Chilli Con Carne

Ingredients

• 500 g lean minced beef
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 large onion
• 1 red pepper
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp sweet paprika 
• 1 cube beef stock
• 1 tsp sugar or 2 cubes of chocolate
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• Soy sauce
• 400g can red kidney beans
• boiled long grain rice to serve
• sour cream

Preparation

1. Prepare your vegetables. Chop your onion into small dice, about 5mm square. The easiest way to do this is to cut the onion in half from root to tip, peel it and slice each half into thick matchsticks lengthways, not quite cutting all the way to the root end so they are still held together. Slice across the matchsticks into neat dice. Cut your pepper in half lengthways, remove stalk and wash the seeds away, then chop.
2. Start cooking. Put your pan on the hob over a medium heat. Add the oil and leave it for 1-2 minutes until hot (a little longer for an electric hob). Add the onions and cook, stirring fairly frequently, for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are soft, squidgy and slightly translucent.Tip in the garlic, red pepper, chilli, paprika and cumin. Give it a good stir, then leave it to cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Brown the mince. Turn the heat up a bit, add the meat to the pan and break it up with your spoon or spatula. The mix should sizzle a bit when you add the mince. Keep stirring and prodding for at least 5 minutes, until all the mince is in uniform, mince-sized lumps and there are no more pink bits. Make sure you keep the heat hot enough for the meat to fry and become brown, rather than just stew.
4. Making the sauce. Crumble your stock cube into 300ml/1⁄2 pint of hot water. Pour this into the pan with the mince mixture. Open the can of chopped tomatoes and add these as well. Tip in the marjoram and the sugar, if using (see tip left), and add a good shake of salt and pepper. Squirt in about 2 tbsp of tomato purée and stir the sauce well.
5. Simmer it gently. Bring the whole thing to the boil, give it a good stir and put a lid on the pan. Turn down the heat until it is gently bubbling and leave it for 20 minutes. You should check on the pan occasionally to stir it and make sure the sauce doesn't catch on the bottom of the pan or isn't drying out. If it is, add a couple of tablespoons of water and make sure that the heat really is low enough. After simmering gently, the saucy mince mixture should look thick, moist and juicy.
6. Bring on the beans. Drain and rinse the beans in a sieve and stir them into the chilli pot. Bring to the boil again, and gently bubble without the lid for another 10 minutes, adding a little more water if it looks too dry. Add a bit of soy sauce. Taste a bit of the chilli and season. It will probably take a lot more seasoning than you think. Now replace the lid, turn off the heat and leave your chilli to stand for 10 minutes before serving, and relax. Leaving your chilli to stand is really important as it allows the flavours to mingle and the meat.

Other ways to enjoy chilli

Serve it on a bed of plain, boiled rice, with a spoonful of soured cream on top. Pile it on tortilla chips and sprinkle it with grated cheddar. Wrap it up in a tortilla with shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes and guacamole for a great burrito.

A Mexican twist

Rather than add the teaspoon of sugar, you can stir in a small piece of chocolate (about the size of your thumbnail) when you add the beans. Any plain dark chocolate will do. Be careful not to add too much - you don't want to be able to identify the flavour of the chocolate.

Per serving

387 kcalories, protein 36g, carbohydrate 25g, fat 17 g, saturated fat 6g, fibre 6g, sugar 1g, salt 2.32 g

Lasagna

Ingredients

• 500g sweet Italian sausage
• 500g lean ground beef
• 3 minced onions
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 900g passata (crushed tomato sauce)
• 200g tomato paste
• 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 2 tbsp white sugar
• 1.5 tsp dried basil leaves
• 0.5 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 4 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 12 sheets lasagna sheets
• 500 ounces ricotta cheese
• 2 egg
• 450g mozzarella cheese, sliced
• 200g grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Remove the sausage meat from the casing and cook it together with ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste and tomato sauce. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
4. To assemble 1st layer spread 1/3 meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange 4 lasagna sheets over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices and sprinkle  with a quater of parmezan cheese.
5. Repeat the same for the 2nd layer and the rest ingredients for the 3rd layer.
6. If you got any of the meat sauce left, let it cool and then freeze. Will be perfect with pasta, rice or baked potato
7. Cover with foil, make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
8. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Cider chicken with creamy mushroom and anchovy sauce

