Steak and Mushroom Pie

Posted by annerblood on April 22, 2013 · 2 Comments 

A pie and a pint, the perfect end to a country walk, or simply the perfect thing for a rainy day in London (which is most days, to be honest). Ask a Brit what their favorite pie is and they will give you the name of a savory one; ask an American and they will tell you something sweet.

Last Thanksgiving, our Mom made six pies. Two apple, two pumpkin, one raisin and one pear cranberry. For the first time in eight years, I was actually home to enjoy these pies and enjoy them I did, all of them. Watching Mom make pies is one of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving; she is a master of the pie crust. Maddeningly, she has no real “tips” or “tricks” other than “Don’t over work it”. All of my early attempts at making pie crust were disastrous; trying to abide by the golden rule “don’t over work it”, I’d find myself with a crumbling mess that refused to hold together, and then, throwing caution to the wind, I’d end up with a miserably chewy base. It is both a blessing and a curse that I am incredibly stubborn (and competitive) and I have refused to be beaten by my nemesis, the “crust”.

In my attempt to become a “crust master”, I took a step away from sweet fruit pies to their savory cousins, the hearty meat pies I have come to enjoy in a dark, cozy pub. The first time I made a steak and ale pie, I used store-bought puff pastry. Puff pastry is wonderful for a savory pie as its light, fluffy texture and buttery taste beautifully complement the hearty filling below. Only one problem – by choosing the puff pastry shortcut, I let my enemy, Mr. Crust, get a step ahead of me. Mr. Crust: 1 Anne: 0.

I have yet to attempt to make puff pastry, but I wanted to find a similarly “light” and flakey crust to complement a steak and mushroom filling. I found a suitable pie crust for a different “pot pie” recipe on Smitten Kitchen. This recipe uses slightly different ingredients than my Mom’s tried and tested pie crust recipe which includes only  the traditional bare minimum of shortening or lard, flour and cold water. Here, there is yogurt and vinegar. This crust is slightly easier to handle, but the golden rule still applies: “Don’t over work it.” Ideally you want to make the pie crust the day before you assemble the pie so it has time to rest in the refrigerator before you roll it out. Making this crust is well worth the little extra effort. It also allowed me to settle a score with my nemesis. Now we are even. Mr. Crust: 1 Anne: 1.

  

There is only one drawback to a steak and mushroom pie: it takes a long time to prepare. The recipe below loosely follows the directions of Jamie Oliver for his Steak, Guinness and Cheese Pie and the method works very well. If a pie crust lid still daunts you use, simply go the tried and tested store-bought puff pastry route; this is delicious. Freddie has suggested that the filling could be made in a crock pot and, while I have yet to embrace the retro love of a crock pot, I am sure she is right. The filling can also be made a day ahead of time and the final pie assembled the next day for its final bake in the oven to warm up the filling and crisp the crust. I made two little pies in oven-proof bowls, but you can just as easily make one large pie to share.

Ingredients (serves 4 to 6)

Pie crust:

2 cups (250 grams) all- purpose flour

½  teaspoon table salt

¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon (185 grams) cold unsalted butter, diced

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons (90 grams) sour cream or plain Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon (15 ml) white wine vinegar

¼  cup (60 ml) ice water

1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

 

Filling:

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 medium red onions, peeled and roughly chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped

2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

3 celery stalks, trimmed and roughly chopped

1 ½ lb (680-700 grams) chestnut mushrooms, sliced in half if they are large

1 lb (450-500 grams) stewing steak or brisket, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped

1 ½ cups (350 ml) dark stout (such as Guinness)

2 tablespoons flour

6 ounces (170 grams) cheddar cheese, grated

 

Crust:

• In a large, wide bowl (preferably one that you can get your hands into), combine the flour and salt

• Add the butter and use a pastry blender or your fingers to combine the flour and butter until it resembles little pebbles

•  In a small dish, whisk together the sour cream, vinegar, and water, and then add it to the butter-flour mixture, and combine

• Using a flexible spatula, stir the wet and the dry ingredients together just until they start to form a loose ball. If needed, use your hands to draw it together, but resist the temptation to start kneading the dough

•  Form the dough into a flat disc, wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill it in the fridge overnight or up to 2 days

 

Filling:

• Preheat the oven to 357 F or 190 C

• In a large ovenproof pan, heat the olive oil over low heat

• Add the onions and cook for 10 minutes until they start to soften ( try not to color them too much)

• Turn up the heat and add the garlic, carrots, celery and mushroom; stir to combine

• Add the beef, rosemary and roughly a teaspoon of ground black pepper (don’t add salt at this point because the cheese you add later is quite salty). Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

• Add the flour and stir to coat everything lightly with flour

• Pour in the stout and bring it up to a simmer

• Once simmering, remove from heat, cover the pan, and place it in the preheated oven to bake for 1 ½ hours

• After the filling has baked for an hour and a half, remove it from the oven and give it a good stir. The vegetables will release a lot of liquid, so you should not have to add more water; but if the filling looks dry, put in a little bit of water.

• Cover the filling and return the pan to the oven for another hour

• Remove the filing from the oven and check the thickness of the sauce; you want it to be thick and robust. (If it is too liquidy, it will make your pie crust lid very soggy because it will generate too much steam while it bakes). If necessary, reduce the sauce over a high heat on the stove top.

• Leave to cool slightly (or put in the fridge overnight to assemble the next day)

 

Assembly and final bake:

• If you are assembling the pie the next day, preheat the oven to 375 F or 190 C

• Lightly flour a work surface and roll out the crust until it is about ¼ inch thick (roughly the thickness of a pound coin) and large enough to cover the top of your pie (or pies)

• Pour the pie filling into your desired pie dish and cover with the grated cheddar cheese

• In a small bowl, whisk one large egg with a tablespoon of water

• Gently brush the edge of the pie dish with the egg wash (this will help the crust stay on your pie) and then place the crust over the pie filling

• Lightly crimp the edge of the crust to seal the pie and cut a few large vents in top to let out steam while it cooks

• Place the pie in the oven for 30-45 minutes, or until the pie crust is golden and crisp

• Serve warm from the oven

Filed under Pie · Tagged with Butter, Cook, Flour, Guinness, London, Pie, Pie crust, Puff pastry, Steak, Strained yogurt