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Beef, Guinness and Stilton Pie
- Preparation and cooking time
- Prep:
- Cook:
- Easy
- Serves 4
Ingredients
- 250g ready-made puff pastry (about half a packet of All-Butter Puff pastry)
- 1 beaten egg, to glaze
- 3 tablespoons of plain flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
- 500g (1lb) braising steak (chuck steak or shin of beef), cut into large cubes
- 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
- 2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
- 8 button mushrooms
- 300ml (½ pint) Guinness
- 150150ml (¼ pint) of good quality beef stock (please don’t be tempted to use stock cubes!)
- 1 dessert spoon of Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon of sea salt
- 1 teaspoon of dried mixed herbs
- 1 teaspoon of caster sugar
- 1 bay leaf
- 100g Stilton cheese crumbled
Method
- STEP 1Put the seasoned flour in a large bowl or bag. Add the beef and coat it well. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pan and cook the beef in 2 batches for 3-4 minutes until browned all over.
- STEP 2Transfer it to a casserole dish. Preheat the oven to or 160°C (150 fan) Add the onion and garlic and another tablespoon of the oil to the pan and cook them for 5 minutes until softened.
- STEP 3Pour in the Guinness and stock. Bring to the boil and add the sugar, salt, Worcestershire sauce, dried herbs and bay leaf. Stir well and then pour over the meat.
- STEP 4Cover and cook in the oven for two hours. Add the button mushrooms for the last 30 minutes of cooking. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
- STEP 5Preheat the oven to 200°C (180 fan) Roll out the pastry on a lightly-floured surface to at least 5cm (2in) larger than the top of a pudding or pie dish. Cut out a circle, and then score it. Spoon the meat mixture into the bowl and add pieces of Stilton. Wet around the top of the dish, place a collar of pastry around, made from trimmings, and then put on the lid. Seal the edges well; tuck the excess pastry under the rim.
- STEP 6Glaze with beaten egg. Place on a baking sheet, below the centre of the oven, and bake for 45-50 minutes, until the pastry is golden.
