Delicious beef pot pie recipe

Try this simple, yet hearty recipe for a meaty baked pie

Winter is the time for hearty beef stews, such as this simple, yet savoury dish of beef stew topped with a puff pastry lid.
It served four to six.
It is a meal in itself, or you can serve with vegetables, such as a cauliflower cheese or baked butternut and spinach.

Ingredients:

1 packet frozen puff pastry
3 tablespoons olive oil
800g beef--stew meat, chuck roast, or sirloin, cut into 2cm cubes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups chopped mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, minced (2 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (1/4 teaspoon dried thyme)
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary (1/8 teaspoon dried rosemary)
1/2 cup dry sherry
5-1/2 cups beef stock
12 small cut in halves or quarters, skin on
2 cups pickling onions, peeled
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup cornstarch or Maizena
1 cup cold water
400g frozen pea and carrot medley (approximately 3 cups; do not thaw)
1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced
1 egg + 1 tablespoon water

Directions

Cut out the pastry tops by turning your oven dish upside down on thawed pastry sheet and cut around it with a small knife.
Repeat for number of crusts you need.

Cut small cookie cutter shapes out of leftover dough, to decorate.
Cover cut pastry rounds with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed.

Make the stew by heating half of the oil in a casserole dish or heavy- bottomed frying pan.

Pat meat dry, sprinkle with salt and pepper, add half to pan.
Cook, stir occasionally, until browned and liquid gone.
Remove to plate and repeat with remaining meat.
Remove to plate.

Add the other half of the olive oil to the same pan, add onions and mushrooms and cook until liquid is gone.
Stir in the garlic, thyme, and rosemary and cook for a minute or so.

Then stir in the sherry, scraping up any browned bits.
Stir in the broth, potatoes, and browned meat.
Bring to boil, reduce to simmer, cover and cook until potatoes are cooked and beef is tender, approximately 45 minutes.

Whisk together cornstarch and cold water, stir into stew and cook until thickened, this will only take a few minutes.

Remove from heat; stir in parsley, chopped tomatoes, frozen peas and carrots. Taste and adjust seasoning.

To assemble: Ladle stew into ovenproof dish and place the puff pastry round on top.
Gently stretch and press pastry edges over lip of bowl.

Make egg wash by whisking egg with 1 tablespoon water, brush on pastry tops.
Add pastry cookie cutter shapes on top of pastry rounds (if using) and brush those with egg wash.
Place dish on foil-lined baking sheet for easy clean up and easy of handling.

Baking: Bake at 220°C, or at temperature specified on wrapper of the puff pastry, until crusts are golden and filling is bubbly.

• To bake right away, bake for 25-35 minutes.
  
  
• To bake if refrigerated, bake 40-50 minutes.
  
  
• To bake if frozen, bake 1 to 1-1/4 hours.

If crust browns before filling is bubbly, place a loose piece of foil across the top to prevent over browning.

Let the pies rest 15-20 minutes before serving to allow filling to cool and thicken.

Tip: You can prepare the stew ahead of time. Cook as above then let it cool to room temperature, pour into a freezer dish and refrigerate or freeze.
Then roll pastry and assemble as needed.