Batch Cook & Freeze Ahead Slow Cooked Beef, Guinness and Red Wine Pie
I’ve many recipes for when I want to make a quick pie, this isn’t. one of them.
The filling for this pie takes time to dip the pieces of beef in seasoned flour.
More time to brown each piece until all the sides have colour.
Even more time to slow cook the beef, in the oven or slow cooker, until each piece is tender and the ingredients have melded together to make its own thick flavoursome sauce.
Then once cooked, time to let it cool completely, overnight, ready for to be wrapped in puff pastry, home-made or shop bought.
Then it’s the time to freeze at least one of the pies, and freezing is probably the quickest part of the whole pie making process.
When I’m in the mood, I don’t let the time it takes to make this beautiful pie put me off, I look at it as a way of putting my love into a dish of food that may only take minutes to consume, but I know will be remembered for the time I’ve taken to make it.
There’s a ton of meat in this recipe, and there’s a reason for that.
It’s a recipe that makes enough filling for several pies, obviously depending on the size of the pie tin, and it freezes really well, which makes all the time and love put into making the pie worth every minute.
In case you’re wondering, I make two very large family sized pies from this amount of filling so I use four sheets of ready to roll puff pastry, one for bottom and one for the top of both pies.
Go on, give it a go and enjoy your sweet life!
Golden pastry and a delicious filling.
What You Need
2250g Stewing Beef - See Tip Box
1200g Mushrooms – See Tip Box
500ml Red Wine - See Tip Box
200g Plain Flour – But will need a lot more - See Tip Box
3 Large Leeks
1 Large Can of Guinness - Around 538ml
4 tbsp Paprika – See Tip Box
4 Beef Stock Cubes
Malden Sea Salt- See Tip Box
Black Pepper
Vegetable Oil for Frying
4 Packs Ready to roll puff pastry or make your own – See Tip Box
1 Large Egg
2 Tbsp Milk
Mix the paprika, Malden Sea salt and flour together.
How It’s Done
Heat the oven to 200c – See Tip Box
Find a pot big enough to hold all of the ingredients or if using a slow cooker, make sure that’s big enough too – See Tip Box
Place the flour, paprika ,a good pinch of salt and lots of black pepper into a bowl and give it a good mix up.
Pour some oil into a frying pan and let it heat up on a medium heat.
Place a handful of the beef into the seasoned flour and move it around so they are all coated really well.
Place the coated beef into the hot oil and let it cook, turning the pieces over, until each piece has a colour.
Don’t over fill the pan, so cook the meat in batches.
Remove the beef to a plate before adding more oil and more coated beef to the pan until all of the beef is seared - Don’t over crowd the pan, and cook in batches – See Tip Box
Once all the beef has been browned, put all of it (along with any scrapings from the pan) into an oven proof casserole dish that has a well-fitting lid or into the slow cooker.
Prepare the leeks for cooking by chopping off the roots and the top of the leek.
Open out the green end of the leek and wash the leek under running water, making sure any grit is washed away.
Slice the leek into rounds and put them on top pf the beef.
Prepare the mushrooms for cooking by using a damp piece of kitchen roll to wipe off any dirt – See Tip Box
Slice off the bottom off the mushrooms, and chop the larger mushrooms in half.
Put the prepared mushrooms in with the meat and leeks.
Open the Guinness and pour it over the meat, add the red wine to the pot too.
Put the stock cubes in to the pot, add lots of black pepper and a good pinch of the Malden Sea salt.
Give it all a good mix and then put the lid on tightly.
Everything in the pot
Put the casserole pot onto an oven tray and into the hot oven to cook for three hours, giving a stir after every hour.
After three hours the meat should be tender and the sauce should be thick.
If using a slow cooker, do the same and then let it cook on medium for six hours giving it a stir after every hour until the meat is tender, and the sauce is thick.
Once cooked, remove the pot from the oven or turn off the slow cooker and keeping the lid on, let it get completely cold – leaving overnight is best to ensure it’s truly cold – See Tip Box
After three hours of cooking.
Assembly
Once ready to assemble the pie, line the pie dishes with sheets of pastry – one on the bottom.
Pile the filling on top of the pastry so there is lots of filling.
Fill the pie with as much filling as you can get in.
Put another sheet of puff pastry on top of the pie filling and use your fingers to crimp the edges of the pastry together, sealing all the way around the pie.
