Steak & Mushroom Pie – Butter Shortcrust Pasrty

I  have a lovely book, Perfect Pies, by the Hairy Bikers.  They do a show on BBC and the recipe can be seen on BBC Food website.  I love a meat pie for dinner so this recipe was ideal.  However I did change how I made it. The original recipe has the filling cooked in a casserole dish in the oven, whereas I decided I wanted to cook mine on top of the stove, on a very low heat.  The result will be the same.  I also used Skirt which is a very tasty cut of meat, rather than Chuck, since that is not readily available in my supermarkets.  I have used Skirt several times and it never disappoints it has a wonderful flavour and cooks to a very tender state.

The recipe does take a while since you have to make the pie filling first and then allow it to cool completely.  This was not a problem for me since I made the filling one day, and allowed it to cool and then refrigerate until the next day.  Then I made the shortcrust pastry and put the pie together for baking. 

I do believe that the flavour becomes fuller for leaving the filling overnight, since all the stock and wine really come to the for, being fully absorbed into the meat and mushrooms.

This recipe will make a pie of 23cm, 9 inches in diameter, so is ideal to serve four people for dinner, which is exactly how mine was used.

It worked very well indeed, with a wonderfully rich filling inside a rich, shortcrust pastry.  Server with vegetable and gravy it is just ideal for dinner. Certainly it went down very well in my family.  The rich gravy, melt in the mouth meat and the mushrooms, together with the short and buttery pastry was sublime.

• 750g chuck or skirt steak trimmed of thick of hard fat
• 3 tbsp sunflower oil
• 3 tbsp plain flour
• 2 medium onions halved & sliced
• 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
• 150 ml red wine (or water)
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 500 ml beef stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 25g butter
• 250g small chestnut mushrooms halved or quartered if large

For the shortcrust pastry:

• 250g cold butter cubed
• 400g plain flour plus extra for rolling
• 1 large egg with 2 tbsp cold water whisked together
• 1 beaten egg to glaze

1. Cut steak into 3cm cubes and season. 
2. Heat 2tbsp of oil in frying pan and over a high heat fry meat till well browned all over. Do this in 2 batches to avoid ‘steaming’ meat add extra tbsp of oil if pan is dry. 
3. Place beef in a large saucepan orcasserole dish and toss it in flour.
   Heat oven to Gas 2 150C/130C fan/300F if you wish to cook in the oven.
4. Add 1 tbsp oil to pan and cook the onions and garlic over a medium heat for 5-10 mins until golden and pour in the red wine and worcester sauce and bring to boil whilst stirring and lifting any residue from the pan. (you can use water instead of red wine if you wish)
5. Pour sauce and onions over the beef add stock and bay leaf. Bring to boil on top of stove then cover.with a lid.
6. Either cook in oven for 1.5 hours, or turn the heat down and simmer on the stove for the same time..
   Meanwhile, melt butter in frying pan and cook mushrooms for 5 mins until lightly browned, then add to beef and return casserole for another 30 mins (2-hr total).
7. Remove from oven, or from the stove top and cool completely.
   To make the pastry rub the butter into the flour with a generous pinch of salt and mix with fingertips until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. 
8. Stir in egg and water mixture, bring together to form a dough and knead very lightly. 
9. Divide the dough into 2/3’ds for base and 1/3’d for the top. Roll into balls, flatten slightly, wrap each ball in cling film and chill for 20 mins. If preparing dish early in day (or day before) you can prepare to this point and store filling and dough in fridge until next day or when ready to assemble. Remember to bring dough to room temperature before rolling.
10. Heat oven to gas 6 200C/180C fan/350F. 
11. Roll out larger ball of pastry and use to line a greased 23cm (9″) pie dish. HANDY TIP!! To avoid a soggy base, sprinkle the pastry base with a spoonful of semolina then spoon in beef, onions and mushrooms using a slotted spoon, adding just enough of the liquid to be “saucy.” Save remaining sauce and gently reheat and serve with finished pie. 
12. Brush the pastry rim with a little beaten egg. 
13. Roll out the smaller ball of dough for the pie top and gently lay it over the filling. 
14. Use a sharp knife to trim any overhanging pastry (you can use surplus to decorate top of pie). Crimp edges with fingers or fork, brush with beaten egg to glaze. Bake in oven for 30 mins until pie is golden brown and filling is piping hot. Serve with heated gravy.