Steak and Mushroom Pie Recipe

INGREDIENTS

PIE FILLING

700g / 1½lb Braising steak

55g / 2oz Lard (second best is butter)

40g / 1½oz Plain flour

5 Medium carrots

1 Large onion

110g / 4oz Mushrooms

1 Sweet (bell) pepper

600ml / 1 pint Beef stock (fresh or 1 stock cube)

2 level tablespoons Tomato purée 2 Garlic cloves

2 tablespoons Olive oil

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

SHORTCRUST PASTRY

1 pack of ready made and rolled shortcrust pastry

 
PREPARATION TIME: 20 minutes
 
COOKING TIME: 3 hours 10 minutes (plus 2 hours cooling)
 
DIFFICULTY: Medium
 
FREEZE: No, but can refrigerate for a day or so.

SERVINGS: 4 servings
 
EQUIPMENT: 1 large frying pan with a lid or a largish covered casserole dish. The casserole dish we used measured 25cm x 16cm by 5 cm high (9.5 in x 6.5in by 2in high). See the picture below.
Rolling pin

Casserole dish for Steak and Mushroom Pie

PREPARATION

Remove excess fat from the braising steak and cut into cubes.

Peel and top and tail the carrots then slice

Remove the seeds and white pith from the centre of the sweet pepper and roughly chop.

Peel and finely chop the onions and garlic

Slice the mushrooms.

Prepared Ingredients for Steak and Mushroom Pie

ADVICE FOR STEAK AND MUSHROOM PIE

In the ingredients list we suggest using ready made and rolled short crust pastry which is available from almost all supermarkets. You can, if you want, make your own shortcrust pastry, our page here shows how to do this with step by step instructions, pictures and a video.

RECIPE INSTRUCTIONS

STEP 1

Melt the lard in the large frying pan. Whilst it is melting pour the flour over the chopped braising steak and mix together with your hands.

Make sure all the steak is covered by the flour. The flour on the meat will give a thick gravy later on.

Mix flour with the steak cubes

STEP 2

When all the lard is melted, put the flour covered steak in the frying pan and fry until the meat is well-browned (about 7 minutes).

Browned steak

STEP 3

Use a slatted ladle to remove the meat from the frying pan, leaving any fat in the pan. Turn the heat down low. Add the carrots, peppers, onions and garlic to the frying pan.

Cook on a low heat for about five minutes turning the vegetables frequently to ensure they are all lightly coated in some fat. A little extra fat may be required at this stage.

Fry vegetables

STEP 4

Return the steak to the frying pan with the vegetables. Add the stock, tomato purée and Worcestershire sauce (Lee and Perrins). Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and bring the mixture to a boil.

Turn down to a low setting, cover with a pan lid and simmer for two and a half hours until the steak is tender.

Cooking the pie filling

STEP 5

The frying pan must be covered whilst cooking to preserve the moisture and prevent the meat drying out on the top. If you don't have a large enough covered frying pan, the filling can be cooked in a covered casserole dish in the oven at 170°C / Fan 160°C / 325°F / Gas Mark 3.

STEP 6

Stir the mixture at least twice whilst cooking to stop it sticking to the bottom of the pan / casserole dish. When cooked, transfer the mixture to the final casserole dish (if not cooked in a casserole dish) and leave to cool for at least 1½ hours, preferably 3 to 4 hours.

The casserole dish we used measured 25cm x 16cm by 5 cm high (9.5 in x 6.5in by 2in high).

Casserole dish

STEP 7

Now take the pie filling and pour it into the casserole dish (if not already in there).

Add two tablespoons of oil to a frying pan and fry the mushrooms at a medium heat for three minutes. Place the cooked mushrooms on the pie filling and mix into it well with a fork or spoon.

Frying mushrooms

STEP 8

Turn your oven on now so that it's pre-heated ready to cook later on. Heat settings are 220°C / Fan 200°C / 425°F / Gas Mark 7.

Dampen the top edges of the casserole dish with a little water. This will help the pastry stick to it.

The idea is to pick up the rolled out pastry and put it in the pie bowl over the top of the steak and mushroom filling

First, lightly roll 50% or so of the flattened pastry over the rolling pin. Then support the rest of the pastry with your hand and transfer it to the top of the steak and mushroom pie dish.

Transfer pastry to pie dish

STEP 9

Tuck the pastry down at the edge of the pie and remove the excess pastry using the blunt edge of a knife.

Placing pastry on pie

Using both hands or a fork, 'crimp' the pastry round the edge of the pie to obtain an attractive finish.

VIDEO HOW TO CRIMP EDGES OF SHORTCRUST PASTRY

Finally make 2 holes with a knife in the top of the pastry to allow the steam to come out during cooking and prevent the pastry top going soggy.

Lightly brush the top of the pastry with a little milk to give it a light brown colour as it cooks.

STEP 10

Put the pie in the pre-heated oven (220°C / Fan 200°C / 425°F / Gas Mark 7) and leave it cooking at that temperature for 10 minutes. Then turn down the heat to 190C / Fan 170°C / 375F / Gas Mark 5 and cook for a further 30 minutes. Any leftover pie will keep in the fridge for 24 hours and it microwaves well to reheat.

Cooked Steak and Mushroom Pie