Beef and Mushroom Pie

Slow cooking is not the most obvious thing to do when cooking for one but actually the great thing about it is that it always freezes well and is adaptable.  You can serve as a stew or as an awesome pie like this.

Beef and Mushroom Pie - makes enough for approx 4-5 portions but freezes well.  The pastry quantity is enough for 1-2 small pies)

Ingredients

900g, 2lbs Stewing steak
2 tsp Oil
2 Red onions
2 Cloves of garlic
250ml, 9floz Red wine
10g, 1/3oz Dried porcini mushrooms
50g, 1.5oz Carrots
2 Bay leaves
100ml, 3 fl oz Beef stock
250g, 9oz Fresh mushrooms, I used chestnut mushrooms
30g, 1oz butter
1 tsp Cornflour (cornstarch)

For the pastry
75g, Just short of 3oz Plain (all purpose) flour
25g, Just short of 1oz Cornflour (cornstarch)
60g, 2oz Butter
Cold water to mix
Milk for brushing

Method

Soak the dried mushrooms in 100ml, 3floz boiling water.  Fry the steak in 1 tsp oil until browned (browning any food but especially meat adds flavour, this is the Maillard reaction and adds those lovely savoury umami notes).  Put into a slow cooker.  Deglaze the pan with the wine and add to the slow cooker.

Chop up the onions and carrots and fry in the remaining tsp oil.  Add to the slow cooker.  Deglaze the pan with the beef stock and add to the slow cooker.  Chop up the soaked dried mushrooms and add with the soaking water to the slow cooker.  Put in the bay leaves and cover.

Cook on high for about 5 hours (or you can reduce to low and cook for longer) or until the meat is very tender.

Slice the mushrooms thickly and fry in butter until browned.  Add to the stew and cook for a few minutes until cooked through.  If your slow cooker is hot enough tog et the stew bubbling, put on a high setting (or put into a saucepan on a hob), mix the cornflour in with some cold water to make a paste then mix into the stew until thickened.

If serving as a stew, serve as it is (or freeze until another time.)

If serving as a pie, allow to cool (or even cover and refrigerate until the next day).

Preheat the oven to 180oC, 350F, gas mark 4.  To make the pastry, mix the flours together and rub in the butter, ideally in a food processor.  Mix in cold water until it just comes together as a pastry.

Roll out the pastry until a few mm thick.  Top the cold stew with the pastry then brush with milk and top with any shapes of pastry you like, leaves, cows, mushrooms.

Bake for 40 minutes or until browned and the filling is bubbling and hot.

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