Steak Mushroom Shortcut Pastry Pie Recipes

RECIPES

Steps:

• Step 1:Heat the oven to 150°C, (fan 130°C, gas mark 2).Step 2:Heat two tablespoons oil in a frying pan and add the meat in batches, until browned on all sides. Remove the meat from the pan as it browns and put into a large casserole or baking dish.Step 3:Heat the remaining oil in the frying pan and cook the onion for about 5 minutes, until the edges are beginining to brown. Transfer to the casserole dish.Step 4:Stir the flour into the frying pan, scraping up any residue from the pan. Add the Worcestershire sauce and beef stock, stirring all the time, and bring to a boil. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Season to taste and then pour into the casserole dish.Step 5:Add the mushrooms to the dish and cook in the oven for 2 hours until the meat is tender.Step 6:Place the meat in a pie dish and leave to cool. Heat the oven to 220°C (fan 200°C, gas mark 7).Step 7:Roll out the pastry on a floured surface and cut out a circle large enough for your pie dish.Step 8:Dampen the pastry and place on top of the pie dish and seal carefully. Flute the edges by pinching with your finger and thumb.Step 9:Bake the pies for40-50 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is piping hot.

STEAK AND MUSHROOM PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375F. Mix together olive oil, diced beef, salt and pepper. Spread flat on sheet pan and cook in oven at 375 degrees until browning occurs. Remove from oven and turn heat to 350F. In a large sauce pan over medium heat, sauté celery, carrots and onions until tender, add mushrooms, thyme and rosemary and continue to cook until mushrooms have softened. Deglaze with red wine, by pouring wine into pan and using spatula to dig up the bits on the pan. Add cooked beef to vegetables. Add water and bring to a boil. While this is happening make roux: Over medium low heat melt butter in pot on stove and add flour. Stir to combine Cook roux for approximate 3-4 minutes. Add some beef stock slowly to the roux and whisk vigorously to avoid lumping. Mix everything together and let cool. Add beef filling to pastry lined pie plate, brush edges with egg yolk. Top with pie crust and brush with egg yolk. Make 2-3 cuts in centre to allow air to vent. Cook at 350F until golden brown. If you're using packaged crust check the time on the box. Puffed pastry can be as quick as 20 minutes, other pie pastry takes longer.

STEAK & MUSHROOM SHORTCUT PASTRY PIE

Steps:

• FILLING:.
• Cut beef into 4cm cubes (1 1/2-inches). Heat a heavy-based pan with two tablespoons of oil and fry the beef until brown all over. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat a casserole pot with the remaining oil and cook the onion and garlic until quite brown, season with salt and pepper and push to one side.
• Add the butter and flour and cook for a few minutes, stirring.
• Add the beef, red wine, rosemary, orange rind, bay leaf and porcini mushrooms and liquid. Stir well, bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer.
• Cover and cook for 1 1/2 hours or until the meat is tender.
• Add the mushrooms and cook for five more minutes, then leave to cool.
• PASTRY:.
• Take the butter out of the fridge half an hour before using.
• Put the flour on the kitchen bench; chop the butter into small pieces and sprinkle over the flour. Lightly rub the butter into the flour, then make a well in the middle and pour in four tablespoons of the water. Quickly and lightly work the flour and butter together using the heels of your hands by smearing the mixture across the bench - it will come together in lumpy bits. Add a little extra water if the pastry is too dry. Don't overwork this pastry; lightly bring it together - it will look a little speckled - wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 180C/350°F.
• Take a 23-26cm round pie dish (9-10 inches) and grease with a little butter.
• Roll out half the pastry with a little flour and line the bottom of the dish. Beat the egg white with a fork and brush over the pastry. Return to the fridge for 10 minutes. This will seal the pastry and prevent sogginess.
• ASSEMBLE:.
• Pour the mixture into the pie case and trim the edges 2cm (3/4 inch) from the filling.
• Roll out the remaining pastry to about half a centimeter (1/4 inch) and lay on top of the pie. Cut a slit in the middle to allow steam to escape.
• Beat the yolk with a tablespoon of water and brush over the top of the pastry. Bake about 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and serve.

STEAK & MUSHROOM PUFF PASTRY PIE

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Season the steak cubes with black pepper then add to the skillet then cook until browned on the outside; remove to a bowl.
• Add in mushrooms and cook until browned.
• Add in onion and thyme; saute for about 5 minutes (adding in the garlic the last 2 minutes of cooking).
• Return the beef to the skillet.
• Stir in the mushroom gravy, 1 cup water and Worcestershire sauce (start with 2 teaspoons and add in more to taste); bring to a simmer over low heat and cook for 30-35 minutes.
• Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
• Set oven to 400 degrees F.
• Transfer the beef mixture to a greased casserole dish.
• Roll out the puff pastry to cover the top of the dish; press edges onto the rim of the dish to seal.
• In a small cup whisk together 1 tablespoons water with the egg, then brush over the top of the pastry.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until the pastry is fuffed and golden brown.

