) and cook until the meat is fall-apart tender.
• Check the stew half way through cooking and top up with more liquid if necessary - you don't want the stew to cook dry.
• (I don't feel the need to thicken the gravy with flour but if you want, you can add a tablespoon of flour mixed with some stock or water to the stew for the last 10 minutes of cooking and allow to cook until thickened.)
• Once the pie filling is cooked, transfer to a pie dish then top with the puff pastry.
• Crimp the edges then brush with beaten egg and cut a few slits into the center to act as vents.
• Place in a hot oven and allow to bake for 20-25 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and puffed.
• Remove from the oven, allow to rest for 5 minutes then serve.

BRITISH BEEF AND ALE PIE

Steps:

• Mix flour and seasoning in a shallow bowl.
• Coat beef on all sides (if roast is large, cut in 2 or 3 pieces so it fits in crock pot). Toss out remaining flour mixture.
• Brown the beef on all sides, remove.
• Rough chop onions and garlic and add to the pan, heating until soft.
• Place beef, carrots, onions/garlic, ale and beef stock in crock pot and cook on high for 6-8 hours until it falls apart easily.
• Remove beef and vegetables from crock pot, reserving liquids. Pull beef into shreds, removing any fat or undesirable pieces.
• Melt butter in a large saute pan, and cook the mushrooms.
• Remove 3 cups of liquid from the crock pot and wisk in 1/4 cup flour until smooth. Add to saute pan and cook until sauce thickens. Add beefy mushroom soup. Add beef and vegetables. Maintain on low to keep warm.
• Prepare puff pastry as directed on the package, baking until risen and golden.
• Spoon beef mixture in individuals crocks/bowls and top with a single serving of puff pastry.