Grill Interrupted

This pie. You need to try it.

It’s as delicious as I’d hoped. I mean, rustic beef stew layered between a delectable, flaky crust. How can you go wrong?

And if you want to see me making a fool of myself as I try to sound like Gordon Ramsay, but come off sounding a lot more like Jamie Oliver… Check me out on YouTube.

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Steak & Guinness Pie with a Puff Pastry Lid

Adapted from Jamie Oliver

Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 medium red onions, peeled and chopped
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 sticks of celery, trimmed and chopped
4 cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 pounds of stewing beef, cut into 2cm cubes
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, leaves picked and chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 can of Guinness
2 tablespoons plain flour
1 pound puff pastry
1 large egg, beaten

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. In a large ovenproof pan, heat olive oil on Medium heat. Add the onions and fry 10 minutes.
2. Turn the heat to High, add the garlic, butter, carrots, celery and mushrooms. Mix everything together before stirring in the beef, rosemary, a pinch of salt and a level teaspoon of pepper.
3. Cook for 3 or 4 minutes, then pour in the Guinness, stir in the flour and add just enough water to cover. Bring to a simmer, cover the pan with a lid and place in the preheated oven for about 1½ hours.
4. Remove the pan from the oven and give the stew a stir. Put it back into the oven and continue to cook it for another 30 minutes.
5. Place the pan on the stove on High heat, and reduce until the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper, leave to cool slightly.
6. Cut about a third of the pastry off the block. Dust a clean work surface with flour and roll both pieces of pastry out evenly with a floured rolling pin. Grease an appropriately sized pie dish (I used a deep 9.5″ dish), then line with the larger sheet, leaving the edges dangling over the side. Tip the stew into your lined dish and even it out. Brush the edges of the pastry with a little beaten egg.
7. Cut the other rolled sheet of pastry to fit the top of the pie dish and criss-cross it lightly with a sharp knife. Place it over the top of the pie and fold the overhanging pastry on to the pastry lid to make it look nice and rustic. Brush the top with beaten egg, then bake the pie directly on the bottom of the oven, until the pastry is cooked, puffed and golden, about 30 to 45 minuted.

Filed under: Recipe on August 30th, 2010