Bavarian Beef Pie Recipes

BIEROCKS (GERMAN MEAT TURNOVERS)

Steps:

• Saute beef, onion and garlic, salt and lemon pepper in a large skillet over medium high heat, until beef is browned. Add cabbage, Worcestershire sauce and caraway seeds. Cook until cabbage is limp; drain liquid from mixture.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• On a lightly floured board, roll each loaf of dough into a 12 inch circle. Cut each circle into 6 wedges. Spoon cabbage/beef filling onto center of each dough piece, dividing equally. Pull three points of each wedge up to the center and pinch to seal. Place bierocks on a lightly greased cookie sheet. If desired, brush dough with melted butter or egg wash (1 egg white with 2 tablespoons water).
• Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve hot, or wrap and freeze for heating later.

EPIC CHUNKY BEEF AND MUSHROOM PIE

Steps:

• Place porcini in a bowl and add hot water. Leave to soak for at least 30 minutes. Strain mushrooms and reserve soaking liquid. Roughly chop porcini.
• Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper.
• Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large heavy based pot. Add half the beef and brown all over, then remove and repeat with remaining beef. Set beef aside.
• Turn stove down to medium low. If the pot is looking dry, add more oil. Add onion and garlic, cook for 2 minutes. Add finely chopped carrots and celery, cook for 6 minutes or until softened and sweet (taste test!). Add carrot chunks and cook for 2 minutes.
• Add flour and stir through.
• Add ale, beef stock, and stir to dissolve the flour.
• Add thyme, bay leaves, porcini, reserved porcini soaking liquid (don't tip in gritty bits settled at bottom) and cooked beef. Turn heat up slightly, mix, bring to simmer, then cover. Adjust heat so it is simmering gently, not energetically.
• Cook for 1 hr 45 minutes or until beef is tender. (See video)
• Meanwhile, cook bacon in a skillet over high heat until golden. Remove and reserve bacon drippings in pan. Add mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes until golden all over. Return bacon into skillet, toss to coat mushrooms, then stir through stew.
• Simmer stew, uncovered, for 15 minutes until mushrooms are tender. Then remove from stove and cool.

TOURTIERE (MEAT PIE)

Steps:

• Bring potatoes to a boil in salted water. Simmer 15 minutes or until tender. Drain well and mash.
• While potatoes are cooking, brown ground beef, pork, onion, and garlic until no pink remains using a spoon to break it up. Add remaining ingredients (including mashed potatoes) except for pie crust and bread crumbs.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes or until thickened. Add 1 tablespoon of breadcrumbs to help the mixture hold together if needed. Cool for 20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Line a deep-dish pie plate with crust and add filling.
• Add top crust and seal edges. Add a few slits to allow steam to escape. Brush crust with beaten egg if desired.
• Bake for 45-55 minutes or until bubbly and crust is golden.

COLONIAL PORT-BEEF PIE

Steps:

• Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add shallot; cook and stir until softened, about 5 minutes. Add port and thyme; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook until sauce is reduced to 1/2 cup, about 35 minutes.
• Bring chicken broth to a simmer in a small saucepan. Turn off heat and add half the mushroom slices. Let mushrooms soak, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Use a slotted spoon to transfer soaked mushrooms to a small bowl. Strain the chicken broth from the saucepan into a separate bowl, pouring it through a coffee filter or cheesecloth to remove any sediment.
• Dice the soaked mushrooms and transfer to the port sauce. Add the strained chicken-mushroom broth.
• Bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook and stir until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 15 minutes.
• Mix cornstarch with 1/4 cup cold water in a bowl. Whisk cornstarch slurry rapidly into the simmering sauce until thickened, about 3 minutes. Add balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.
• Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Saute beef until meat is still slightly pink in the center, 6 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Saute remaining mushrooms and onion in the beef drippings until tender, about 5 minutes. Add to the bowl with the beef.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Combine flour and salt in a bowl. Cut 2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter into the flour using 2 knives or a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Add 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons cold water; mix until dough pulls away from edges of the bowl. Divide dough in half; set 1 portion aside and roll the other half onto a floured surface. Press dough into a 10-inch pie pan to form the bottom crust.
• Spread the vegetable-beef mixture over the crust in the pie pan. Pour sauce on top, spreading to the edges. Roll out the other half of the dough and cover pie with the crust; seal the edges.
• Bake in the preheated oven until flaky and golden, about 45 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes.

BAVARIAN BEEF DINNER

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, brown beef in oil. Add the beef broth, onions, garlic and seasonings. Cover and simmer for 2-1/2 hours or until beef is tender; reduce heat. , Combine flour and water until smooth; gradually stir into the beef mixture. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add sour cream and heat through (do not boil). Serve over rice with sauerkraut on the side.

GERMAN POT PIE

Steps:

• Brown meat in hot fat.
• Season meat with salt and pepper, and add water, onions, and celery.
• Cook slowly on top of stove until meat is tender, about 3-4 hours.
• If liquid cooks away, add more water.
• This needs plenty of broth.
• Mix flour, oil, salt, sugar, and enough water sufficient to form a nice ball of dough.
• Roll out 1/4 inch thick; cut in squares and drop into boiling broth.
• Cook about 15-20 minutes.

FINNISH MEAT PIE

Steps:

• Place shortening in a large bowl. Add boiling water; stir until shortening is melted. In a small bowl, mix flour and salt. Add to shortening mixture; stir until a soft ball forms. Cover and refrigerate until cooled, about 1 hour., Preheat oven to 350°. Divide dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll 1 dough portion into a 17x13-in. rectangle. Transfer to an ungreased 13x9-in. baking dish. Press onto bottom and up sides of dish. Trim pastry to 1/2 in. beyond rim of dish., In a large bowl, combine filling ingredients. Spoon into pastry. Roll out remaining dough into a 13x9-in. rectangle. Place over filling. Fold bottom pastry over top pastry; press with a fork to seal. In a small bowl, whisk egg and milk; brush over pastry. Cut slits in top. Bake 1-1/4 hours or until golden brown.