← Nouns Cooking · British & Irish

Ingredients

• 1 kg beef chuck or shin, cut into 4 cm chunks
• 3 tbsp plain flour, seasoned
• 3 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 100 g smoked bacon lardons (optional)
• 2 Onion, roughly chopped
• 2 Carrot, cut into chunks
• 250 g chestnut mushrooms, halved (optional)
• 2 cloves Garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp Tomato purée (paste)
• 400 ml brown ale or bitter
• 500 ml Beef stock
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 4 sprigs Thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 375 g ready-rolled or block puff pastry
• 1 Eggs, beaten, to glaze
• Salt
• Black pepper

Method

1. Toss the beef in the seasoned flour. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large casserole over high heat and brown the beef in three batches, about 4 min each, until dark on all sides. Lift onto a plate.
2. Lower the heat to medium, add the remaining oil and the bacon, onions and carrots and cook for 8–10 min until the onions are soft and golden, adding the mushrooms for the last few minutes. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste for 1 minute.
3. Pour in the ale and let it bubble for 2 min, scraping up the brown bits. Return the beef with any flour left on the plate, then add the stock, Worcestershire sauce, thyme and bay.
4. Cover and simmer very gently, or cook in the oven at 160°C (140°C fan, 325°F), for 2 hours, until the beef breaks apart with a spoon. If the gravy is thin, simmer uncovered for 10–15 min. Season, remove the herb stalks and bay, and leave to cool for 30 min.
5. Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan, 400°F). Spoon the filling into a pie dish about 1.5 litres in size, pushing a pie funnel or upturned egg cup into the middle to hold the pastry up.
6. Roll the pastry 5 mm thick, a little bigger than the dish. Brush the rim with egg, lay the pastry over, press the edges to seal and trim. Brush with egg and cut a small steam hole in the centre.
7. Bake for 35–40 min until the pastry is puffed and deep golden and the gravy bubbles at the edge. Rest for 5 min, then serve with mash and buttered peas.

Tips

• Cool the filling before the pastry goes on, or the butter in it melts and the lid turns soggy. The filling can be made a day ahead.
• Worcestershire sauce contains anchovies, and the ale and flour contain gluten.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

BBC Good Food Olive Magazine Great British Chefs