murphyscreek
Veteran
Ingredients for Filling
800g chuck steak and kidney (50/50 cut in to large pieces)
1 large brown onion (chopped)
1 large carrot (chopped)
2 stalks of rosemary, leaves stripped off and chopped
6-7 sprigs thyme (tied in to a bundle with one of the sprigs)
2 cups beef stock
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp worcestireshire sauce
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
4 tbsp olive oil
flour to coat meat
1 tbsp mustard powder
salt and pepper to taste
water (if needed)
Ingredients for Pastry
2 cups plain flour
100 gms butter
100 mls sour cream
50 gms stilton
Iced water (if needed, I didn't use any)
2 eggs beaten
Method
Coat steak and kidney pieces in flour seasoned with salt and mustard powder, and brown in batches in a casserole pot or large saucepan in 2 tbsp oil. Remove from pot and add remaining oil, and scrape any stuck bits of the bottom. Add onion, carrots, and rosemary and saute for a minute or two. Add tomato paste and stir in and saute another few minutes. Then add meat (with any resting juices), stock, worcestire sauce, vinegar, and thyme bundle then bring to a boil before turning heat down to a slow simmer. Simmer for 2-3 hours until meat is tender and sauce is thick, but add water in the meantime to prevent sticking if needed. I had to add one cup water after about 1 1/2 hours of simmering. Allow to cool to room temperature, before placing in fridge to chill for an hour or so.
Meanwhile, make pastry by cutting chilled butter in to small cubes and putting in to the flour along with cream and crumbled cheese. Either process till small clumps form, or (as I did) mix using fingertips to rub ingredients in to flour. Pour on to floured bench, and form in to a ball before wrapping in cling film and chilling for at least half an hour.
This amount of pastry and filling was enough for 4 small/medium sized pies (bases and lids). Grease pie ramekins (sp) with butter and after rolling out dough cut rounds to form the pie case. After trimming, I then put them back in the fridge for another half hour. Then assemble pies by putting filling in the cases gently tapping ramekins to settle the filling in to the cases as you go. Egg wash upper rim of pie cases, then place a round pastry lid over pie, trim, then seal edges with a fork. Then thoroughly egg wash top of pies before baking in a 180 degree Celsius oven for around 45 minutes.