Ingredients 2 tbsp olive oil 1½ tbsp butter 1 brown onion, finely chopped 2 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra for dusting 600 g(1 lb 5 oz) chuck steak, cut into 2 cm (¾ inch) dice, or 650 g (1 lb 7 oz) minced (ground) beef 250 ml(9 fl oz/1 cup) beer 375 ml(13 fl oz/1½ cups) beef stock 1 small carrot, finely diced 1 celery stalk, finely diced 2 garlic cloves, crushed ½ tspfinely chopped fresh thyme 1 tbsp tomato paste (concentrated purée) 1½ tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1 bay leaf 3 sheets ready-rolled frozen pastry, thawed 3 sheets ready-rolled frozen pastry, thawed 1 egg, lightly beaten Instructions Filling chilling time 4 hours or overnight Pastry chilling time 2½ hours To make the filling, put half the olive oil and half the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat and sauté the onion for 10 minutes, or until lightly golden. Remove from the pan and set aside. If using chuck steak, season the flour well with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, then toss together with the beef cubes until they are lightly coated. Add the remaining oil and butter to the pan, then sauté the beef over high heat in several batches until lightly golden, adding a little more oil if needed. Set aside with the onion. If using minced beef, brown it in batches in the remaining oil, but reserve the remaining butter. Add the butter to the pan once the mince has been browned and removed, then stir in the flour and cook for a minute or so. Add the beer and stock to the pan, scraping up any cooked-on bits. Return the beef and onion to the pan, along with the carrot, celery, garlic, thyme, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and bay leaf. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 1¼ hours, or until the beef is very tender and the sauce is thick and rich. Discard the bay leaf, then season to taste. Cool the mixture slightly, then cover and refrigerate for 4 hours, or until completely cold; if you can leave it overnight, the flavours will develop even more. To assemble and bake the pies, remove the pastry from the fridge 15 minutes (a little less or more on a hot or cold day) to soften slightly before you roll it out; it should still be cold. Using a fine sieve, very lightly flour your work surface and a rolling pin. Starting at the middle of the pastry disc, gently roll the pastry away from you, then turn it 45 degrees and roll away from you again. Repeat this process until the pastry is a uniform 2 mm thickness. Use a 15 cm (6 inch) round pastry cutter to cut six shortcrust pastry discs for the pie bases. Lightly grease six individual, non-stick pie tins, measuring about 12 cm (4½ inches) across the top, 8 cm (3¼ inches) across the base and 3.5 cm (1½ inches) deep. Line each pie tin with a pastry round, gently pressing the dough into the tins, starting in the centre and working out towards the top rim of the tins; stop when the pastry is about 1 cm (¾ inch) above the line of the tin. Gently fold this bit of pastry down over to line the pie tin rims – this is where the pie pastry lids will adhere. Place the pie tins on a baking tray, lightly cover with a sheet of plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours. About 15 minutes before you’re ready to resume making the pies, take the pastry out of the fridge to soften slightly, making sure it is still cold. Divide the cold filling among the pie bases. Roll the puff pastry out to a 5 mm (½ inch) thickness and cut out six 12.5 cm (5 inch) rounds. Lightly brush the rims of the pastry with the beaten egg. Top each pie with a puff pastry round, pressing down around the edges to help the two different pastries adhere to each other; you can pinch the edges together if you really want to be sure, or use the back of a fork to seal around the edge. Pierce the top of each pie with a small sharp knife or skewer to form an air vent, then brush the top of the pies with more beaten egg, avoiding the vent. Place the pies back in the fridge for 30 minutes before baking – this will give the lids of the pies more puff and crispness. Put two baking trays in the oven and preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Place the pie tins directly onto the hot baking trays and bake for 10 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed and lightly golden. Turn the oven temperature down to 180°C (350°F) and bake the pies for a further 10–15 minutes to ensure the filling is hot – your pastry should have a pretty good tan by now! Remove the pies from the oven and the tins. Serve hot, with tomato ketchup.
Made this using top sirloin instead of chuck steak for less fat. Added 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes for some spice. Turned out great. Thanks Chef.
