Beef & Mushroom Suet Pastry Pie

method

When choosing a tenderizer be sure it's Papaya based — a natural tenderizer not salt. Find it at any chinese or indian shop. I'll change your world with one ingriedient. We cook our meat to death 'cause it's tough. Ha'ha Nutty's here! Stop paying electric to make meat tender! I see you're dubious. This is not how my mother cooked, it's not how I used to cook. It's knowledge from Indians, Ghanaians, they create magic from stuff we regard as too hard to cook!

We'll brown our meat in a hot pan, so de-glaze it with the red wine (I'm using 300ml of Merlot) and add to the casserole dish or crock pot. I'm putting mine in a pressure cooker first for 18 mins — yup 18 mins & the stew is done! If doing on a stove top or in the oven you're going to need an hour at least. Once it's tender-ish set aside to cool. You can not add pastry to hot stuff, you're just gonna get a mess! So you could make the stew / pie base the day before. I wish you luck, we have fridge raiders here so I wont risk it without the pastry top!.....

So, with your ingredients ready, let's cook...

1. Begin with your meat — check the dice is even
2. Mix the tenderiser into the water stir
3. Add the beef to the liquid
4. Put it in the fridge for 45mins*

*Your meat should have changed from brown to bright pink in colour.

5. Drain the meat through a colander
6. Put the colander in the fridge to dry on a plate / dish

Once your meat is dry:

7. Sift flour over your dry meat
8. Shake off any excess flour
9. Heat a heavy bottomed pan very to hot
10. Add oil & allow it to heat until it shimmers
11. Brown the meat well in three batches

Set each batch aside in a casserole dish or crock pot until it's all done.

12. Lightly season the meat with salt & pepper
13. Add your shallots to the med-hot pan
14. Add your onions & cook until soft

15. Season lightly with salt & pepper
16. Put the onions & shallots with your meat
17. Add the veg to the pan & soften slightly

18. Add garlic and bouquet garni
19. Season the dish lightly with salt & pepper
20. Set aside with the beef

21. Reduce 300ml of red wine by half in the hot pan
22. Add it to the beef & veg

I've set everything into my pressure cooker for 18mins, but you can use the stove top, crockpot or whatever. Just cook slowly until the beef is cooked, soft & tender.

Suet pastry topping

Dumplings & suet pastry are very similar but one's soft and oozy soaked with gravy, the other's a crispy topped lid soft and oozy from gravy on the under side. Both are equally delicious, but I'm opting for the pastry top this time.

Tip: the pastry contains flour so you'll need to be mindful of the consistency of your sauce as adding the pastry will also thicken your sauce. Your sauce should be slightly thickened right now. You're going to bake it again so having a taste of your sauce & checking it's consistency and seasoning is well worth doing here, once cooled it's going to change again — as the meat will absorb the juice. Remember, it's going to intensify yet again when you bake it. If necessary add a little water if you think it's going to dry out. Once you add the pastry top your opportunities to check have gone! Adding the top is our next stage so once you're ready to make pastry pre-heat your oven to 180c

the pastry

23. Mix all the dry ingredients together
24. Gradually add the water mixing as you go
25. Form a pastry ball cleaning every last bit off the bowl
26. Wrap the ball in cling film & put it in the fridge
27. Let it rest for at least half an hour
28. Lightly dust a board & a rolling pin
29. Form a lid to sit on top of your stew

assemble the pie

Okay! We're all ready to put this pie together! A deep dish is required here, if our sauce bubbles upwards we don't want it to run over the top!

30. Add the cold stew to your deep dish

31. Top with the pastry lid

I've done this and popped it in the fridge because tomorrow Nutty's Kitchen has a birthday to cook for! However, it will also give it time for the beautiful stewing juices to soak into the pastry lid — giving it an amazing dumpling texture on the underside with a golden crunchy top.

If you did put it in the fridge overnight, bring it out and allow it to get to room temperature before you put it in the oven.

bake the pie!

32. Brush the pastry top with milk
33. Season with a little extra salt & pepper
34. Put your dish onto a baking tray
35. Place into a pre-heat oven @ 180c for 45mins
36. Remove from oven when the top is golden brown
37. Check it is piping hot in the center

An unbelievably delicious taste of luxury.