Individual Chunky Beef Pies

by | Dec 31, 2016 | Mains

Nothing beats a good quality pie and really there doesn’t need to be much to it. I have a pretty much failsafe beef ragu recipe I use for a few different things (cooked in the slow cooker), the pie filling is an adaptation on this. Then I use store bought pastry and we are done.

Ingredients

  • 400-500 grams chuck beef (100 – 125 grams per pie)
  • 1 onion, diced or if for kids blend the onion to a paste with the garlic so there are no visible chunks.
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 200 ml Salt Reduced Beef Stock
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1.5 tbsp tomato paste
  • salt & pepper
  • approx 2 teaspoons cornflour (to thicken)
  • cooking oilPASTRY
  • 2-4 sheets of puff pastry (If you want you can use 1 shortcrust on the bottom and puff on the top, I don’t bother as it is easier and cheaper to buy the one variety).
  • 1 egg yolk

Directions

RAGU / Pie Filling – SLOW COOKER

  1. Brown the chuck steak in a frying pan, get a nice amount of colour on it. no need to dice it, just as it comes.
  2. One brown transfer it to the slow cooker, brown off the onions a little.
  3. Add the garlic and tomato paste, cook these off a little too.
  4. Add the stock to the pan to deglaze, cook it off a little then add everything to the slow cooker.
  5. Add in the rest of the ingredients (besides cornflour, pastry and egg yolk) into the slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours or low for about 8 hours. You want the meat to be able to be broken up with a fork.
  6. Once everything is at this stage, cut up the meat and mix it into the sauce.
  7. Thicken the sauce as required with the cornflour and a little water. I usually do a little at a time until I am happy with the result.
  8. Chill the mixture in the fridge for an hour or more.

 

PRESSURE COOKER VERSION

  1. Brown the chuck steak in a frying pan, get a nice amount of colour on it. no need to dice it, just as it comes.
  2. One brown transfer it to the pressure cooker, brown off the onions and garlic in the same pan, add the tomato paste and cook out.
  3. Add the stock to the pan to deglaze, cook it off a little then add everything to the pressure cooker.
  4. Add in the rest of the ingredients (besides cornflour, pastry and egg yolk) into the cooker and cook on high for 35 mins. Once complete, turn the cooker off and let the pressure naturally release.
  5. You want the meat to be able to be broken up with a fork.
  6. Once everything is at this stage, cut up the meat and mix it into the sauce.
  7. Thicken the sauce as required with the cornflour and a little water. I usually do a little at a time until I am happy with the result.
  8. Chill the mixture in the fridge for an hour or more.

 

ASSEMBLY

  1. Pre-heat your oven to around 200c (check the pack of pastry for exact temperature.
  2. Grease the pans.
  3. lay down the first sheet of pastry covering the base.
  4. Add the filling and top with the second layer of pastry.
  5. Brush the top layer of pastry with the egg yolk, this helps the pastry to go golden brown.
  6. Bake in the oven for around 20-30 mins (depending on the pastry you’re using)
  7. Enjoy.