PROPER BEEF, ALE & MUSHROOM PIE

Steps:

• If you're using the porcini mushrooms, cover 10g of mushrooms in boiling water for 20 mins, then squeeze out but keep the soaking water.
• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a large casserole dish, brown 1kg large chunks of braising steak really well in batches, then set aside.
• Add 2 large onions, roughly chopped, and 4 large carrots, chopped into large chunks, to the pan. Add a drizzle more vegetable oil, then cook on a low heat for 5 mins until coloured.
• Add the soaked porcini mushrooms, sizzle for 1 min more, then scatter over 2 tsp golden caster sugar and 4 tbsp plain flour, stirring until the flour turns brown.
• Tip the braising steak and any juices back into the pan and give it all a good stir.
• Pour over 300ml dark ale, 2 beef stock cubes mixed with 400ml boiling water and the porcini mushroom soaking liquid, discarding the last few drops.
• Season the stew, tuck in a small tied-together bunch of thyme, bay leaf and parsley, and bring everything to a simmer.
• Cover with a lid and place in the oven for about 2 hrs, until the braising steak is really tender.
• While the stew is cooking, heat a drop more vegetable oil in a frying pan and sizzle 200g smoked bacon lardons for 3 mins until crisp.
• Turn up the heat, add 200g halved chestnut mushrooms and cook for 4 mins until golden. Remove from the heat and, when the stew is cooked, stir them through.
• Leave everything to cool completely - better still, make this up to 2 days in advance and keep it in the fridge as the pie will be better if the filling is fridge-cold when added. Can also be frozen for up to 3 months and defrosted when needed.
• Make the pastry up to 2 days before you want to assemble the pie. Crumble 650g plain flour and 250g cold diced lard or butter, together with a generous pinch of sea salt until completely combined, then add up to 200ml ice-cold water to make a soft dough. This can be done in a food processor if you want.
• Knead the pastry, then wrap in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for at least 1 hr. The pastry can be made up to 2 days ahead and kept in the fridge or frozen for up to a month.
• When you want to make the pie, heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7 and place a flat baking tray in the oven. Heavily grease a 24-28cm pie dish and dust well with flour.
• Cut a third off the pastry and set aside. Roll out the pastry to a thickish round that will easily line the pie dish with an overhang, then line the tin.
• Add the braising steak to the dish using a slotted spoon so some gravy is left in the container, as you don't want too much sauce in the pie. You want the filling to be slightly higher than the rim of the dish. If you have a bit too much, set it aside.
• Roll out the remaining pastry to a thick round big enough to cover the dish. Brush the edges of the pastry in the dish with 1 beaten egg yolk, then cover with the pastry lid.
• Trim the edges, crimp the pastry, then re-roll your trimmings to make a decoration, for example, pastry leaves. Brush the top heavily with egg. Make a few little slits in the centre of the pie, place on the hot baking tray.
• Bake for 40 mins until golden. Leave the pie to rest for 10 mins while you heat up the gravy left in the container. Serve the pie at the table with a jug of gravy and a big pile of greens.

A GOOD STEAK & KIDNEY PIE

Steps:

• It's important to cook the meat a day ahead, so that you can discard any fat that has risen to the top, and so that the pastry doesn't slump in the face of a too-warm filling, so up to 48 hours ahead -make the pastry. Whizz the flour and a pinch of fine sea salt together for a few seconds in a food processor, then add the butter and whizz until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs. Whisk together the egg yolk and 3 tbsp water and whizz with the pastry until it collects in a ball. Wrap in cling film and leave it to rest in the fridge for at least one hour.
• Cut button-mushroom-sized lobes of kidney from the white central core (discarding). Cut the beef into bite-sized cubes and cut the mushrooms into chunks.
• Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large, heavy frying pan over a medium-high heat. Throw in the kidney and fry until lightly coloured. Tip into a colander to drain.
• Wipe out the frying pan and return it to a low-medium heat, adding 25g/1oz of the butter and 1 tbsp oil. Tip in the onion and fry for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and slightly golden. Transfer to a large casserole, using a slotted spoon.
• Preheat the oven to 160C/gas 3/fan 140C. Tip the 85g/3oz flour into a large plastic bag, and season it generously. Throw in the beef and shake until lightly floured.Return the frying pan to a mediumhigh heat, adding a little more oil and butter if needed. Shake off any excess flour (reserving it) then fry the beef in batches until golden-brown. As each batch is done, transfer it to the casserole.
• Adding more oil and butter to the frying pan if necessary, fry the mushrooms for about 2 minutes until starting to wilt, then add them to the casserole with the drained kidneys, hot water, bouillon powder and bay leaf, plus the excess flour in the bag if you like a thick gravy. Stir well, cover and cook in the oven for 75-90 minutes until the meat is tender and the sauce is thick. Cool thoroughly, then put in the fridge (preferably overnight) so any fat will solidify - it can then be skimmed off and discarded.
• In the morning - return the pastry to cool room temperature, then roll it out thinly on a wellfloured surface. Invert a 28-30x23cm, 6.5cm deep pie dish on to the pastry. Mentally add an extra 1cm all round, then use the dish as a guide to cut out the pastry lid. From the remnants, cut out enough 6cm-wide strips of pastry to go round the dish - they should cover the flat rim and about halfway down the insides.
• Lightly butter the rim of the dish and line it with the strip(s) of pastry, sealing any joins with a little dab of water. Butter the shoulders of a pie raiser or an upturned egg cup and stand it in the middle. Spoon in the meat mixture to come level with the top of the dish. Don't overfill: reserve any excess gravy to serve hot with the pie.
• Brush the pastry rim with a little water, then drape the pastry lid over it, pinching the edges to seal. Cover with cling film and keep in the fridge if not baking immediately.
• Finally, an hour before serving - preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6/fan 180C. Make four slashes in the lid of the pie, then brush with the egg wash. Bake for 35-45 minutes until the pastry is golden brown, turning the heat down 10-20° after about 20 minutes. Remove the pie from the oven and leave it to rest for around 10 minutes before cutting into it.