Chunky Steak, Mushroom & Bacon Pie

Posted by thesensitivefoodie on September 5, 2013 in Beef Dishes, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Gluten Free, Nut Free, Soy Free | 4 Comments

A friend and I headed off after work on Friday to the Gluten Free Expo, and after being directed in circles and finally to the furthest possible carpark, we made out way on foot for the hike back across to the other side of Olympic Park. On the walk we were a little worried that it would be 2 people and a stand, since there didn’t seem to be anyone else walking in the same direction as us. Turns out, everyone else was just smart enough not to trust the recommended parking sign, or are seasoned pro’s who had fallen for it before.

One of my favourite finds was pastry. I had written off ever being able to have pastry again, it seemed to me that taking out the gluten, dairy & eggs, really didn’t leave much to make pastry from. The pastry isn’t the same as it’s glutinous, buttery counterpart, but it tasted quite good, and held together well. It was more difficult to work with, I found I it broke apart when I was trying to lower it into the pie tins, but you can just put it together like a bit of a patchwork quilt and using bits of extra pastry to press into any gaps.

I normally don’t make things differently for my husband, but flaky, buttery pastry is one thing I don’t have the heart to take away from him. You can tell the difference in the photo’s – the gorgeously golden flaky pastry ones are not mine, mine are the not quite so pretty ones. The puff pastry on top, didn’t puff and was quite crunchy, but all in all, I was really happy with how they turned out. Pie’s are back on the menu (and I can be a proper Aussie again)!

How many pies this makes, depends on the size of your pie tins. You could use one large family size tin, or several smaller ones. My tins are quite large individual size ones, and this makes 6 for me.

Suitable for: gluten, wheat, dairy, egg & nut free diets. Check the labels on the stock, tomato paste and sauces. 

Ingredients (makes 6 large individual pies)

• 1kg chuck steak in 1 inch cube chunks, or any cheap cut good for casseroles
• 2 tablespoon plain flour (I use gluten free plain flour)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 200g speck, or 6 slices bacon, rind removed, roughly diced.
• 400g button mushrooms, halved
• 1 large brown onion, roughly chopped (or 6-8 eschalotts)
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 3 cups beef stock
• 4 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoon worcester sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoon thyme leaves
• 2 teaspoon rosemary leaves, chopped
• salt & pepper
• Pre-made shortcrust & puff pastry, the 5 sheet packs of each are plenty, you just need to roll out the leftover pastry. (I used  half The Pastry Pantry gluten, dairy & egg free pastry & normal frozen pastry for the other half)
• if you can have it, 1 egg, whisked well to combine or some olive oil to brush pastry
• mashed potato.

Method

1. In a zip lock plastic bag add the flour and season with salt and pepper. Add the beef pieces, and shake until the meat is all coated.
2. In a large pot, add the oil and heat over a medium/high heat. Add the beef in batches and brown. Remove to a bowl and set aside.
3. Add the speck or bacon and cook stirring until browned. Add the onion and stir until softened. Add the garlic and stir for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
4. Add the stock, tomato paste, worcester sauce, soy sauce, mushrooms, thyme & rosemary, stir through. Add the mushrooms and the browned beef, and bring to the boil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Reduce to a low simmer for 2 hours, or unit meat is softened and the gravy has thickened up. If the gravy gets too thick during cooking, add more stock or water.
6. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees celcius. Bring  the pastry to room temperature. Grease your pie tins with olive oil, and then line with shortcrust pastry and cutting the overhanging pastry away. Fill each pie tin with the filling leaving a little room at the top, so that it doesn’t spill out during cooking.
7. If using egg, brush around the edges of the pastry, or use olive oil, and then top each pie with the puff pastry and cut around tin. Use a fork, to press the sides of the pie pastry together. Brush the top of the pie with more whisked egg or olive oil.
8. Cook in the pre-heated oven for 40 – 45 minutes or until the pastry has turned a golden brown.
9. Serve with mashed potato, and it’s not an Aussie pie, without tomato sauce (ketchup)

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