Best pie… ever!

This year we spent four nights over Christmas down the south coast of NSW at a little place right by the beach. We had a wonderful relaxing time without any stress but the four days were over in a heartbeat before we had to head back home to Sydney. On our drive back north, we stopped in Batemans Bay for a quick lunch and a chance to recharge. I ordered corn fritters while hubby ordered the pie on the specials board – Beef and Ale Pie.

I’ve never tasted Beef and Ale Pie before and I wasn’t too excited about what he ordered. My corn fritters were what I was excited about. That was until our orders arrived. When hubby cut into the pie, this amazing aroma wafted out. I started to look longingly towards what he had. Now, he’s a fast eater and can gulp food down in record time. I was lucky that I managed to get a taste of it before he totally devoured it. OMG. What can I say. The pie was to die for. I’ve never tasted something so complex in flavour and so extremely delicious. I wanted more. I actually wanted to swap meals with him! Unfortunately, that never happened… two more bites and his pie was gone. All that was left was his leftover salad.

That’s when I became a little obsessed with this humble pie. I researched and researched different beef and ale pie recipes. I had to find one that resembled closely the one I sampled. That’s when I found one on the Donna Hay website. I took her recipe and adapted it. Her recipe had too many steps in it and I felt the slow cooker did a better job of cooking the beef filling to its tender deliciousness.  I also changed the ingredients… just a little.

The end result resulted in rave reviews. The kids both had seconds and hubby couldn’t wait to take leftovers to work the next day. I was blessed that there was a little left for me to have the next day for lunch and glad that I did as the flavours blended together. This is a known phenomenon with curries, stews, casseroles and sauces. You see… when you eat something straight from the stove, chances are your taste buds can pick up on all of the distinct flavours and can differentiate between them. So while you’re tasting the whole flavour profile, you’re also tasting the individual flavours. As the dish cools and sits over time, the different flavours mingle together. The individual flavours are still there, but much less noticeable and the meal is, therefore, more mellow or rounded in flavour.

Beef and Ale Pie

Hearty and traditional cooking at it's best. Let the slow cooker do the hard work for you with this simple to make Beef and Ale Pie. The flavours are amazing and if it's even possible, the pie tastes even better the next day!

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 hours hrs

Total Time 5 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Servings 8 people

Ingredients

 

• 1 kg beef brisket or gravy beef, trimmed and cut into 2cm pieces
• 1 brown onion, diced
• 2 large cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 stalks celery, trimmed and finely chopped
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 625 ml beer, dark ale preferably
• 250 ml beef stock
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons flour

Instructions

 

• Into the slow cooker, add all ingredients except the last two (butter and flour). Cook on high for 5 hours or until the beef falls apart. Remove the bay leaves.
• Add the butter into a small pot and melt on medium heat. Add the flour and mix. Continue to cook until the butter flour mixture turns into a golden brown colour.
• Add one spoonful at a time to the beef mixture in the slow cooker and mix together until all incorporated and liquid thickens. Turn off slow cooker and allow mixture to cool.
• Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F).
• Use store bought shortcrust pastry, or make this easy and delicious pastry recipe. Line a lightly greased large pie dish with pastry. Add the beef mixture. Cover with another sheet of pastry. Press the edges to seal and trim the excess pastry. Use a small, sharp knife to cut a slit in the top of the pies. Brush with the egg and cook for 30–35 minutes or until the pastry is cooked through and golden.

Notes

• If you want to give this pie a little extra love, make your own pie pastry. This is one of the best pastries I've made because it's so simple to make, holds the filling well, reheats beautifully and of course has a wonderful homemade flavour.
• Serve with mashed potatoes and sides of vegetables.
• Use dark ale if you have this available, otherwise a pale ale will also give great flavour but the gravy mixture won't be as dark.