Name: Beef and vegetable pot pie
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 285 min
Total time: 305 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 50 ml vegetable oil; 1.1 kg beef oyster blade, cut into 8cm pieces; Plain flour, for dusting; 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced; 8 golden shallots; 450 ml red wine; 500 ml (2 cups) veal or beef stock; 3 thyme sprigs; 1 bunch Dutch carrots, scrubbed and trimmed; ½ cup (firmly packed) flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped; 1 egg yolk, whisked with 1 tsp water; Shortcrust pastry; 185 gm unsalted butter, coarsely chopped; 300 gm (2⅔ cups) plain flour; 1 egg yolk

Beef and vegetable pot pie

The type of pie that tastes like you've spent all day in the kitchen but can be made in a fraction of the time.

Serves 6

Prep

20M

Cook

4H 45M

Total

5H 5M

Pie means comfort, but it needn’t take all day. This version does it all in one pot, skips the pastry base and works if you make the braise ahead, too.

Ingredients

50 ml vegetable oil

1.1 kg beef oyster blade, cut into 8cm pieces

Plain flour, for dusting

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

8 golden shallots

450 ml red wine

500 ml (2 cups) veal or beef stock

3 thyme sprigs

1 bunch Dutch carrots, scrubbed and trimmed

½ cup (firmly packed) flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped

1 egg yolk, whisked with 1 tsp water

Shortcrust pastry

185 gm unsalted butter, coarsely chopped

300 gm (2⅔ cups) plain flour

1 egg yolk

Method

1.Preheat oven to 160°C. Heat oil in a deep ovenproof frying pan or shallow casserole over medium-high heat. Season beef with salt, dust lightly with flour and fry, turning occasionally, until browned (7-8 minutes). Add garlic and shallots and sauté until shallots just start to colour (3-4 minutes). Transfer shallots to a plate. Deglaze pan with wine, scraping base of pan, then add stock and thyme. Cover and braise in oven until beef is very tender, adding shallots for the last 30 minutes of cooking (3-3½ hours). Transfer beef and shallots to a plate to cool, then tear beef into bite-sized pieces. Simmer braising liquid over high heat until reduced to 200ml (25-35 minutes), season to taste, then stir in beef, shallots, carrots and parsley. Cool.

2.Meanwhile, for pastry, process butter and flour in a food processor to fine crumbs. Add egg yolk, 2 tbsp cold water and ½ tsp salt and pulse until a dough forms. Turn out onto a work surface, bring together with the heel of your hand, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour to rest. Roll out on a lightly floured surface to 6mm thick and chill until firm (1 hour).

3.Place pastry over pan, trim, leaving a little overhanging, then fold and twist edges back on themselves to fit neatly in pan and create an edge. Cut a small hole in centre to allow steam to escape, then brush with eggwash and bake until golden (30 minutes).