Filling:
1 small red onion, chopped
2tbs olive oil
400g local stewing steak tossed in 1tbs of well-seasoned flour
200g local mushrooms
A small handful of porcini mushrooms
1/2 tsp thyme (dried) or a couple of fresh sprigs
2tbs mushroom ketchup
75ml port (all that was left in the bottle)
1 beef stock cube
1 can Guinness
Pastry:
220g plain flour
A little bit of salt
100g butter
Start by putting the oven to preheat (170 degrees Celsius). In an oven-proof dish heat the oil then add the onion. Cook the onion until its soft. Add the steak, mushrooms and thyme and cook for a couple of minutes. Then add the liquid (port, mushroom ketchup and Guinness) along with the stock cube. Bring to the boil, then cover and place in the oven.
After an hour give the meat a stir and then make the pastry. Rub the butter into the flour and salt. Add a tiny splash of water and bring the crumbs together to form a dough. Cover the dough with cling film and put in the fridge to rest. Remove the lid from the meat for the last 45 mins to allow the liquid to thicken.
After 30-40 mins take the meat out of the oven and leave to cool slightly.
Take the pastry from the fridge, cut it in half and roll out the first half so that it will cover a pie plate. Spray or rub the plate with some olive oil to stop it sticking.
Then, use a palette knife to get the pastry onto the rolling pin and transfer the pastry to the plate.
Cut-off anyexcess and brush the very edge with egg.
Put some of the filling in the the centre.
Roll out the other half of the pastry and place on top.
Trim the excess pastry.Go round the edge of the pie pressing the back of a fork into the pastry to seal it. Then brush the top with egg, prod it with a fork three or four times and pop it in the oven at 190 degrees Celsius for 45-50 mins.
