With dining out off the cards for the foreseeable, many of us are already missing our favourite local eateries. Even those who ate out infrequently will be feeling the frustration of no longer having the choice to do so. As the weeks or months drag on, vast numbers of us will undoubtedly be seeking new ways to liven up family mealtimes. Home-cooking is pretty much unavoidable now and even those who possess extensive collections of family recipes will no doubt welcome a few new suggestions.
We’re teaming up with some superb Yorkshire businesses to provide you with recipes created by professional chefs. Not only will these enable you to develop your cooking skills, but they’ll also provide you with new ideas for family mealtimes that are guaranteed to be delicious.
Our first recipe is from Nina Matsunaga of Black Bull, Sedbergh. Nina is an award-winning chef, listed in Code Hospitalities Ones to Watch, listed at No.26 in the UK’s Top 50 Gastropubs (one of only 5 female chefs listed) and winner of Olive Chef Award for Innovation.
We think this beef pie is the ultimate comfort food and comfort is something we could all do with a portion of at the moment…
Beef Pie Recipe – Nina Matsunaga, Black Bull, Sedbergh.
Serves 4
Shortcrust Pastry Ingredients:
- 500g plain flour
- 150g cold water
- 250g Butter
- Pinch of salt
Method:
Rub butter into flour, add pinch of salt.
Add the water and create a smooth dough.The easiest way would be in a Kitchenaid or tabletop mixer
Set aside cling filmed in the fridge for 30 mins
Filling Ingredients:
- 500g diced beef (we often use shin however it takes a bit longer)
- 2 ribs of celery, finely diced
- 1 large carrot, diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- A handful of flour
- 3/4 of a pint of ale
- A ladle of homemade or good quality stock, a stock cube or a ready-made Demi-Glace cube
- Dash of Worcestershire sauce
- Thyme
- Salt
- Pepper
- Good quality rapeseed oil
- 1 egg for egg yolk and a drop of milk mixed together for egg wash (not vital but adds a nice shine)
Method:
Gently fry the diced vegetables and garlic until translucent.
Add beef and increase heat. Sear off the meat, add salt and pepper.
Add flour by tablespoons – just enough to cover the meat and not too much. You’re wanting the flour to cling to the meat lightly.
Add the beer, let it come up to simmer, stir and add the stock or alternative and thyme. Add a
couple of tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce.
Transfer into an oven suitable container and cook until soft. Start with 1.5 hrs at 160 c fan. Check if it is soft, if not give it 30 mins intervals until it’s done.
Take pie mix out, check for seasoning, let cool down. It needs to be fairly cold so the pastry doesn’t melt or shrink when it comes contact with the hot pie mix.
Line a pie dish or individual pie dishes with butter or oil spray. if using a large tin Roll 3/4 of the pastry to 1/2cm thickness and line the tin.
Fill with pie mix and roll the rest of the pastry over the top. Cut a steam hole in the middle or insert a pie steam funnel.
Cooking Instructions:
Brush the egg wash on top and bake in the oven for 30-40 mins at 180c, or until golden on top and pastry cooked on the bottom
