Guinness Steak Pie

I have also done Guinness Steak Pie for our dinner as I have a packet of puff pastry still sitting in the freezer.

I am happy that the dinner turned out well.  Unfortunately since it was late, I didn’t manage to capture a nice picture for these as my dining table light is warm shade.

What you need:

750g stewing beef, diced (lean and shin combination)

sea salt and pepper, to taste

2 heaping tbsp flour

2 - 3 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped

1 large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped

4 sticks celery, roughly chopped

rosemary, thyme, bay ( fresh herbs, pick leaves and add about a handful)

2½ cups Guinness stout beer

1 can tomato puree

puff pastry, defrosted ( 1 lb. 2 oz. package)

1 egg, beaten

Method:

Season your beef generously with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the flour and toss around until all pieces are well coated.

Heat olive oil, over med.-high heat, in a large casserole type pan and brown the meat.

Make sure to not crowd your meat. You may do this in two batches, if necessary.

Add the onion and cook for 1 more minute.

Then add the carrot, celery and fresh herbs. Cook for another 4 minutes.

Add the Guinness and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Stir and turn down the heat to simmer. Simmer this mixture for about 2 hours or until the meat is very tender. The sauce should be thick and intensely flavored. Season if needed.

To make pies:

Preheat your oven to 180ºC

Put your meat filling into a large, round baking dish. You could also make individual pies. Any high-sided round ovenproof bowl is fine.

Roll out the pastry, dusting with flour as you go, until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out a large circle (or individual circles for smaller servings) - about 1/2 inch bigger than the top of your bowl.

Brush the rim(s) of the bowl with the beaten egg, then place the pastry circle(s) on top, pushing the excess pastry down the outside of the bowl to secure. Lightly score the top of the pastry in a criss-cross manner and brush with more of the beaten egg.

Bake in the middle of the preheated oven for about 45 minutes or until golden and bubbling.