Homemade Steak & Cheese Pie
We had braising steak – and a couple of sheets of puff pastry – in the freezer, and a can of Guinness in the larder. We didn’t have any mushrooms, but we had enough meat to make a pie out of.
This time I didn’t use a recipe. A splash of olive oil in a large pan, and three crushed cloves of garlic. I cubed the steak and tossed it in, turning it over a high heat until it browned a little. A generous tablespoon of flour, and then in went the Guinness in all its frothy glory.
I added some seasoning, and a splash each of balsamic and Lea & Perrins (Worcester Sauce), and then left it to gloop for around ninety minutes, stirring it periodically and checking it had enough liquid.
When I tasted it, the flavour was a little bitter. I hoped the addition of Cheddar cheese would help with that. I grated a big pile of cheese (maybe 200g?) and stirred in in, before turning it into a deep pie dish. Puff pastry on top, a milk wash, and a sprinkling of more cheese, and it was ready for the oven.
To go with it, I roasted some chopped potatoes in their skins, and a handful of chopped carrots.
That damned oven. The pastry burned. Even though I cooked it low down, and on a lower temperature than I should. * sigh *
I had to scrape off the burned pastry around the raised edges of the dish, but thankfully the cheesy section in the middle was fine, and tasted good.
The vast quantity of cheese added a creamy richness to the gravy, and completely counteracted any residual bitterness from the Guinness. It was rather good 😊
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New Zealand is still under Lockdown restrictions. This blog intends to avoid the bad news about rising numbers of victims. It focuses instead on food, and the challenges of cooking fresh meals every day – with the ingredients from my larder. A much nicer message 😊
Sofia Grey 