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 shallots
• 3 chicken breasts
• 2 anchovy fillets
• 200ml cider
• 150g button mushrooms
• 4 tbsp double cream
• 2 tbsp flatleaf parsley

Method

• Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a pan and gently fry 2 shallots, sliced, for 5 minutes or until soft. Add 3 chicken breasts, sliced, and brown all over.
• Add 2 anchovy fillets and fry for a few minutes. Pour in 200ml cider and cook for 10 minutes, until reduced.
• Meanwhile, melt a knob of butter in a pan and gently fry 150g button mushrooms, halved, until tender. Stir 4 tbsp double cream, a squeeze of lemon juice and 2 tbsp chopped fresh flatleaf parsley into the pan with the chicken and season.
• Add the mushrooms and serve with baked potatoes.

4 Servings

Nutritional info

Per serving: 296kcals, 18.4g fat (7.8g saturated), 26.8g protein, 2.5g carbs, 2.3g sugar, 0.4g salt

Tip

Omit the anchovies and add 1 tbsp sweet smoked paprika and swap the cider for chicken stock. Add a splash of brandy with the cream to make a delicious chicken stroganoff.

Beef Goulash

Ingredients:

• 1.5kg (2lb) round or chuck steak
• 2 large onions
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 50g (2oz) butter
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 cup water
• 1 bayleaf
• 1 beef stock cube
• salt, pepper
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 250ml (10oz) carton sour cream

Steps:

• Trim steaks to remove all fat, cut meat into 2cm cubes.
• Toss in flour seasoned with salt and pepper.
• Heat oil in large saucepan,
• add butter.
• Add meat and brown well on all sides.
• Add paprika and chopped onions, brown lightly.
• Add water, wine, undrained tomatoes and all remaining ingredients except sour cream.
• Cover, simmer gently 1.5 to 2 hours or until meat is very tender.
• Add sour cream and heat gently; do not allow to boil or mixture will curdle.

Serves 6.

Jacket Potato

You will need:

• 6 Russet medium potatoes (free of Bruises, spots or sprouts), try getting same size potatoes so they take the same time to cook.
• 1/2 cup of Olive Oil
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

• preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius
• Scrub the potatoes very well (as you will be eating the skin which is full of vitamins and minerals) under cold water and pat them dry.
• Poke the potatoes few time with a fork for the steam to escape during the baking and to avoit them exploading in the oven.
• Coat the potatios with olive oil and sprinkle the salt to get soft and very tasty skin.
• Arrange the potatoes on baking tray and cook in the middle of the oven for about an hour to an hour and half depending on the potato size.
• They are done once the skins are puffed up and change their color to golden brown. You can also check by slightly squeezing them on both sides. If done, then they should easily give in to your squeeze
• The best way to open them before serving is to take a fork and draw a dotted line around the potatoes. Then using your thumb and index finger, squeeze them at both sides so that they open apart.

Some nice potato toppings

• Cut few slices of smoked bacon in small pieces. Let it cool and mix with grated chedar cheese and chopped chives and a bit of crushed garlic. Split your baked potato and put the topping on and grill untill the cheese is golden brown.
• Baked beans.
• Cooked mushroom, bacon and onion with sour cream and melted cheese on top.
• Creamy Peas and Leeks. Melt a knob of butter in the pan and cook 2 medium sliced leeks for about 10 minutes, then add 200g frozen or fresh podded peas and cook for another 4-5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add 100g cream or natural yoghurt, 100 g grated Chedar cheese and a teaspoon of wholegrain mustard, season with a  bit of salt and pepper. Return to the heat to gently warm through.
• Bolognaise sauce!!!
• Tuna, onion and mayonaise is one of my favourites. Tomatos and rocket salad on a side is a perfect compliment.
• Cider chicken with creamy mushroom and anchovy sauce.
• Beef Goulash
• To be continued...

Tagine

Ingredients:
500g  lamb (or beef)
2 onions, grated
1 stock cube
1 tbsp honey
Half teaspoon salt.
Teaspoon pepper.

