When deciding what to cook for supper the other night i decided to delve into the jam- packed drawers of our freezer, making my way through some forgotten about pork chops and some diced lamb neck from two years ago i discovered that half of our frozen compartments are made up of joints of beef. Not a mixture of joints, just one in particular - Rolled Brisket of Beef to be precise.
The reason behind this bulbous stock starts with a very kind ageing lady R visits from time to time.
I'm sure that she is convinced I'm not looking after him well enough as every time he arrives back from his social call he is laden full with slabs of Victoria sponge, fairy cakes and large quarters of pork pies.
Though he has not said i believe that as soon as he is in her doorway she is soon sizing him up and checking he has not lost any weight, if she can feel those ribs its out with the full - fat milk and the plates crammed full with biscuits ( i know this to be true as he is mysteriously never hungry for his dinner when he comes in). Her intentions are only kind and meaningful but where her affinity came for buying him huge lumps of meat is unknown to me all i can do is start to make use of these bundles of rolled joint and use it for its intended purposes ( keeping R full).
Brisket of beef isn't one of the most highly desirable cuts from the cow but with a bit of lengthy cooking, tender loving care and applying of flavours it can some be transformed into an tongue dissolving delicacy.
My choices were quite limited between a beef stew or the slightly more glamorised version - a pie.
Having not always been successful on the pie front ( i could never quite get the stock/meat ratio correct, it would either be swimming in a watery gravy with a soggy pastry lid or that dry that the meat turned into tractor tyre rubber), my tragic attempts of pie making darkened my spirit that much, i felt i could not return to pie making for fear of a similar failed attempt. Just recently though i feel my cooking skills have been heightened due to some extensive research and so i felt i was ready to take on one of the pastry giants - Steak and Ale Pie.
Being as though my latest obsession is with celebrity cooking programmes i tracked down what seemed like a scrumptious recipe from James Martin on the BBC food website, made some minor adjustments and what was presented out of the oven was a desirable golden crust oozing with a luxurious rich dark brown thyme scented gravy - a dish that I'm sure R's foodie guardian would greatly approve of.
Kick - Ass Steak and Ale Pie
900g diced brisket/ stewing steak
25g flour
Rapeseed oil/olive oil/ butter
1 onion
1 leek
2 carrots
150g/ packet of mushrooms
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
400ml good ale - i used London pride
500ml beef stock
Half a tablespoon oyster sauce ( optional)
Salt and pepper
1 free - range whole egg beaten with 1 free - range egg yolk
300g ready made rolled puff pastry/ hand made short crust pastry
Season the flour with the salt and pepper and roll the diced meat in the flour, then place a large lidded pan on the hob and heat the oil/ butter.
Add the meat and sear all over until golden brown
Add the vegetables and the herbs, then pour in the ale, stock and if using put in the oyster sauce. Bring to a simmer, then cover with a lid and turn down the heat and leave to gently simmer for 1 1/2 - 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to around 200c
Once the stew is cooked, season with salt and pepper and tip into an oven proof dish, brush the edge of the dish with the beaten egg.
Roll out the pastry (if needed) using as little flour as possible and place over the dish. Pinch the edges of the the dish so that the pastry will stick to it and trim off any remaining pieces of pastry from around the edge. ( I used the left over pastry to make some cow horns, but you could make some leaves to decorate your pie)
Brush the pie all over with the remaining beaten egg and place on a baking tray. Bake in the oven for around 20 - 30 mins until the pie is golden all over.
oops just realised its national vegetarian week - Sorry!
The reason behind this bulbous stock starts with a very kind ageing lady R visits from time to time.
I'm sure that she is convinced I'm not looking after him well enough as every time he arrives back from his social call he is laden full with slabs of Victoria sponge, fairy cakes and large quarters of pork pies.
Though he has not said i believe that as soon as he is in her doorway she is soon sizing him up and checking he has not lost any weight, if she can feel those ribs its out with the full - fat milk and the plates crammed full with biscuits ( i know this to be true as he is mysteriously never hungry for his dinner when he comes in). Her intentions are only kind and meaningful but where her affinity came for buying him huge lumps of meat is unknown to me all i can do is start to make use of these bundles of rolled joint and use it for its intended purposes ( keeping R full).
Brisket of beef isn't one of the most highly desirable cuts from the cow but with a bit of lengthy cooking, tender loving care and applying of flavours it can some be transformed into an tongue dissolving delicacy.
My choices were quite limited between a beef stew or the slightly more glamorised version - a pie.
Having not always been successful on the pie front ( i could never quite get the stock/meat ratio correct, it would either be swimming in a watery gravy with a soggy pastry lid or that dry that the meat turned into tractor tyre rubber), my tragic attempts of pie making darkened my spirit that much, i felt i could not return to pie making for fear of a similar failed attempt. Just recently though i feel my cooking skills have been heightened due to some extensive research and so i felt i was ready to take on one of the pastry giants - Steak and Ale Pie.
Being as though my latest obsession is with celebrity cooking programmes i tracked down what seemed like a scrumptious recipe from James Martin on the BBC food website, made some minor adjustments and what was presented out of the oven was a desirable golden crust oozing with a luxurious rich dark brown thyme scented gravy - a dish that I'm sure R's foodie guardian would greatly approve of.
Kick - Ass Steak and Ale Pie
900g diced brisket/ stewing steak
25g flour
Rapeseed oil/olive oil/ butter
1 onion
1 leek
2 carrots
150g/ packet of mushrooms
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
400ml good ale - i used London pride
500ml beef stock
Half a tablespoon oyster sauce ( optional)
Salt and pepper
1 free - range whole egg beaten with 1 free - range egg yolk
300g ready made rolled puff pastry/ hand made short crust pastry
Season the flour with the salt and pepper and roll the diced meat in the flour, then place a large lidded pan on the hob and heat the oil/ butter.
Add the meat and sear all over until golden brown
Add the vegetables and the herbs, then pour in the ale, stock and if using put in the oyster sauce. Bring to a simmer, then cover with a lid and turn down the heat and leave to gently simmer for 1 1/2 - 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to around 200c
Once the stew is cooked, season with salt and pepper and tip into an oven proof dish, brush the edge of the dish with the beaten egg.
Roll out the pastry (if needed) using as little flour as possible and place over the dish. Pinch the edges of the the dish so that the pastry will stick to it and trim off any remaining pieces of pastry from around the edge. ( I used the left over pastry to make some cow horns, but you could make some leaves to decorate your pie)
Brush the pie all over with the remaining beaten egg and place on a baking tray. Bake in the oven for around 20 - 30 mins until the pie is golden all over.
oops just realised its national vegetarian week - Sorry!
No comments:
Post a Comment