You gotta hand it to that goofy bastard, he knows how to serve up some classic British cuisine. I can hardly stand to watch him talk (I googled the SNL spoof of him to no avail but trust me on this) but his steak and guinness recipe and new Food Revolution show together take him up a notch in my book. Plus, he has three daughters named Poppy, Daisy, and Petal. That's about the cutest thing I've ever heard.
He's the talk show foodie equivalent of Rachael Ray and, I'm sorry, you're all going to hate me, but she just kiiiiillllls me too. I'll look up her recipes but don't make me watch her show. She makes me squirm.
I realize, though, that in the past few days I've heard myself telling people how much I like Simon Cowell and Anna Wintour. So maybe I'm just mean. Cuz I seem to like meanies.
Back to steak pie! This recipe was amaaazeballs. So warm and cozy with peas and red wine on a brisk night in front of the tele. And the puff pastry! On top and bottom! Just divoooon.
The whole dish was a last minute throw-together after I emailed Lovah about dinner plans. "Crockpot?" "How about steak pie?" "Steak whaa?" He must be homesick. If he requests steak pie it means we'll also be watching Fawlty Towers and having a cheese-and-biscuits supper.
I always thought supper was another word for dinner, but no, it's a post-dinner dinner. Those Brits think of everything.
Night photos don't do it justice but I can assure you it turned out gorgeous, flavorful, and oh so comforting. The beef tenderizes to the pull-apart quality, the portabellas provide a rich, fleshy bite, and the pastry a perfect flaky sweetness. I'll be adding this to my British dish repertoire and giving that Jamie guy a second chance.
Steak and Guinness Pie
Adapted from Jamie Oliver
1 lb beef brisket, cubed
2 sheets puff pastry (storebought)
2 large onions (I used one red and one yellow), peeled and chopped
sprig of rosemary
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp butter
2 sticks celery, finely sliced
2 carrots sticks, peeled and sliced
1-2 portabella mushrooms, sliced
1 can Guinness beer
1 heaping tbsp flour
1-2 cups beef stock
2 handfuls of shredded cheese (I used white cheddar)
1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Using a deep pot, saute onions on the stove top with a little olive oil, salt and pepper until slightly browned. Add in the garlic, butter, carrots and celery, and scatter in the mushrooms. (I cooked veggies first until somewhat tender, browned the beef on the side, then added beef to the veggie mix.)
3. Stir in the browned beef, rosemary, and some salt and pepper.
4. Add one can of Guinness. Stir in one heaping tablespoon of flour. Pour in beef stock to top off stew; liquid should not cover beef.
5. Cook at 350 degrees for 2 hours in oven-safe pot or bowl.
6. Remove stew filling from oven and stir in one handful of shredded cheese.
7. Line the bottom of a pie pan (or equivalent dish) with one sheet of puff pastry. Pour in the stew filling.
8. Sprinkle other handful of cheese over stew filling. Brush the outer edge of the puff pastry with egg wash and cover stew filling with second sheet of puff pasty, cinching at the edges. (You can pre-score this sheet or just cut vent holes like a normal pie.) Press around the edges so the top and bottom sheets seal together. Brush top with egg wash.
9. Bake pie in oven at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, or until bubbly and golden.
Serve with peas for the true Brit experience :)
I absolutely love Jamie, and his Food Revolution is a really good show. I'm with you on Rachel Ray though. Blech! This looks mighty tasty!
Posted by: Katrina | April 09, 2010 at 06:15 AM
I'm SO into Food Revolution right now and this looks like a meal my husband would adore. He makes me watch Fawlty Towers, too :) BTW, Fawlty Towers was the answer to a Jeopardy question on Wednesday and John Cleese's divorce settlement was an answer on Tuesday, go figure!
Posted by: Nicole | April 09, 2010 at 10:03 AM
Haven't made steak pie in ages. And now stupid spring is around the corner, drat!
Posted by: Colloquial Cook | April 11, 2010 at 06:11 AM
Good morning, Anja
Just popped in and starting reading your recipe- it looks amazing. Well done! Steak pies can be tricky. Believe it or not I used Jamie Oliver programmes in school. His 'make your own pasta' with a variety of sauces guaranteed 20 minutes of peace while the class watched. Children were fascinated by his irreverent comments and his accent. If you can find it try the pasta with anchovies, lemon and chilli. Whole classes of 11 year olds said 'Yuk' but then devoured every last scrap and licked their plates!
Posted by: Anotheroneopens | April 12, 2010 at 03:18 AM
Katrina - His show is great, yeah. But no can do on that RR woman!
Nicole - Haha, that is hilarious! Go figure! That show is so cozy to me now...
Colloquial Cook - Long time no see, sister! Of course you'd be the one who's actually made steak pie, ha.
Anotheroneopens - Hi Frances! You're so creative to carry pasta making into the classroom. That must have been wonderful.
Posted by: Deelish Dish | April 12, 2010 at 01:03 PM
I have to admit that when you told me you were making steak pie I thought, "ick." BUT, judging by the pool of drool on my desk, it seems you've won me over... again. (p.s. making your make-him-your-slave lemon bread tonight... it works every time!)
Posted by: saskatch | April 19, 2010 at 01:12 PM
I hear you on the Jamie/RR thing. I have such a love-hate thing for both of them. They seem like total sweethearts in real life, but I just don't care to listen to them talk on television. I think I can handle Jamie more though, after watching Food Revolution...he kinda grew on me!
Posted by: Karen | April 27, 2010 at 10:23 AM