Steak and Ale Pie

Use this simple to follow recipe to make this British favourite dish. The quantities should be sufficient to feed a family of four, but it is simple to adjust depending on portion sizes or numbers.

You will need the following;

1lb diced stewing steak (or as I have been informed, cubed stew beef).

1 large onion

2 carrots

1lb mushrooms

Oil

2 tablespoons tomato paste

Small tin chopped tomatoes

Flour

1 pint beer (I always prefer to use Guinness or something similar)

Salt and pepper

2 cloves garlic

Gravy granules

Italian seasoning

Begin by sealing off the meat in a little oil until coloured all over, chop the onions and add to the sealed meat. Peel and chop the carrots, then add this to the pan, continue until the onions and carrots are lightly coloured. Finely chop the garlic and add along with some salt and pepper, and a little Italian seasoning. Remember you can always add more but you can never take it away if you over season it.

Add a little flour and mix together until all the flour is absorbed by the meat and vegetables, continue adding more flour if necessary. Cook out a little over a gentle heat. This is now the time to add the beer, or ale. Mix well together, and then add the tomato paste and the chopped tomatoes. You should add some gravy granules for both extra flavour and consistency. Cook over a gentle heat until the meat begins to appear almost cooked.

The mushrooms should be sliced or diced whichever you prefer and added once all the ingredients are together and partly cooked, if you add your mushrooms too early they will be overcooked before the meat is tender. Once the meat is cooked, check for the right level of taste and place into a dish ready for the pastry topping.

Topping

For the topping you can use either readymade Puff pastry, or you could be a little more ambitious and make your own topping.

Homemade short crust pastry or pie topping,

8oz flour

4oz margarine or butter (or that similar product, Crisco)

Salt & pepper

Water

Place the flour into a mixing bowl, cut the fat into small pieces and mix the two together along with a little seasoning. Once you have mixed it well together it should resemble a breadcrumb like feel, and then add a little water at a time until you have a ball of soft pastry which is easy to roll out and place on top of the meat.

You can decorate your pastry once it is placed on the dish, with a few leaves or just crimp the edges to make it look nice. Use a little milk or egg to brush over the pastry before placing into a moderate oven and cook until a light golden brown colour.

When serving this dish, serve with potatoes and vegetables as well as some nice thick brown gravy.