1/2 teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled (optional)

1/2 teaspoon turmeric (that will give the dish nice colour, you can use 1/8 teaspoon Moroccan yellow colorant)

mint, thyme, rosemary or whatwver spices you like.

1 cinnamon stick (optional)

2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely chopped
5 apricots
5 prunes

1/3 cup butter or vegetable oil

100 g (1 cup) almonds, blanched and peeled

Vegetables (optional)

1 carrot
1 red chilli
1/3 lemon juice
half tin chopped tomatos or 2-3 fresh tomatoes, chopped
75g green beans
100 g broccoli
can chickpeas

* Add a teaspoon ginger. I don't like it so I didn't use any. I normally use red chilli and lemon instead although agree it's not a proper substitute  :P

Preparation:

Cook the Meat and Almonds. In a large pot or pressure cooker, mix the meat with the onions, garlic, spices, and butter. Brown the meat for a few minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Add 2 1/2 cups of stock, the cilantro, prunes, apricots and the almonds. (You can omit cooking the almonds and serve them as a garnish instead. See the note at the end of these directions.) Over high heat, bring the meat and liquids to a fast simmer.

Pressure cooker method. If using a pressure cooker, cover tightly and continue cooking over high heat until pressure is achieved. Reduce the heat to medium, and cook with pressure for 50 minutes. Release the pressure and check to see that the meat is tender enough to break apart with a fork. If it isn't, add water if necessary and cook with pressure for another 10 minutes.
When the meat is cooked, discard the cilantro and cinnamon stick. Add the sugar and ground cinnamon (if using) and reduce the sauce, uncovered, until it is thick. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Pot method. If using a pot, cover and simmer the meat over medium heat for two to two-and-half hours, until the meat is very tender and breaks apart easily with a fork. If necessary, add water during cooking to prevent the meat from scorching.
When the meat is cooked, discard the cilantro and cinnamon stick. Add the sugar and ground cinnamon (if using) and reduce the sauce, uncovered, until it is thick. Taste and adjust seasoning.

So here's the recipe for a tagine cooked in a pressure cooker or a pot. I personally not the greatest fan of pressure cookers as I don't really get the sensation of the different flavours of ingredients although would use it if I were to make a tagine dish without vegetables. I purchased this lovely tagine dish and I absolutely love it. I normally cook the meat in a pan, then put it all into a tagine dish. Poor over the stock and cook in the oven 1-1,5hr. Then add the vegetables and cook for another 30-45min

 

Lamb tagine with chickpeas recipe

Ingredients:

300g Stewing Lamb

1 onion, sliced

2 tomatoes, roughly chopped

1tsp ground cinnamon

400g can chickpeas, drained

100g Tesco Ready to Eat dried Apricots

600ml vegetable or chicken stock

½ x 35 g pack curled parsley, chopped

Couscous, to serve

Fresh coriander, to serve (optional)

Preparation:
Cut the lamb into cubes. Fry with the onion in a pan until the onion softens and the meat begins to brown. Stir in the tomatoes and cinnamon and cook for a further 3-4 minutes until the tomatoes are softened.
Stir in the chickpeas, apricots and stock. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer gently for at least 45 minutes and up to 2 hours until the meat is tender.
Check the seasoning and stir through the parsley. Serve with plain couscous, cooked according to packet instructions, and garnish with coriander.
Fresh coriander, to serve (optional).

Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients

• 675g / 1 ½ lb beef fillet
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 350g button mushrooms, sliced
• 65g 2 ½ oz butter
• 3 tablespoons sunflower oil
• 300 ml / 1 ¼ cups soured cream
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• salt and pepper
• small bunch parsley, washed and chopped fine.

