- Hearty & Grounding
- Mains
- Prep 30 min
- Cook 3 h
- Serves 6
Tender chunks of beef stewed until they fall apart, tucked under a crisp, buttery lid. It takes time, but almost all of it is waiting, and the filling tastes even better made a day ahead.
Ingredients
- 1 kg braising steak, cut into 3 cm chunks
- 3 tbsp plain flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
- 3 tbsp oil
- 2 onions, chopped
- 250 g chestnut mushrooms, quartered
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 600 ml beef stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 1 sheet ready-rolled puff pastry (about 320 g)
- 1 egg, beaten, to glaze
Method
- Toss the beef in the seasoned flour. Brown it in batches in a large ovenproof pot with a little oil, then set aside.
- Soften the onions, carrots and mushrooms in the same pot for 8 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato purée and cook for a minute.
- Return the beef to the pot with the stock, bay leaves, thyme and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook in the oven at 150 C for 2 to 2.5 hours, until the beef is very tender.
- Remove the bay leaves and thyme. If the gravy is thin, simmer uncovered until it coats a spoon. Cool the filling completely.
- Heat the oven to 200 C. Spoon the filling into a 1.5 litre pie dish, add a pie funnel if you have one, and cover with the pastry. Press the edges down, trim and cut a steam hole.
- Brush with beaten egg and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until puffed and deep golden.
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