Steak and Ale Pie Recipe

Natalie Paramore | NatalieParamore.com

Steak and Ale Pie is the delightful dinner that awaits you this St. Patrick's Day. Perfect with a pint of Guinness.

We don’t get too much cold weather down here in Austin.. lucky us, I’m sure most of you are thinking! We did have several cold blasts lately though, so I thought it was the perfect time to whip out some beef stew.

Steak and Ale Pie Photo

Naturally, I wanted to mix it up a little bit and came across a steak and ale pie recipe from the BBC. Those friends across the pond know a thing or two about the best food to eat when it’s cold!

Steak and Ale Pie Image

After a recent trip to a local Austin brewery - Adelbert’s, I couldn’t wait to get back home and cook with some of their beer. Yes, that’s right, I said cook.

Well, and drink some of it too, but some beers just scream "cook with me!".

Steak and Ale Pie Process Picture

All the craft beers that are popping up everywhere really lend themselves perfectly to be used in the kitchen. The funky flavors, hops and carbonation add a lot of depth to recipes like this one.

The subtle flavor the beer gives when you stew it with the meat really gives it that extra edge you can’t get any other way.

Steak and Ale Pie Process Photo

As your resident pie gal, I knew I wanted to mix in some savory recipes with the sweet pies that I usually make, like my Valentine’s Day spicy chocolate peanut butter pie. With a little prodding from my boyfriend, who loves British food, I decided to go ahead with this traditional pub recipe.

Steak and Ale Pie Picture

And y’all - get this, I even sifted the flour! Yup, that’s right. It is a step that can easily be over looked, especially when you are in a hurry.

But trust me, it’s worth every second for that perfect pie crust. So important. Sift, sift, sift! Just do it.

The flaky pie crust is all about keep the flour and butter cold and the flour sifted! On to the recipe!

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Steak and Ale Pie Recipe

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    6 Servings

Ingredients

For the Stew:
  • 4 ounces Beef Chuck, Cut into bite sized pieces
  • 2 large Carrots
  • 2 stalks Celery
  • 2 cloves Garlic
  • 1/2 large White Onion
  • 1 cup Chopped White Mushrooms
  • 1 cup Beef Stock
  • 1 cup Ale, See notes
  • 3 tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
  • 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 1 tablespoon Butter
  • Salt and Pepper, To taste
  • 1 Bay Leaf
  • 1 tablespoon Tomato Paste
  • 1 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Dried Thyme
For the Pie Crust:
  • 1 cup All-Purpose Flour, Plus more for rolling out
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
  • 1/2 cup Ice Water
  • 9 ounces Butter, Very cold
  • 1 Egg, Beaten

Directions

For the Stew:

  1. Wash and chop vegetables and garlic, set aside.
  2. Cut beef into small bite sized pieces. Toss with flour, salt and pepper.
  3. In batches, use one tablespoon olive oil in a large pot and brown the beef without crowding it. Between batches, splash ale into pot to deglaze it, scraping up any brown bits with the meat. Set aside.
  4. Using the last tablespoon of olive oil, cook the vegetables and garlic for about 5 minutes in the same pot as the beef.
  5. Add the beef back to the pot with vegetables, pour in the beef stock, any remaining ale, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, bay leaf and thyme. Bring to a boil, then simmer for an hour and half to two hours or until the stew has reduced by half.

For the Pie Crust:

  1. Meanwhile, start on the pie crust. Begin by whisking the flour and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Place in freezer for 15 minutes to get cold.
  2. Cut butter into cubes and place in the fridge to keep cold.
  3. Stir butter into flour until well coated.
  4. Add ice cold water and work into rough dough. Form into ball and wrap in plastic wrap and place in freezer for 15 more minutes.
  5. Roll out dough and work until smooth on a floured surface. Roll out until almost as thin as two quarters. If dough becomes sticky before finished, place in freezer for 10 minutes then continue. Make two equal sized pieces, one for top and bottom of pie.
  6. Once finished place dough in the freezer for an hour.
  7. Once the stew is finished, let cool for about 30 minutes.

To Make the Pie:

  1. Melt the butter and cook mushrooms in a pan for about 5 minutes or until golden brown. Add to the beef stew.
  2. Press dough into pan greased with butter. Fill with cooled stew.
  3. Cover pie with remaining dough. Make a few slits in the top for the steam to release. Pinch edges together to seal the pie. Brush the top with a beaten egg.
  4. Bake for 30 minutes at 400°F or until inside of pie is hot. 

Notes

Natalie Paramore

About Natalie

Natalie is one of our favorite Texans. You can visit natalieparamore.com for all manner of good eats, but on Food Fanatic you'll find her writing about pies and tarts you can be fanatical about.

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