Preparation

Cut the fillet across the grain into thin slices about 1cm / ½ inch wide or less.
In a large frying pan, melt the butter and cook the onion with the paprika over a low heat until soft and translucent. Add the mushrooms and continue to cook gently for about three minutes more. Using a slotted spoon remove the onions and mushrooms to a plate.
Use the same pan to heat 1 ½ tablespoons of sunflower oil until hot. Quickly fry half the beef fillet strips, turning and adding salt and pepper as you cook for about one minute. Remove to another plate and fry the rest of the strips in the remaining oil. Transfer this batch of meat to the plate.
Return the onions and mushrooms to the pan and pour in the cream. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for one minute until it thickens slightly. Return the beef fillet strips to the pan and heat gently for one more minute, without letting the mixture boil.
Stir in the lemon juice and chopped parsley, then serve immediately.
bunch parsley, washed and chopped fine.

Chilli con carne

Ingredients

• 2 large onions
• 700 g lean stewing beef, fat removed and cut into 1-2cm cubes
• 5 cloves garlic, crushed
• 800 g canned chopped tomatoes
• 2 green peppers, sliced
• 3 green or red chillies, chopped, seeds left in if you like your chillies fiery
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tinned red kidney beans, 400g
• 1 tsp brown sugar

To serve

• 125 ml soured cream
• 2 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped
• 4 tbsp cheddar cheese, grated

Method

Heat the olive oil in a casserole,or saucepan and fry the meat until it changes colour - about 5-7 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and stir for a minute or so before tipping in the tinned tomatoes,chopped chillies, peppers, and a good pinch of salt.

Cover the pan and simmer for about an hour, until the meat is tender and the liquid reduced to a thick sauce. If it gets too dry during cooking, pour in a little more water.

Add the cumin, kidney beans (and a little of the bean liquid,if you like)and the brown sugar. Simmer for a further 10 mins before serving with rice, a spoonful of sour cream, grated cheddar cheese and and coriander leaves as a garnish.  For added spicy kick, serve this dish with hot chilli sauce.

Rice and Beef Burritos

Ingredients:
•  250 g extra lean ground beef

•  250 g minced onion

•  1 teaspoon (5 ml) ancho chilli powder*

•  1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) ground cumin

•  540 ml can black beans, rinsed well and drained

•  1-1/2 cups (375 ml) salsa (mild, medium or hot)

•  1 cup (250 ml) frozen corn kernels •  3 cups (750 ml) cooked white or brown short or long grain rice

•  6 10-inch whole grain tortillas •  3 cups (750 ml) chopped romaine lettuce •  1 cup (250 ml) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

•  12 thin slices, ripe avocados from Mexico

Directions:
In a large skillet, cook ground beef over medium-high heat until no pink remains, about 10 minutes. Drain any fat, crumble and return meat to skillet. Add onion, ancho chili powder and cumin. Cook, stirring often, until onions are slightly softened for about 5 minutes. Stir in beans and salsa. Cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in corn (do not need to thaw) and rice until well combined.

To serve: Spoon about 1 cup (250 mL) of the rice mixture in the center of each tortilla. Top with 1/2 cup (125 mL) lettuce and 1/4 cup (50 mL) of cheese and two pieces of avocado. Add a sprig of cilantro, a squeeze of lime and dollop of sour cream/yogurt if desired. Fold bottom edge, then sides; roll up.

Can be served cold, at room temperature or warmed in the microwave if desired.
* Substitute chili powder if ancho chili powder is not available

Rustic guacamole

• 2 very ripe avocados
• 1-2 fresh red chillies, finely chopped
• a few sprigs fresh coriander, finely sliced
• ½ a red onion, peeled and finely chopped (or handful finely chopped spring onions)
• 1 tomato, chopped
• juice of 2 limes

• 2-3 deseeded tomatoes, finely chopped (optional)

Squeeze the avocados out of their skins into a bowl, removing the stones. Add most of the chilli and coriander, the onion, tomato and lime juice. Mix everything up with a spoon, hacking up any bigger bits of avocado as you go. Have a taste to check the balance, and season with salt and pepper if needed.

