It is super tasty with lots of lovely chunks of meat and thick gravy: a very traditional beef pie. Felix is a solid little carnivore!
Ingredients
- 1.2 kg (2½lb) chuck stewing or braising steak, cut into 4 cm (1½in) cubes
- 1½tbsp plain flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 oz (25 g) butter
- 18 pearl (or ‘button’) onions, peeled and trimmed
- 300 ml (10 fl oz) beef stock
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper or paprika
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 handful flat leaf parsley, chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 lb (450 g) carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 egg, beaten
- 14 oz (400 g) good-quality butter puff pastry
How to Make It
- Roll the meat in the seasoned flour. Put the oil and butter into a large pan on a medium to high heat and fry the meat in batches, turning until browned all over but still pink in the middle. Don’t put too much meat in the pan at any one time. Remove the meat and reserve for later.
- In a pan boil the onions in the stock for about 10 minutes until they are just tender. Strain, keeping the liquid, and put the onions to one side. Return the meat to the large pan with the cooking liquid from the onions, add the cayenne to the meat and stir through (you can use paprika instead of cayenne pepper for a milder dish). Add the herbs and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover the pan and simmer for 1 hour. Check and stir occasionally, adding a dash of stock if more liquid is needed.
- After an hour stir in the carrots, the cooked onions and the Worcestershire sauce. Simmer gently for a further 30 minutes, until the meat and the carrots are tender. Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F/Gas 7). Spoon the stew into a pie dish and brush the rim of the dish with a little beaten egg.
- Roll out the puff pastry so it is big enough to cover the pie dish. Place the rolled pastry over the top of the dish, trimming the edges to fit. Press the edges down with your thumb and decorate the pie with shapes cut from the excess pastry. Cut a small hole in the top to let the steam escape and brush the pastry all over with the beaten egg. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
- I like to serve this pie with boiled new potatoes and runner beans.
