Pastry
300g Plain Flour
200g Unsalted Butter
Pinch of Salt
60ml Water
5ml Lemon Juice
1 Egg
Put all of the dry ingredients in to a food processor and blitz – if you do not have access to a food processor rub the dry ingredients to resemble bread crumbs. Then add the water, lemon juice and egg. Blitz again wo that the pastry comes together – if you are not using a food processor mix the wet ingredients together in a jug, add to the ‘bread crumbs’ and bring together with your hands until the mixture resembles pastry. Chill
Pie Filling
1 1/2 Red Onions (sliced)
1 Kg Shin of Beef (Diced)
3 Slicks of Celery (Diced)
2 Carrots (Sliced)
75g Plain Flour
1 1/2 Tablespoons of American Mustard
1 1/2 Tablespoons of Tomato Puree
100ml Port
2 Beef Stock Cubes
2 Chicken Stock Cubes
50g Stilton
Brown off the meat, toss in the flour, add the vegetables and the rest of the ingredients and slow cook at 160 deg c for 3 hours or until tender. Check periodically to see if more liquid needs adding. Chill
Constructing the pie.
Divide the pastry in two. Roll out and line the pie tin. Add the chilled filling (it is important to chill the mixture, if it is hot when added then this will effect the pastry). Roll out the other half of the pastry and add to the top of the pie. Seal the edges either by pinching or by pressing with a fork. Apply an egg wash to the top of the pie. Use any off cuts of pastry to decorate your pie, cookie cutters are a great way to add interesting shapes.
Bake at 160 dec c until golden and piping hot.