Sour Cream or Plain Yoghurt
Lime Wedges
Jelapeno Peppers
Grated Cheddar Cheese
Garlic Mayo Grated Carrots
Red Onion Sliced
Lettuce

Tagine of Lamb, Chickpeas and Potatoes

14oz (400gr) lamb, shoulder or leg, cut into large pieces
2 medium potatoes, (10oz, 300gr), cut into quarters
1 red onion, thickly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups chickpeas (15oz (400gr), rinsed
1/3 cup green olives
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp ginger
1/2 cup chicken stock 
pinch of saffron threads, crushed
2 tbs parsley
1 tbs olive oil

Heat oil in tagine.  Add lamb and brown well.  Remove to a plate.  Add onion, garlic, spices, and sauté until onion is tender and starting to brown.  Return lamb to tagine, add stock, reduce heat and braise for 30 minutes. 
Stir in saffron.  Tuck potatoes in, cover and braise 20 minutes longer.  
Add chickpeas, olives, parsley and braise 10 minutes longer. 
Uncover, admire for a few moments, inhale the aroma, serve.

Butter chicken

Serves four.

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts cut into chunks

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tbsp butter

1 onion chopped

¼ tsp cinnamon

1 tsp garlic crushed

1 tsp ginger crushed

½ tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp chilli powder

2 tbsp ground almonds

225g can whole peeled tomatoes

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp natural yoghurt

2 tbsp fresh coriander or spinach chopped

Salt and pepper

Preparation:

Before cooking season the chicken with salt and pepper.  

Heat the veget oil in a large prying pan then add the chicken and start frying. Fry the chicken for 3-4 minutes or until it starts to turn golden brown. Remove the chicken onto a flat oven tray.

Using the same frying pan start to melt the butter. Lightly fry the onion along with the cinnamon stirring them together well.

Add all the remaining ingredients into the pan: the crushed garlic, the crushed ginger, the turmeric, chilli powder, the almonds and the peeled tomatoes, the tomato paste and the natural yoghurt. Ster them together well mixing thoroughly. Bring this to the boil and cook for 4-5 minutes. Taste and add seasoning.

Add the chicken and cook for further 5 minutes. Then add the fresh coriander or the spinach if you prefer and stir it into the sauce.

Serve while steaming hot with rice and Naan bread.

Glam mac and cheese

Here's another yummy recipe by Lorraine Pascale :)

A classic ‘just for the family’ dish turned completely on its head. Serve this little number in individual portions to make it worthy of any dinner-party table. I have used dolcelatte as my cheese of choice. It is softer round the edges than Stilton and incredibly moreish. It dresses up this British classic to make it a meal fit for royalty.

Ingredients:

340g/12oz macaroni

80g/3oz pancetta, diced

small handful fresh thyme leaves

3 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced

100g/3½oz breadcrumbs

handful chopped fresh parsley

For the cheese sauce:

40g/1½oz butter

40g/1½oz plain flour

pinch ground nutmeg

1 tsp English mustard powder

200ml/7fl oz milk

285ml/10fl oz double cream

200g/7oz dolcelatte or gorgonzola cheese

115g/4oz parmesan, grated

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

1)   Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.

2)   Cook the macaroni in a large pan of boiling salted water, for 8-10 minutes, or until just cooked. (It needs to be just undercooked as the pasta will be cooked again in the oven.) Drain, return to the pan and set aside.

3)   Meanwhile, fry the pancetta in a medium frying pan over a gentle heat until it just starts to brown and crisp up, then add the thyme leaves and spring onions and cook for a further 3-4 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add its contents to the pasta.

4)   For the sauce, put the butter, flour, nutmeg and mustard in a small pan set over a medium heat and cook until the butter has melted. Mix the milk and cream together in a jug and add a little to the flour and butter in the pan, stirring well. Keep adding the milk mixture, bit by bit, stirring well each time. (This will prevent the sauce from going lumpy. The temptation is to put all the milk in at once only to find you are left with clumps of flour floating on the surface. Should this happen, take the pan off the heat and whisk it like crazy. This normally does the trick to eliminate all the lumps! Make sure you get the spoon into the ‘corners’ of the pan as stray mounds of flour often lurk there.)

5)   Once all the milk has been added, turn up the heat and boil for a minute or two. The sauce will thicken considerably, then remove the pan from the heat. Add two-thirds of the dolcelatte (or gorgonzola) and parmesan to the sauce while it is still hot and stir together until well combined. It may be a bit lumpy, but that is fine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

6)   Add the sauce to the pasta mixture and stir everything together. Spoon the mixture into a shallow casserole dish or four individual large ramekins.

