Steak and Mushroom Pie

You will need a 1.7 litre pie dish for this recipe.

Serves: 6

Ingredients

2 tablespoons milk
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium onions, sliced
2 large carrots, cut into discs
1 clove garlic, finely diced
1kg braising steak, trimmed
4 tablespoons seasoned plain flour
½ bottle full-bodied red wine
1 bay leaf, plus some parsley and thyme sprigs, tied together
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
30g butter
225g horse mushrooms, trimmed and halved
Squeeze of lemon juice
225g chilled rough puff pastry
Half a beaten egg

Method

1. Pour about 3 tablespoons of oil into a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Set over a low heat and gently fry the onion and carrots until soft. Add the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes, before removing the vegetables from the pan using a slotted spoon.
2. Remove any fat or tough fibres from the meat before cutting it into large chunks. Add a further 3 tablespoons of oil to the pan and set it over a medium-high heat.
3. Take a large handful of meat and lightly coat in the seasoned flour, shaking off the excess before adding it to the saucepan. Fry briskly, turning regularly, until browned on all sides. Transfer the meat to a dish with the softened vegetables while you continue to colour the remaining steak in batches, adding a little more oil if you need it.
4. When all the meat has been browned, return the vegetables, meat and any meat juices to the saucepan. Add the wine and herbs and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, then season to taste and simmer very gently for 1½ hours. At this point, heat the butter in a small frying pan and briskly fry the mushrooms. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and stir them into the stew. Remove the herbs, season to taste and, if you have time, allow the stew to cool before continuing with the recipe.
5. Preheat the oven to 190°C/gas 5.
6. When you are ready to bake the pie, roll out the pastry to the same shape as your pie dish, but a little larger. Cut a ribbon from around the edge of the pastry and press it firmly onto the rim of the pie dish. Spoon in the beef stew, squash a pie funnel (if you have one) into the middle and brush the pastry ribbon with the mixture of beaten egg and milk (eggwash). Loosely roll the pastry onto the rolling pin and lift onto the pie dish. Using a fork, firmly press around the rim so that the layers of pastry are sealed together. Trim off the excess pastry. Prick the lid with a knife and brush with the eggwash. If you're feeling artistic, you can decorate the pie lid with leaves, mushrooms or roses, cut from the pastry trimmings.
7. Bake in the centre of the oven for 35 minutes or until the pastry has puffed up and become golden.