Ingredients

Beef and Guinness

• 6 tbsp butter or dripping
• 700g stewing beef eg. chuck steak
• 4 tbsp corn flour
• 12 small onions or shallots
• 75 g rindless streaky bacon, diced
• 12 button mushrooms
• 2 garlic cloves crushed
• 1 tbsp sage, shredded
• 1 tbsp thyme leaves
• 400ml Guinness
• 250ml beef stock
• maldon salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pie

• 500g puff pastry, rolled out to 5mm thick and rested in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes
• egg wash (1 egg beaten with a teaspoon of water)

Method

1. Beef and Guinness Stew: Melt the butter or dripping in a large saucepan or casserole pan over a moderate heat. Coat the beef in the corn flour and place in the pan, seal all sides of the meat until lightly browned. Stir in the onions or shallots, bacon and mushrooms, cook for 2-3 minutes, mixing regularly with a wooden spoon. Reduce the heat to slightly, add the garlic and herbs. Stir in the Guinness and stock, bring to a strong simmer, spoon off any scum that comes to the top. Reduce the heat to its lowest setting and leave at a slow simmer for 2-3 hours so that the meat is tender. Stir at regular intervals so the ingredients cook evenly and the base doesn't burn (the longer and slower the cooking the more tender the meat will be). The stew should have thickened but should still cover the meat and vegetables. Remove from the heat and season to taste.
2. Pie: Preheat the oven to 200°C. Roll the pastry out to a 20cm disk or to the size of the pie dish used and around 1 cm thick. Pour the stew into a 20cm diametre pie dish or similar pie dish. Place the pastry over the top of the pie dish, trim, seal and crimp around the edges. Make 2 small wholes in the centre of the pie. Cut out leaf shapes with any pastry scraps and place the shape over the wholes. Brush the pie with the egg wash and place it on the centre shelf of the preheated oven. Cook the pie for 10-15 minutes until the pastry has risen and is golden brown. Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool for a few minutes before serving.
3. To Serve: The pie is excellent with a light salad, brussel sprouts, boiled new potatoes or mashed potatoes.