All-time favourites
steak and beer pie
Serves 8 Takes 5 hrs
FOR THE FILLING
250ml cake flour
2kg beef chuck steak (without bones), cut into 2cm pieces olive or avocado oil, for frying
4 onions, chopped
4 celery stalks, thinly sliced
2 carrots, grated
5 garlic cloves, crushed handful thyme
60ml tomato paste
375ml beer
625ml beef stock
FOR THE SOUR CREAM PASTRY
350g cold butter, cubed
675g cake flour + extra for rolling
250ml sour cream
10ml salt
FOR THE EGG WASH
1 egg, beaten
15ml water
1 For the filling, season the flour and coat the beef, shaking off the excess flour. Heat a splash of oil on high and cook the beef in batches for about 5-8 minutes, or until browned. Season and set aside.
2 Heat another splash of oil in the same saucepan and sauté the onions, celery and carrots. Return the beef to the pan with the garlic, thyme, tomato paste, beer and stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid and simmer for about 3 hours, stirring occasionally, until tender. Season. Cool.
3 Meanwhile, for the pastry, rub the butter into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the sour cream and salt and stir until it comes together (see tip). Don’t overwork the dough. Shape into a flat disc, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes, or until firm.
4 Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a 23cm x 10cm springform cake tin or pie dish (if you don’t mind turning it out). Roll ¾ of the dough out between 2 large sheets of plastic wrap into a 40cm circle of about 5mm thickness. Peel the top layer of plastic wrap off the dough, pick up using a rolling pin and line the prepared tin with the dough, using the plastic wrap as a guide. Cut off the excess dough, leaving a 1cm overhang (reserve the offcuts). Refrigerate.
5 Roll the remaining ¼ of the dough out between 2 large sheets of plastic wrap to 5mm thickness and cut into a 25cm circle. Refrigerate.
6 For the egg wash, combine the egg and water and brush over the 1cm dough overhang of the pie case (reserve the leftover egg wash). Spoon the filling into the pie case and cover with the 25cm dough circle. Cut off the excess dough (reserve offcuts), leaving a
