Beef and onion pie

Serves:

Ingredients

Meat sauce:

• 1/3 cup plain flour
• 1 teaspoon salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 900g chuck steak, diced (you can buy it diced from butchers)
• 1 and a half cups carrot, peeled and medium dice
• half a cup celery, medium dice
• 5 shallots, peeled and cut into three
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 and a half cups red wine (I used a cleanskin shiraz)
• half a cup Chicken Liquid stock
• 3 sprigs of rosemary

Pastry:

• 2 and a half cups plain flour
• 1 cup melted unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons milk
• Pinch salt

Method

Preheat oven to 190C.

In a medium bowl mix together flour, salt and pepper. Dredge the diced steak in the flour mixture and shake off any excess.

Heat large frying pan until very hot. Add half the oil and brown meat (you will need to do two batches for best results).

Once the meat is all browned, heat frying pan on medium heat, add remaining oil and saute carrot, celery, shallots and garlic.

Add tomato paste and saute for a further 1-2 minutes, mixing with a wooden spoon.

Add wine and stock then bring to the boil, throw in rosemary sprigs.

Place browned meat in a roasting tray and pour over the vegetables and stock.

Cover with foil and place in the oven for an hour and a half, After this time, turn off the oven and leave the pan in the cooling oven for a further 30 minutes. Remove and cool.

Preheat oven to 190C and spray 23cm pie dish with cooking spray.

For the dough:

Sift flour and salt into a medium bowl.

With a fork, mix together butter and flour to form dough – just before it all comes together, add the milk.

Use your hand to bring the dough together into a ball.

Sprinkle a little flour onto a clean surface. Split the dough in half and press both halves into a disc shape.

Place one disc on the floured surface, dust a rolling pin with flour and begin to roll out pastry. Place it into the pie dish and push it gently into place. Neaten up the sides and add cold meat mixture.

Roll out the remaining disc of dough and place on top of the pie dish.

Cut off any excess dough then brush the top of the pastry with an egg wash (egg mixed with a little milk); using a fork, press the edges of the pie down to secure then place in the fridge for 15 minutes so the dough can firm up.

Bake in oven for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and rest for ten minutes before serving.

Notes

• I made the mixture a day ahead so I could put it in the pie crust cold as I find the pie works best when everything is the same temperature – putting the mixture in the fridge to cool will have the same effect.
• This pastry needs to be rolled straight away because of the butter content.
• If making pastry is not your thing, then pop down to you local supermarket and buy some ready-to-go shortcrust pastry because the beef mixture is worth it!
• You can freeze leftovers.
• Recipe created by Camilla Baker for Kidspot, New Zealand‰s best recipe finder.

Serving Suggestions

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