Exmoor Beef and Ale Pie

Beef and Ale Pie

This recipe does take quite a while to cook. Although the preparation is very easy.
This should make plenty for 6-persons.

You will need

Filling:

1kg beef chuck or any kind of braising steak cut into 1inch cubes

2 medium sized onions roughly diced

1 tin of your favourite ale (the darker the better)

1litre of beef stock

100g plain flour

Salt and pepper to taste

50ml vegetable oil

Pastry:

800g Plain flour

400g Margarine cut into cubes

A little cold water

Pinch of salt

It makes life easier if you make the pastry before you start anything else and put it in the fridge, this will make it easy to roll out later.

If you have a mixer select the beater attachment or you can use your fingers

Combine the flour, fat and salt until you have the consistency of fine breadcrumbs

Add the cold water a little at a time until you end up with a mixture that is firm and will stretch slightly when pulled

Cover and leave in the fridge until needed

Heat the oil in a heavy based saucepan and add the beef and onions, cook on a high heat until the meat is browned all over.

Add the plain flour stir in well and cook for about 2 mins

Add the ale and gradually the beef stock until you end up with fairly runny gravy, this will continue to thicken as you cook. You can always add more stock later if needed. The end result should be gravy that will coat the back of a spoon

Cook this mixture until the meat is tender, it should break apart if you push on it, and this may take about 3 hours.

Transfer this mixture to an oven proof dish with room at the top to lay the pastry

Roll out your chilled pastry to cover your dish lay on top and trim off any excess.

Place in a preheated oven at 180°c until the pastry is golden brown.