Passport & Plate - Steak & Mushroom Pie
Canada | Thursday, March 5, 2015 | 4 photos
Ingredients
• 1 kg/ 2.2 lb beef, excess fat trimmed and cut into 2cm pieces
• 3 tbsp flour
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• 12 button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 medium brown onion, chopped
• 1 ½ cups chicken stock
• ½ cup red wine
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• Dash of cinnamon
• 1 sprig rosemary
• Optional: 1 tbsp gravy thickener
Fresh pastry tastes better, but I won't judge you if you stick to frozen!
• Short crust pastry
• Puff pastry
• 1 egg, lightly whisked
• Individual pie tins (approx. 5" / 13 cm in diameter)
How to prepare this recipe
1. Place beef in large bowl. Sprinkle with flour, salt and pepper. Toss to coat.
2. In a separate bowl, combine stock, wine, brown sugar, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and cinnamon in small bowl and set aside.
3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add half the beef and sear for 5 min, or until browned on all sides. Transfer to large, heavy bottomed saucepot. Repeat with the remaining oil and beef, reheating the pan between batches.
4. Deglaze pan with half the wet mixture. Scrape bottom of pan to loosen fond. Transfer to pot with beef.
5. Add 1 tbsp butter to pan, then add onions. Stir occasionally, cooking until the onion softens and begins to brown, about 7 min. Transfer to pot.
6. Add remaining butter to pan. Add mushrooms and sauté until browned, about 5 min. Transfer to pot.
7. Deglaze pan with other half of wet mixture, scraping bottom of pan again to loosen fond. Transfer to pot.
8. Place rosemary on top of beef mixture and heat pot on low. Cook, covered, for 2 hours.
9. Uncover and remove rosemary (because no one likes crunchy bits in their pies!). Cook, stirring occasionally, for a further 30 minutes or until the beef is tender. If gravy is too runny, add thickener.
10. Cool filling in pot for 1 hr. Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place in fridge for 2 hrs to cool completely.
11. Preheat oven to 210°C/410°F. Line pie tins with shortcrust pastry, allowing the sides to overhang. Brush the edges of pie with egg. Divide the beef mixture evenly among the tins.
12. Top the pies with puff pastry and trim excess. Use a fork to press the edges to seal. Cut a small cross in the centre of each pie. Brush pie tops with the remaining egg.
13. Bake for 30 min, or until puffed and golden. Pie should be twirled easily in its tin when ready.
14. Let cool for 5 minutes, then enjoy!
The story behind this recipe
To most, steak pies are quite unremarkable. But to me, this little pie is a treat, a rarity – scarcely found in Canada, it brings back warm memories of exploring my heritage with my Grandad.
Each summer, we toured bonnie Scotland from the helm of his purple minivan. Visiting impossibly tiny hillside towns and watching sea lion antics on the coast, Grandad's tobacco-scented van was a front row seat to the variety and wonder that is Scotland.
But, while the history and culture of the country was endless, I relished the days we stayed close to home. Afternoon walks down cobblestoned streets meant one thing: the bakery.
The shop's awning was sun bleached; its windows small and unassuming. Cracked stairs ushered guests into the uncomfortably tight shop front, where kitschy clutter lined the walls, and the enormous glass display case barely left seating for six.
But from black pudding to haggis, scotch eggs to scones, the bakery had it all. With each visit, I tried something new, exploring Scotland one bite at a time. Grandad often laughed at my crumb-covered face – a testament to just how good everything was.
Despite my culinary curiosity, he never strayed from his old favourite: the steak and mushroom pie. It was dwarfed by the fruit-shaped marzipan and puffy pink cupcakes, sitting in the display case as unassuming as the bakery itself. But, laced with caramelized onions and layered in rich gravy, the pie quickly won over my palate.
It was always paired with Grandad's first love – tea – and the duo has welcomed me 'home' ever since. We'd finish full and content, thanking the genial owner as the door's bell signaled our exit. Happy conversations and bad jokes always punctuated our journey home past the seawall, soaking in the salty air and sounds of gulls.
Although Grandad has since passed on, I'm thankful for a bounty of memories. Nowadays, all it takes is a steak pie to remind me of the man who sparked my love of travel, edible adventures, and Scotland.
