Recipe of the Week: Beef and Guinness Pie

Since we’re celebrating both PI Day and St Patrick’s Day this weekend, I decided to share a recipe that combines both delightfully tasty holidays. You can make the pie without the stout, but you would lose the richness that Guinness brings to the dish.

Beef and Guinness Pie

Makes one 10-inch pie

Ingredients:

For the pie dough:

4 cups                  all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp                  salt
1 tsp                     granulated sugar
¾ cup                   butter, cold, cubed
⅓ cup                   cold, rendered lard (if unavailable, replace with more cold butter)
Scant ½ cup        ice-cold water

For the filling:

1 pound               stewing beef, preferably from the blade, in 1½-inch cubes
To taste               salt and pepper
2 Tbsp                  vegetable oil
1                            medium onion, cut in small dice
1                            medium carrot, cut in small dice
1                            celery stalk, cut in small dice
2                            garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp                  tomato paste
2 Tbsp                  all-purpose flour
1 can                    Guinness stout ale
1                            bay leaf
¾ cup                   Beef Stock
2 tsp                     Worcestershire sauce
½ cup                   medium diced potatoes
1 Tbsp                  chopped thyme
1 Tbsp                  chopped rosemary
1 tsp                     lemon juice
1                            egg

 Method:

For the pie dough:

1.      Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix to combine. Add the butter and lard and mix at low speed until it looks coarse and mealy

 2.      With the motor running, pour the water into the dough and allow the dough to gather around the paddle. Turn off the mixer.

 3.      Turn out the dough onto a floured work surface and gather it together in a pile. Cut the dough in half, place each piece on top of each other, and press together, using a decent amount of force. Repeat this step three times.

 4.      Cut the dough in half again, wrap each half in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

 5.      Remove the plastic wrap from the dough and place each piece on a floured work surface. Roll each piece of dough into a disk, about ⅛ inch thick. At this point you can refrigerate (or freeze) the pie shells until you’re ready to fill them. They’ll keep refrigerated for 5 days or frozen for 3 months. Let frozen dough thaw overnight in the fridge before using.

 For the filling and pie:

1.      Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2.      Place the beef in a bowl and season liberally with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large ovenproof pot over medium heat and, working in batches, brown the beef on all sides. Transfer the beef to a plate and set aside.

3.      Add the onions, carrots, and celery to the pot and sweat, stirring often, until slightly caramelized. Add the garlic, and sweat until fragrant. Add the tomato paste and cook for another 2 minutes. Return the browned beef to the pot, dust with the flour, stir well to incorporate, and continue cooking for another 3 minutes.

 4.      Deglaze the pot with the beer, scraping up any cooked bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Bring to a simmer and reduce slightly, about 5 minutes. Add the bay leaf, stock, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a simmer, cover, then set the pot on a center rack in the oven and stew for 30 minutes. Turn down the heat to 325°F and cook for 1½ hours more.

 5.      Add the potatoes to the stew, stir well, and cook in the oven until the potatoes are cooked through, about 25 minutes. Remove the pot from the oven and stir in the thyme and rosemary, then season with salt, pepper, and the lemon juice. Allow to cool completely at room temperature.

 6.      Preheat the oven to 375°F.

 7.      Roll out each piece of dough to just larger than your pie plate. Invert your pie plate onto one of the circles. Using a paring knife, cut around the circumference of the dish. Set this top piece aside.

 8.      Line a pie plate with the other dough disk, pressing it into and up the sides. Use a pair of scissors to cut away any overlapping pieces of dough. Fill with the beef mixture to just under the top of the pie plate.

 9.      Make an egg wash by whisking the egg with a splash of water. Using a pastry brush, brush the egg wash around the lip of the pie shell. Place the top piece over the filling, press down gently, and crimp the edges of the pie to seal the top to the bottom. Use the leftover bits of dough to make designs, if you like, then brush the egg wash over the whole pie crust. Bake until the crust is deep golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes.

10.   To serve, allow to cool slightly and cut into individual servings.