This winter-warming recipe comes from chef Ben O’Donoghue, who says secondary cuts of beef such as chuck, blade, gravy beef and osso bucco are ideal for slow cooking during the colder months.
“Slow cooking breaks down the fibres in the meat, rewarding you with a succulent tender meal that’s full of flavour, for the whole family to enjoy,” he says.
The recipe, prepared for Meat and Livestock Australia, serves 4.
Preparation time: 30 mins plus marinating time of 3 hours
Cooking time: 3 hours for the meat, 45 minutes for the pie
Ingredients
1kg of chuck steak (cut into 3cm cubes
1 cup plain flour
6 cloves of garlic (cut in half)
½ bunch of thyme
1 teaspoon of black peppercorns
2 x 330ml bottles of dark ale or 500ml Guinness
8 golden shallots, peeled (cut in half if large)
1 tablespoon of Vegemite
500gm puff pastry (shop bought is fine)
100gm Stilton cheese or similar crumbly blue cheese (use cheddar if you don’t like blue)
Celery salt
1 egg yolk
Method
1. Combine the cubed chuck steak with the ale, thyme, garlic, peppercorns and shallots in a bowl. Leave to marinate for at least 3 hours, or overnight.
2. After marinating the beef, drain and reserve the liquid. Pat the beef dry, dredge it in seasoned flour and then fry in small batches until brown. Set aside.
3. Stir the Vegemite through the reserved marinade, and then add this to a casserole dish with the seared chuck steak. Cook gently over a low heat, or in low oven (150 degrees) for approximately 3 hours.
4. You will know when the meat is cooked, because it should be very tender. Season to taste with celery salt, and allow the mixture to cool, ideally to room temperature.
5. Grease a pie dish with butter. Roll out the puff pastry, and cut two discs – one large enough to line the dish and another to form the lid.
6. Fill the pastry-lined pie dish with the beef mixture, then brush the edges with the egg yolk. Crumble the cheese over the top of the pie filling. Place the pastry lid over the pie dish, and seal with firm crimps (or the back of a fork to adhere the two pieces of pastry).
7. Brush the lid with the remaining egg yolk and place into an oven preheated to 180 degrees. Cook for between 45 – 60 minutes.
8. Serve with your favourite greens or mashed potato.
Tips:
- Chuck steak is full of flavour, gelatinous and wonderfully nourishing. To save time, get your butcher to pre-dice the meat for you.
- To cut down the cooking time, place the meat and remaining marinade in a slower cooker. After it is cooked, simply thicken with a paste of cornflour and water.
- For a mid-week time-saver, make the filling a day or two in advance and store in the fridge. Ensure the mixture is at room temperature before baking in the pastry casing.
More recipe ideas at www.askthebeeforacle.com.au.
