English meat pie

Ingredients

• 1
  4 tbsp butter
• 2
  1 whole yellow onion

  diced
• 3
  8 oz mushrooms

  sliced, cleaned
• 4
  3 tbsp garlic

  minced
• 5
  2 cups beef stock
• 6
  1 cup bitter English beer
• 7
  2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 8
  2 tbsp tomato paste
• 9
  1 whole bay leaf
• 10
  rosemary

  to taste, one sprig if fresh
• 11
  thyme

  to taste, one sprig if fresh
• 12
  2 lb stew beef

  cubed
• 13
  salt and pepper

  to taste
• 14
  1 whole large eggs

  for the egg wash on top of the puff pastry when baking
• 15
  1 puff pastry

  frozen from store is fine. follow directions on the package to thaw.

Cooking Instructions

1. 1

   Brown the beef in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, adding a little oil if needed. Remove and set aside.

2. 2

   Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

3. 3

   Add the mushrooms and cook until they give up their liquid, about 5 minutes.

4. 4

   Add the stock, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, bay leaf, rosemary, thyme, and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 1-2 hours until the beef is tender. You can simmer in the oven for longer at 300ºF if you prefer.

5. 5

   Remove the bay leaf, rosemary, and thyme sprigs. Taste and adjust seasoning.

6. 6

   After the beef has cooked, let it cool, preferably in the fridge for at least 1 day. If you put the filling hot into the pastry you will get the dreaded "soggy bottom".

7. 7

   When preparing to bake preheat the oven to 400ºF. Prepare the puff pastry. Unwrap the pastry and roll it out on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Cut it into 6 equal rectangles.

8. 8

   Assemble the pies by placing a rectangle of puff pastry on a work surface. Spoon some of the beef mixture into the center of the pastry. Fold the pastry over to make a triangle, pressing the edges to seal. Repeat with the remaining pastry and filling.

9. 9

   After assembling the pies, brush the tops with the egg wash and sprinkle with coarse salt. Maldon salt is traditional but kosher salt is fine!

10. 10

    Bake the pies in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is heated through.

11. 11

    Try to let the pies cool for at least 5-10 minutes before serving. The struggle is real.