Crack the egg into a cup along with the, milk and use a fork to mix them together.
Brush all over the pie with the egg wash.
Cut three slits in the top of the pie and if there are any offcuts of pastry, use them to make some leaves to decorate the top of the pie.
Brush egg wash all over the pastry just before baking.
If baking the pies straight away, place it onto an oven proof tray and into a hot oven, 200c, to bake for around 1 hour or until the pastry is puffed and golden and the inside is piping hot.
If freezing the pies, once the pastry lid is on and crimped, and before the egg wash is applied, wrap in a layer of foil and then a layer of cling film tightly around the pie before putting it in the freezer for up to three months.
To cook from frozen, take it out of the freezer and defrost completely before cooking as above.
Go crazy, tuck in.
Tip Box
Meat - 1) Don’t be over precious about the exact amount of meat. There’s a lot of meat in this recipe, so if you only want to make one big pie, just half all the ingredients.
2) If the meat is still to much to buy, use less meat and increase the amount of mushrooms., it still tases great.
Mushrooms – 1) I used just ordinary closed mushrooms from the local supermarket, but if you’re not on a budget, try to find some wild mushrooms. They’ll add another level of indulgence to the pie.
2) Mushrooms are very absorbent so never plunge them into or put them under running water. Always use a damp piece of kitchen paper to clean them.
Flour – How much flour needed depends on how many individual pieces of meat there are..
Malden Sea Salt – I use Malden Sea salt in this recipe, but if you don’t have any, use table salt, but be very careful when using it. Table salt is very strong and iodised so a little at first and then taste.
Paprika – More paprika is needed each time the flour is refilled to coat the meat.
Cooking – If cooking in the oven, the temperature of the oven should be 200c but if in the slow cooker, cook it on medium for 6 hours. Every oven and slow cooker is different so adjust the cooking time accordingly.
Overcrowding the frying pan – Putting too many pieces of beef into the pan causes the beef to steam rather than fry. Fry and seal the mat in batches to ensure the meat fries rather than steams..
Pastry – 1) I’ve made this pie both using ready rolled pre made puff pastry and spending my time making my own. Whichever way you choose, embrace it and enjoy it.
2) How much pastry needed really depends on many pies you are making from the filling. I usually make two large pies using four sheets of ready rolled puff pastry.
Completely Cold – Having the filing completely cold is best. If hot or warm, the pastry will heat up and the butter in it will melt and if freezing, everything has to be completelycold before freezing.
Puffed golden pastry and a piping hot filling.
Tip Box
Meat - 1) Don’t be over precious about the exact amount of meat. There’s a lot of meat in this recipe, so if you only want to make one big pie, just half all the ingredients.
2) If the meat is still to much to buy, use less meat and increase the amount of mushrooms., it still tases great.
Wine - I used Malbecbut use what you drink.
Mushrooms – 1) I used just ordinary closed mushrooms from the local supermarket, but if you’re not on a budget, try to find some wild mushrooms. They’ll add another level of indulgence to the pie.
2) Mushrooms are very absorbent so never plunge them into or put them under running water. Always use a damp piece of kitchen paper to clean them.
Flour – How much flour needed depends on how many individual pieces of meat there are..
Malden Sea Salt – I use Malden Sea salt in this recipe, but if you don’t have any, use table salt, but be very careful when using it. Table salt is very strong and iodised so a little at first and then taste.
Paprika – More paprika is needed each time the flour is refilled to coat the meat.
Cooking – If cooking in the oven, the temperature of the oven should be 200c but if in the slow cooker, cook it on medium for 6 hours. Every oven and slow cooker is different so adjust the cooking time accordingly.
Overcrowding the frying pan – Putting too many pieces of beef into the pan causes the beef to steam rather than fry. Fry and seal the mat in batches to ensure the meat fries rather than steams..
Pastry – 1) I’ve made this pie both using ready rolled pre made puff pastry and spending my time making my own. Whichever way you choose, embrace it and enjoy it.
2) How much pastry needed really depends on many pies you are making from the filling. I usually make two large pies using four sheets of ready rolled puff pastry.
Completely Cold – Having the filing completely cold is best. If hot or warm, the pastry will heat up and the butter in it will melt and if freezing, everything has to be completely cold before freezing.
Tuck in
