Beef, Mushroom and Red Wine Pie

As the summer turns to autumn and cooler nights set in, gather friends and family for this comforting, warming treat. Easy to prepare and perfect for entertaining or a family dinner - you can substitute extra stock for the red wine if suits.   

Ingredients

1.7 kg chuck steak, cut into 2cm cubes
Seasoned flour, for dusting
30 ml olive oil
2 onions, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
600 ml beef stock (2½ cups)
375 ml red wine (1½ cups) 
10 sprigs of thyme
3 fresh bay leaves
40 g plain flour
200 g button mushrooms
30 mL red wine vinegar
375 g butter puff pastry
1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 tbsp milk
To serve: steamed greens

Method

1. Dust beef in seasoned flour, shaking off excess. Heat oil in a heavy-based pot over medium-high heat, add beef in batches and cook, stirring occasionally, until brown (4-5 minutes). Add onion, celery, carrot and garlic and cook until vegetables are soft (4-5 minutes). Add stock, wine and herbs, season to taste with salt and pepper, reduce heat to medium and simmer for 2 hours. Add mushrooms and cook for a further 30 minutes until meat is falling apart.
2. Place flour in a small bowl and add enough braising liquid (about 1/3 cup) to make a thin, smooth paste. Add to pot, stirring until smooth and thick (4-5 minutes). Season to taste, add vinegar, cool, then spoon into an 8-cup capacity pie dish (or 6 individual ramekins), removing bay leaves.
3. Preheat oven to 180˚C. Roll pastry to 3mm thick on a floured surface. Place over filling, with edges overhanging. Seal edges with a fork and trim excess with a knife. Brush with egg wash and bake for about 20 minutes until pastry is golden. Serve with steamed greens and a glass of our great value Brown Hill Chaffers Shiraz.