Steak and Guinness Pie

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Steak and Guinness Pie Posted On 08 February 2019

With St Patrick’s Day not too far away on Sunday 17th March, what better way to celebrate the national holiday than creating a traditional dish with one of Ireland’s biggest exports? Many pints of Guinness will be drunk over St. Paddy’s weekend; however, adding it to a steak pie is a great, family-friendly alternative

3 tbsp vegetable oil
750g (1 1/2lb) stewing beef steak, cubed
1 onion, chopped
1 large carrot, cut into chunks
2 tbsp plain flour
1 x 440ml can Guinness
1 beef stock cube
sprig thyme leaves
ready-rolled shortcrust pastry
1 egg, beaten

Heat half the oil in a large casserole pan. Cook the beef, in 2 batches, for 7-10 mins until browned all over.

Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the vegetables to the pan and cook for 5 mins until soft.

Stir in the flour until well coated. Pour in the Guinness and stir around the pan, scraping up all the caramelised bits at the bottom of the pan. Crumble in the stock cube, then return the beef to the pan with the thyme and top up with water if necessary. Cover and simmer for 1½hrs until the beef is really tender. Then leave to cool. Can be made up to 2 days in advance and stored in the fridge.

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 6/200°C/ Fan 180°C. Spoon the beef and enough juice to cover it, into a large pie dish, removing the thyme sprig.

Place the pastry on top and cut away any excess with a sharp knife. Then use your fingers to crimp around the edge of the pie. Make a small slit in the centre of the pie for air to escape. Brush all over with the egg.

Cook for 30–40 minutes until golden and crisp. Heat any remaining beef liquid and serve alongside with some mash and greens.

Irish Coffee

Wash down your dinner with some traditional Irish coffee. Black coffee served with whipped cream and whiskey, it’s the perfect end to a great meal!

2 tbsp double cream
150ml freshly brewed black coffee
50ml Irish whiskey
½-1 tsp brown sugar
pinch freshly grated nutmeg

Lightly whip the cream just so it’s very slightly thickened, then set aside. Pour the hot coffee into a mug or heatproof glass, then add the whiskey and sugar. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Gently float the cream on the top and sprinkle the nutmeg over the cream. Serve hot!