7)   Sprinkle the remaining cheese and the breadcrumbs over the top and bake in the oven for about 20-30 minutes, or until the cheese starts to bubble and the topping is golden-brown.

8)   Sprinkle with the chopped parsley.

Tip: If you are not a blue cheese fan a good British Cheddar will also suit instead.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhp1VUQMZ2Y

Sticky glazed Asian ham

This sticky ham is trully amazing!

Ingredients:

2.5kg/5½lb cured gammon joint or ham joint, off the bone, soak overnight in cold water as usually the ham is very salty

small handful black peppercorns

2 bay leaves

1cm/½in piece fresh ginger, finely grated

1 star anise

large handful cloves
any other spices that you like really`

For the sticky glaze:

2 garlic gloves, crushed

½ orange, finely grated zest and juice

220g/7½oz honey

340g/12oz soft light brown sugar

1 red chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped (optional)

1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder

100ml/3½fl oz soy sauce

Preparation:

1)   Drain the gammon joint and weigh it to calculate the cooking time.

2)   Place in a clean pan and cover completely with water. Add the peppercorns, bay leaves, ginger, star anise and half of the cloves. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook the joint for 25 minutes per 450g/1lb. (A 2.5kg joint will take 2 hours 20 minutes.)

3)   Thirty minutes before the joint is ready, preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7. Mix all of the glaze ingredients in a small pan and heat gently until the sugar is dissolved, then simmer for 25 minutes, or until the glaze is reduced and thickened.

4)   Remove the joint from the water and pat dry with kitchen paper. (Keep the cooking liquid to make a delicious soup.) Remove the thick layer of skin, but not the fat, from the joint. (This can be quite fiddly and often comes off in bits rather than in one large piece.) Use a small, sharp knife to score the meat diagonally, then change direction and score the other way to form diamonds. Stick the remaining cloves into the holes where the lines cross, then pour the glaze over the meat.

5)   Put the joint in the oven and cook for 20–30 minutes, or until the top begins to brown. It can catch easily at this point because of the honey, so keep a close eye on it! Once the joint is cooked, remove from the oven and cover loosely with baking paper to allow it to ‘rest’. This evens out the temperature and makes the meat more juicy.

Steak and Ale Pie

Yield : Makes 4 servings
Prep Time : 20 mins
Cooking Time : 2 1/4 hrs

Ingredients

• 1½ lb (675g) beef chuck, trimmed and cut into ¾ in (2cm) pieces
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tbsp all purpose flour
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 oz (115g) white mushrooms, halved
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ¾ cup beef stock
• ¾ cup dark ale
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 sheet thawed frozen puff pastry
• 1 large egg, beaten, to glaze

Special Equipment

• 9 in (23cm) pie dish

Directions

Season the beef with salt and pepper. Toss in the flour and shake off the excess.

Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. In batches, add the beef and cook, turning, for 5 minutes until browned. Transfer to a large saucepan.

Add the remaining 1 tbsp oil to the frying pan. Add the onion and cook over medium heat, stirring, until softened. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook, stirring, about 5 minutes, until the mushrooms begin to brown. Transfer to the saucepan. Stir in the stock, ale, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, thyme, and bay leaf into the saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer about 1½ hours, or until the meat is tender.

Transfer the meat and vegetables to the pie dish. Reserve 2/3 cup of the sauce, and pour the rest over the meat mixture. Let cool.

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Roll out the puff pastry on a floured surface to a thickness of 1/8 in (3mm). Cut an 11in (28cm) round. Cut ¾ in (2cm) strips from the trimmings. Brush the rim of the pie dish with water, and place the strips around it. Brush with water. Place the pastry round over the dish and press the pastry edges together to seal. Trim off the excess with a knife.

Crimp the pastry edge and use the pastry trimmings to make decorations, if desired. Brush the pastry with beaten egg, make a hole in the middle, and affix the decorations on the pastry, if using. Place the dish on a baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed and dark golden. Serve immediately, with the reheated reserved gravy passed on the side.

Notes

Prepare ahead:

The filling can be cooked, cooled and covered 1 day ahead.