Beef and Mushroom Pie with Puff Pastry
Recipe for a pie with savoury minced beef, mushrooms and a puff pastry lid - a pot pie in the style of a cottage pie.
Ingredients
- 500 g minced beef
- 200 g chestnut mushrooms, finely diced
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 150 g carrots, finely diced
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 400-500 ml beef stock
- 100 g peas
- Red wine vinegar, optional
- Oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the topping and to serve
- 1 roll ready-rolled puff pastry
- 1 egg, beaten - for brushing
- Chopped chives, to serve
- A fresh salad and dressing, optional
Method
- Heat a little oil in a frying pan and brown the mince well. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Push the meat to one side, add the mushrooms and fry them hard over a high heat until they have released their liquid.
- Add the onion, garlic and carrots and fry for a further 5 minutes or so.
- Sprinkle over the herbs along with the Worcestershire sauce and tomato purée and heat through for a couple of minutes.
- Stir in the flour, then pour over the stock and let the sauce simmer gently for 5 minutes or so. Season to taste with salt, freshly ground black pepper and a little red wine vinegar, if you like, then fold in the peas.
- Meanwhile, cut the puff pastry into small squares, hearts, strips or whatever shape you prefer.
- Pour the filling into a pie dish, or leave it in the pan - if the pan is ovenproof.
- Arrange the pastry pieces over the top of the filling so they overlap - and brush with the beaten egg.
- Bake the pie in a preheated conventional oven (top and bottom heat) at 200°C for about 20-25 minutes.
- Let the pie rest for 10 minutes or so before serving, ideally with a fresh green salad and a good dressing.