It was National Pie Day on Wednesday this week! Unfortunately, it was the American National Pie Day, but I didn’t let that stop me making this yummy meaty pie for our dinner to celebrate (do I ever really need an excuse to bake a pie?!)
The meat in this pie is super-tender and flakes apart on your fork, and this is due to the slow-cooking process of the filling. You can’t usually get such a well-cooked meat in a normal pie, because the pastry crust usually cooks in half an hour and the filling needs a lot longer, so I start this one off on the hob then transfer to the oven like a stew, or you could put it in a slow-cooker in the morning and it’ll be perfect to add to a pie-case when you want your dinner. Or maybe make double-portions of a beef stew the day before, saving half for a pie on the second day. Either way, it’ll ensure the flavours are beautifully combined and the beef is lovely and tender. I used beef fillet, but because you are slow-cooking the filling, you can use any stewing cuts of beef you like.
Ingredients: shortcrust pastry, 300g diced beef, 1 large chopped red onion, 2 large diced potatoes, 4 sliced carrots, 1/2 diced swede, 2 sliced parsnips, 1 & 1/2 pints beef stock, 1 glass red wine, 2 tablespoons of flour, 2 teaspoons tomato puree, 1 tablespoon mixed herbs, salt and pepper to taste.
Method: Season your tablespoons of flour and toss your beef chunks in it before browning in the casserole pan with a little olive oil. Add the onion and brown for a couple of minutes before adding the rest of the vegetables. Stir in the tomato puree and mixed herds before adding the beef stock and red wine to cover the veg and put it in the oven to simmer until the veg is soft and the beef is well stewed and flaky. Add to a pie dish and cover with a shortcrust pastry lid, brush with a little milk and put back into the oven to cook until the pastry is golden brown.
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