I made this delicious pie some time ago and promised you the recipe, and here it is. It works really nicely with venison, too. Some of you have been asking for a beef pie recipe for a while, and I think I’ve really cracked it with this one. You can use most cuts of beef if you don’t have chuck steak. Just make sure it’s nicely trimmed. I’ve also included enough pastry to make a bottom and a top. I know this is controversial, but I usually just add a top to my pies (I know, that means it’s technically a casserole with a pastry, not a pie), but that’s how I like it. So you can halve the quantity of the pastry recipe if you like. Any excess will freeze well though. I like to roll it and then freeze it in a sheet.
Beef and Red Wine Pie
Charlotte Pike
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil, for frying
700g diced chuck steak
20g plain flour, seasoned
200g smoked bacon, sliced thinly
25g butter
2 red onions, peeled and thinly sliced
3 small carrots, peeled and finely diced
250ml red wine
400ml beef stock
4 sprigs of thyme, leaves roughly chopped
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp muscovado sugar
1-2 tsp Aspall Red Wine Vinegar
For the pastry
500g plain flour
125g butter
125g lard
Pinch salt
Cold water
One large egg, beaten
Method
Pre-heat the oven to 150C/Gas Mark 3. Place the beef in a bowl, add the flour and season well with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large frying pan or casserole dish and add the beef to the pan. Fry over a high heat until brown. Add the bacon and continue to cook.
Turn down the heat and add the butter, onions and carrots and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the wine, stock, thyme, bay, sugar and vinegar. Stir well, bring to the boil.
Tranfer the filling to an ovenproof casserole dish. Cover and place in the oven for 1.5 to 2 hours. Remove and allow to cool.
Now, make the pastry. Rub the fats into the flour in a large bowl to make breadcrumbs. This can be done very quickly in a food processor. Blend with enough cold water (around 4-6 tablespoons) to make a firm dough. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
Pre-heat the oven to 200C. On a floured surface roll out half the pastry to the thickness of a £1 coin. Spoon in the cold pie filling into a pie dish and cover with pastry. Trim the edges and decorate if you wish. Cut a hole in the centre, brush with beaten egg and bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the filling is bubbling and the pastry is a rich, golden brown.
Serve with wilted greens, and potatoes, if you like.