Beef, Ale and Mushroom Pot Pie

A comfort food classic!! Layers upon layers of flavours create the ultimate pot pie, perfect for sharing. Carve out some time, set your stove to simmer and escape to your kitchen this weekend! We truly enjoy the process of slowly simmering until you have created the most tender, savoury and flavour infused dishes all while filling your home with the most delightful of scents! Turn on some music, pour yourself a glass of vino and let’s create something completely scrumptious!

What you will need:

2 tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. sirloin beef cubes (cut into 1 inch pieces)
2 large white onions; finely chopped
3 large carrots; roughly chopped
2 tsp. brown sugar
4 tbsp. all-purpose flour
300 ml dark ale (we used Guiness)
2 beef stock cubes
400 ml beef broth
1 tsp. dried thyme
2 large bay leaves
3 tbsp. fresh chopped parsley
Approx 10 strips of bacon; roughly chopped into pieces
6-7 large white cremini mushrooms; quartered
2 sheets puff pastry
1 egg yolk
Salt and pepper

Directions:

Prep Time: 30 minutes ◊ Cook Time: 2 hrs 22 minutes

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Add oil to a large stock pot and bring to medium-high heat. Add beef cubes and cook until nicely browned on all sides. Transfer cubes to a bowl and set aside.
Add onions and carrots to stock pot, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with a small amount of olive oil. Cook for approx 5 minutes until onions are golden brown and tender. Stir occasionally.
Sprinkle sugar and flour into pot and stir until flour has mostly absorbed. Add beef and any juices back into the pot and give a good stir.
Add ale, beef stock cubes, beef stock, thyme, bay leaves and parsley into the pot. Reduce heat and bring everything to a simmer.
Cover stock pot with lid and transfer to the oven. Cook for 2 hours, stirring two-three times, until beef cubes are extremely tender.
In the meantime, in a large frying pan, cook bacon until just starting to colour, add quartered mushrooms and cook until bacon is crisp and mushrooms are golden brown.
Once stew has finished cooking, add bacon and mushrooms into the stock and stir to incorporate. Set aside while you prep your pie crust.
Adjust oven temperature to 400 degrees F.
Roll out your pastry and use it to line a pie plate, ensuring excess pastry is hanging over the edge of the pie plate. Spoon stew into pie plate and evenly distribute. Roll out the top pastry to cover the pie. Trim and crimp pastry edges. Add any decorative pastry toppers; i.e pastry leaves, then brush the top of your pie with egg wash. Slice the center of pie with 2-3 slits.
Bake for 20-22 minutes until pastry has risen, is flakey and golden brown. Let cool 10-15 minutes before serving.