Nothing soothes those season changing blues better than a gooey and tenderly chunky PIE and don’t we have the pie for you!
Ingredients
PIE BASE
3 frozen shortcrust pastry sheets, thawed
PIE LID
3 frozen puff pastry sheets, just thawed
1 egg , lightly whisked
FILLING
1.25 kg of Yajambee diced beef, strips, y-bone, osso bucco, a topside or blade roast chopped up in desired chunks, or leftovers from a roast
1/2 tsp each salt & pepper
2 – 3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
5 tbsp flour, plain/all purpose
1 1/4 cups (315 ml) beef stock, low sodium
3 cups (750 ml) red wine, dry full bodied
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp black pepper, coarsely ground
2 bay leaves
Instructions
FILLING:
1. Season Yajambee beef.
2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large heavy based pot over high heat. Add 1/3 of the beef and brown aggressively all over, then remove. Repeat with remaining beef, adding more oil if needed.
3. Turn stove down to medium high. Add garlic and onion, cook 3 minutes.
4. Add flour, stir through.
5. Slowly add beef stock while stirring constantly. Once flour is dissolved, add wine, tomato paste, Worcestershire, pepper and bay leaves.
6. Return beef into pot, cover with lid, adjust heat so it’s simmering gently.
7. Simmer 1 hr 45 minutes. Remove lid, increase heat slightly and simmer 30 – 45 minutes, stirring regularly, or until beef is fork tender and liquid reduces down to a thickish gravy, just about covering beef. Do not reduce liquid too much – thickens more as it cools & in pie.
8. Remove from stove, cover and cool filling.
PASTRY
1. Preheat oven to 180C.
2. Cut out 6 rounds from the shortcrust pastry, then drape pastry into pie tins.
3. Place pies on tray. Top each pie with large sheets of baking paper and fill with pie weights.
4. Bake 20 minutes, remove, then use paper overhang to carefully remove pie weights.
ASSEMBLE PIES:
1. Fill pies with cooled filling, push down to fill. Should be slightly mounded.
2. Cut rounds from partially thawed puff pastry – cut them slightly larger than the edge of the cooked pastry bases.
3. Brush edge of pie crusts with egg, then place lid on filling, pressing edges to seal puff pastry to the shortcrust pastry.
4. Brush lids with egg, then cut a 1cm incision in the middle using a small knife.
5. Bake 30 minutes or until deep golden and puffed.
6. Devour hot and fresh, topped with tomato sauce if desired!
