This hearty dish is great served with creamy mashed potato and steamed green veg. You could also make this with venison as well.
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 2 hours
You’ll need:
- 50g plain flour
- Sea salt and black pepper
- 750g braising beef, cut into 5cm cubes,
- 30g butter
- 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 2 onions, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
- 400g of Chantenay carrots
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1tbsp tomato puree
- 300ml Ale
- 350ml of rich beef stock
- 500g of readymade puff pastry
- 1 egg, beaten for glazing
What to do:
Preheat oven to 170C
Place the flour in a bowl and season with the sea salt and black pepper. Coat the beef in the seasoned flour. Heat the butter and the oil in an oven proof casserole dish. When hot cook the beef in batches, frying for 3-4 minutes, until golden brown on all sides. Remove the seared beef from the casserole onto a dish and set aside.
Add the onions, garlic and carrots to the casserole dish adding a little more oil if necessary and fry for 2-3 minutes until soft.
Add the thyme, bay leaves and tomato puree stirring to combine. Then add the ale, stir well and scrape and sediment off the bottom of the casserole.
Add the beef and beef stock and bring the mixture to the boil, cover and place the casserole in the oven for 1.5 hours or until the beef is tender and the mixture is thickened.
Remove from the heat cool slightly and remove the bay leaves. Place the mixture in a pie dish, or 4 individual dishes.
Turn the oven up to 220C.
Roll out the pastry to fit the pie dish. Brush the rim of the pie dish with a little of the beaten egg then place the puff pastry over the top, press the edges to seal the pastry to the dish. Brush the pastry top thoroughly with the remaining beaten egg and place on a baking tray. Bake in the oven for 30-30 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and puffed up on top.