Beef and stout pie recipe
Use this base recipe to mix and match the flavours using any game you like, from curried goat to kangaroo and venison.
A good pie with homemade pastry is hard to beat. Here, the ï¬lling is the classic combination of beef simmered in dark stout – but you can use this base recipe to mix and match the flavours using any game you like, from curried goat to kangaroo and venison.
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RECIPE: Beef and stout pies
Ingredients
Pie filling
- 1 egg, beaten
- Butter and olive oil, for cooking
- 2.5kg beef topside, diced
- 3 brown onions, sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, sliced
- 2 thyme sprigs
- 2 rosemary sprigs
- 2 tablespoons plain flour
- 440ml stout
- 100g peas, fresh or frozen
Puff pastry
- 250g (3 cups) baker’s flour
- Good pinch of salt
- 250g unsalted butter
- 100ml cold water
- Four sheets shortcrust pastry, additional
Method
- To make the filling, put a knob of butter and a slug of oil in a heavy-based saucepan over a high heat. Brown the beef in batches, making sure not to crowd the pan, and season with salt and pepper.
- Once the meat is done, set it aside in a bowl that will catch all the juices. Add some more butter and oil to the pan and turn the heat down low. Add the onion, garlic and herbs and gently cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the beef and any juice from the bowl and stir in.
- Pour in the stout and bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to a slow simmer. Leave to cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until the beef is soft. Fold the peas through and check the seasoning. Leave to cool before using, or refrigerate overnight.
- To make the puff pastry, sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Rub in the butter using your fingers. Don’t overdo it – you still want to see chunks of butter. Make a well in the centre, add the water and combine by hand to form a rough ball. Let the pastry rest for 5 minutes, then, on a lightly floured bench, roll it into a rectangle about 20cm x 50cm.
- Fold the top third of the pastry into the centre, then fold the bottom third up over that. Place it back in the fridge and let it rest for another 5 minutes. Repeat all the steps (rolling, folding, resting) another 3 times. Then let the pastry rest in the fridge for 20 minutes before using.
- For the bases of these pies, I use shortcrust pastry, store bought is fine. To make the pies, preheat the oven to 180C, and grease eight pie tins. To assemble, cut the shortcrust pastry for the bases. Make sure these are big enough to hang over the side of the tins; this will make the pies easier to seal. Fill with the meat mixture, up to the top of the pastry. Now roll over the puff to fit the tops of the pies. Brush the pastry edges with the beaten egg to help them stick together, then press around the edges with your thumbs. Cut excess pastry and crimp the sides for presentation.
- Brush the tops with more egg wash. Place the pie tins on a baking tray, then into the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. Remove and let sit in the tins for 20 minutes. Makes 8 pies
Some other delicious recipes you may love:
- Charlotte Ree’s famous burnt basque cheesecake
- The only choc-chip biscuit recipe you’ll ever need
- Collapsing chocolate cake ‘a thing of beauty’
- One-pan chicken dish to impress your friends
This is an edited extract from Wild Meat by Ross O’Meara (Hardie Grant, $39.95)