Sophie Conran’s Pies. David Loftus
the pan. When it comes to baking, I usually pop the pie on the grid shelf on the lowest set of runners, in the roasting oven, then check after about 15 minutes and cover with foil if it looks like the pastry is brown enough. Below is a general guide to converting the temperatures used in this book for your Aga.
My son Felix loves this pie. It is super tasty with lots of lovely chunks of meat and thick gravy: a very traditional beef pie. Felix is a solid little carnivore!
SERVES 6
1.2kg (2½lb) chuck stewing or braising steak, cut into 4cm (1½in) cubes
1½tbsp plain flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
25g (1oz) butter
18 pearl (or ‘button’) onions, peeled and trimmed
300ml (10fl oz) beef stock
1 tsp cayenne pepper or paprika
1 tsp dried thyme
1 handful flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 bay leaf
450g (1lb) carrots, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 egg, beaten
400g (14oz) good-quality butter puff pastry
Roll the meat in the seasoned flour. Put the oil and butter into a large pan on a medium to high heat and fry the meat in batches, turning until browned all over but still pink in the middle. Don’t put too much meat in the pan at any one time. Remove the meat and reserve for later.
In a pan boil the onions in the stock for about 10 minutes until they are just tender. Strain, keeping the liquid, and put the onions to one side. Return the meat to the large pan with the cooking liquid from the onions, add the cayenne to the meat and stir through (you can use paprika instead of cayenne pepper for a milder dish). Add the herbs and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover the pan and simmer for 1 hour. Check and stir occasionally, adding a dash of stock if more liquid is needed.
After an hour stir in the carrots, the cooked onions and the Worcestershire sauce. Simmer gently for a further 30 minutes, until the meat and the carrots are tender. Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F/Gas 7). Spoon the stew into a pie dish and brush the rim of the dish with a little beaten egg.
Roll out the puff pastry so it is big enough to cover the pie dish. Place the rolled pastry over the top of the dish, trimming the edges to fit. Press the edges down with your thumb and decorate the pie with shapes cut from the excess pastry. Cut a small hole in the top to let the steam escape and brush the pastry all over with the beaten egg. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
I like to serve this pie with boiled new potatoes and runner beans.
Making this pie is a joy, as the smell of the Moroccan spices fill the house. If you like a bit of heat, add a teaspoon of harissa with the spices. It is also fabulous served with saffron mash (see page).
SERVES 6
FOR THE FILLING:
2 tbsp olive oil
500g (1lb) chuck stewing or braising steak, cut into 4cm (1½in) cubes
1 tbsp plain flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
a knob of butter
3 onions, sliced
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 handful flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground ginger
1 cinnamon stick
400g (14oz) tin plum tomatoes
150g (5oz) black olives, pitted
150ml (5fl oz) water
1 tbsp tomato purée
FOR THE PASTRY:
250g (9oz) self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
½tsp bicarbonate of soda
½tsp salt
2 tsp turmeric powder
100g (3½oz) butter, cubed
100ml (3½fl oz) milk
First make the filling. Heat the oil in a large casserole on a high heat. Coat the meat in the seasoned flour and fry until browned all over. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside.
Reduce the heat and add the butter to the pan. Stir in the onions and gently stew for 10 minutes or until translucent. Keep checking and stirring to make sure the onions do not burn. Throw in the garlic, parsley and spices, and stir for a couple of minutes. Return the meat to the pan, then pour in the tomatoes, olives and water. Stir through the tomato purée. Mash up the tomatoes a bit with your spoon and scrape the bottom of the pan to keep it from sticking. Gently simmer for 2 hours – keep checking to make sure it does not burn or stick to the bottom of the pan and give it a gentle stir; add some more water if it starts to dry out.
While it is simmering, prepare the pastry. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Rub in the butter between your thumb and fingers until it looks like breadcrumbs. Add the milk a little at a time and combine until you have a soft dough. Depending on the type of flour you are using, you may need a little more or less milk than suggested. Roll the dough into a ball, cover it in cling film and pop it in the fridge until needed.
Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F/Gas 7). Once the filling has finished simmering and is an aromatic tender stew, with a nice thick rich sauce, remove the cinnamon stick. Taste the filling and season it with salt and pepper accordingly. Pour the mixture into a medium pie dish.
Roll out the pastry to make a lid for the dish. Brush the edges of the dish with water so the lid will stick. Cover the dish, press down the edges and trim. Cut a small hole in the top to let the steam escape, and bake the pie for 20 minutes.
I like to serve with boiled sweet potatoes, tossed in butter and chopped fresh parsley.