Steak Pie with a golden-brown flaky puff pastry, melt-in-your-mouth beef pieces smothered in a rich gravy sauce, a dish that has everything you need when it comes to comfort food. It's a family-favourite recipe that never fails to deliver. Serve it with mashed potatoes and peas for the ultimate British feast experience.
You might thing of Winter as the time of comfort food, but to me, a good hearty dish cannot be seasonal. A classic recipe like a steak pie ought to be enjoyed no matter the season.
And it's definitely a good recipe for Father's Day, which is celebrated in Summer time, so again, an all-year-round dish!
A good meat pie is hearty, filling, rich and comforting, just that kind of food we need to fuel our bodies with proper homemade goodness.
For this steak pie I used puff pastry instead of the traditional shortcrust pastry. It gives the pie is gorgeous flaky touch which complements the rich filling very well. Using ready-rolled puff pastry also cuts down on the prep time, so a big win here.
Braising/stewing steak is the best option for a good beef pie, as slow cooking the meat makes is super tender and releases the full flavours. I promise you, there is no tough beef in this recipe!
How to make steak with puff pastry
The filling
- to make the filling, season the cubed beef with salt and pepper
- heat up the oil in a large pan, add the beef arranged in one single layer, and brown on both sides
- remove from the pan, and in the same pan, add the butter and allow it to melt
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- fry the onion until soft, add the chopped carrots and celery, and return the beef to the pan
- pour over the beef stock/broth, throw in the bay leaves, and leave to cook with a lid on a medium heat for one hour or until the liquid is absorbed and the beef is tender
NOTE! If at this stage the beef is still a bit chewy, just add more stock or water, and continue to cook until you get the right texture.
- add the tomato paste, cornflour mixed with 2 tablespoons of water, then remove the bay leaves, and check for seasoning
The assembly
For my pie I used a pie/tart dish, but you can use any good oven-proof dish that you have around.
- to assemble, transfer the beef filling to a pie dish and allow it to cool down
- top the filling with the puff pastry, and cut the pastry to fit around the dish, pressing down on the edges to seal
- brush the pie with beaten egg, and use a fork to prick it in a few places to allow the steam to escape while baking
- bake in the preheat oven at 190 degrees Celsius (375 Fahrenheit) for 20-25 minutes until golden.
Expert tips
Cooling the pie filling before adding the puff pastry helps it stay flaky, otherwise the pastry becomes soggy and underneath it it won't be cooked right, we'll end up with raw pastry.
This is the general rule with all pie, be it sweet or savoury. Any filling of any kind needs to be cooled down, and the results will be amazing. I used the same technique with my Chicken and Mushroom Pie and my Chicken and Leek Pie with Puff Pastry and it worked so well.
I prefer making meat pie with a lid on only, rather than a bottom as well. If you choose to go for a fully-enclosed pie, I would suggest blind baking the base first, then adding the filling, and baking again for the top to cook. In this way, the bottom is baked well, and the pastry is cooked all around.
And that's pretty much it! Serve the pie with mash, peas, green beans, mushrooms, carrots, kale, and pretty much anything that takes you fancy!
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Steak Pie with Puff Pastry
Ingredients
- 600 g stewing beef (braising beef)
- 4 cups beef stock/broth
- 1 onion
- 2 carrots
- 2 celery stalk
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon tomato puree
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 ready-rolled puff pastry
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 1 knob butter
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon cornflour ( corn starch)
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Instructions
- Heat up the oil in a large cooking pan, add the cubed beef arranged in one layer, and season with salt and pepper.
- Sear on both sides, then remove from the pan and set aside.
- Add the butter to the same pan, and allow it to melt.
- Add the peeled and chopped onion, and fry until soft, then add the chopped carrots and celery.
- Return the beef to the pan, pour over the stock, and throw in the bay leaves.
- Leave to cook with a lid on for one hour, or until the stock is absorbed and the beef is tender.
- If the beef is not quite tender yet, just add more stock or water until you are happy with the texture.
- Remove the bay leaves, add the tomato puree, cornflour mixed with 2 tablespoons of water, and give it a good mix.
- Transfer the filling to a pie dish, and allow it to cool.
- Top the dish with the puff pastry, cutting out the excess pastry to fit the dish, then press down on the edges to seal.
- Brush the pie with beaten egg, and use a fork to prick the pie in a few places to allow the steam to escape while baking.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 190 degrees Celsius (375 Fahrenheit) for 20-25 minutes until golden.
Irate says
Left for an hr and a half with lid on low heat but broth did not disappear . 4cups = 1 litre ?
Daniela Apostol says
You can remove the lid and increase the temperature, the liquid will be absorbed quicker if the beef is tender already. Yes, 4 cups equal 1 litre.
Anne says
How much is one knob butter please?
Daniela Apostol says
Just a small amount, less than 20 g.
Anthony says
Wow very nice the only thing i changed was the size of meat never been a fan of large meat in pies but that's just me you will enjoy.