pat's Recipe

Beef and Stout Pie

Category: SOUPS/STEWS

7 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb white button mushrooms, quartered
2 cups frozen pearl onions, thawed
salt and freshly ground pepper
3 1/2 lb beef chuck roast, cut into 1-inch
cubes
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 1/2 cups Irish stout
1 cup beef broth
1 lb each carrots and potatoes, in chunks
1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh thyme
one 16" round Stilton pastry (see below)
1 egg, beaten with 1 tsp water

In a 5 1/2 quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm 1 Tbsp oil. Cook mushrooms, onions, salt and pepper 12 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Season beef with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour. In same pot over medium-high heat, warm 2 Tbsp oil. Sear one-third of beef 7 minutes; transfer to separate bowl. Add 1/2 cup water to pot; scrape up browned bits. Pour into separate bowl. Repeat twice with rest of beef.
Return pot to medium-high heat. Add garlic and tomato paste; stir 30 seconds. Add beef, stout, broth and reserved liquid; scrape up browned bits. Add mushrooms, onions, carrots, potatoes and thyme; bring to a boil. Cover; simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, 3 hours.
Preheat oven to 400F. Brush rim of pot with water. Lay pastry on top; let it droop onto filling. Trim dough to 1" down side of pot. Crimp to seal. Brush with egg mixture. Cut 4 slits. Bake 30 minutes.
serves 8-10

Prepare single pie crust and refrigerate while stew simmers. When stew is done, roll out the dough into a 12"x16" rectangle. Crumble blue cheese (Stilton) over half the dough, fold the other half over the cheese and roll out again. Trim the dough into a 16" round, lay it on the pot and crimp edges before baking.