Ben’s Steak, Dark Ale and Stilton Pie

By Ben O’Donoghue

Ben’s Steak, Dark Ale and Stilton Pie

Ben’s Steak, Dark Ale and Stilton Pie. Don’t be alarmed by the use of Vegemite in this beef pie. It adds depth and saltiness, further enhanced by the addition of Stilton blue cheese.

Serves 4

Preparation Time: 30 mins plus marinating time of 3 hours

Cooking Time: 3 hours for the meat, 45 mins for the pie

Ingredients 

1kg of chuck steak (cut into 3cm cubes) 

1 cup plain flour 

6 cloves of garlic (cut in half) 

1/2 bunch of thyme 

1 teaspoon of black peppercorns 

2 x 330ml bottles of dark ale or 500ml Guinness 

8 golden shallots peeled (cut in half if large) 

1 tablespoon of Vegemite 

500gm puff pastry (shop bought is fine) 

100gm Stilton blue cheese or similar crumbly blue cheese (use cheddar if you don’t like blue cheese) 

Celery salt 

1 egg yolk

Method 

1. Combine the cubed chuck steak with the ale, thyme, garlic, peppercorns and shallots in a bowl. Leave to marinate for at least 3 hours, or overnight

2. After marinating the beef, drain and reserve the liquid. Pat the beef dry, dredge it in seasoned flour and then fry in small batches until brown. Set aside

3. Stir the vegemite through the reserved marinade, and then add this to a casserole dish with the seared chuck steak. Cook gently over a low heat, or in low oven (150 degrees) for approximately 3 hours

4. You will know when the meat is cooked, because it should be very tender. Season to taste with celery salt, and allow the mixture to cool, ideally to room temperature

5. Grease a pie dish with butter. Roll out the puff pastry, and cut two discs – one large enough to line the dish and another to form the lid

6. Fill the pastry-lined pie dish with the beef mixture, and then brush the edges with the egg yolk. Crumble the cheese over the top of the pie filling. Place the pastry lid over the pie dish, and seal with firm crimps (or the back of a fork to adhere the two pieces of pastry)

7. Brush the lid with the remaining egg yolk and place into an oven preheated to 180 degrees. Cook for between 45 – 60 minutes

8. Serve with your favourite greens or mashed potato

Top Tips 

Chuck steak is full of flavour, gelatinous and wonderfully nourishing. To save time, get your butcher to pre-dice the meat for you

To cut down the cooking time, place the meat and remaining marinade in a slower cooker. After it is cooked, simply thicken with a paste of corn flour and water

For a mid-week time-saver, make the filling a day or two in advance and store in the fridge. Ensure the mixture is at room temperature before baking in the pastry casing

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