I served our pie, simply, with maple-glazed carrots. I steamed the carrots until almost soft and then sauteed them in a bit of butter with a drizzle of maple syrup. I always find I use an enormous amount of meat when I make pies (mostly because I usually feed about 8-10 people on a pie) but if you feel like there’s too much filling, simply freeze it and use it as stew later on. This recipe will yield enough pie for about 6 people.
Serves approximately 6
1.5kg beef shin, bone removed, meat cut into chunks
2 large onions, peeled and finely chopped
4 large carrots, peeled and finely chopped
4 celery sticks, finely chopped
2 bay leaves
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tins chopped tomatoes
2 tsp sugar
1l beef stock (using NoMu Beef Fonds)
salt & pepper to taste
2 x ready-rolled puff pastry (use an all-butter one if you can)
1 egg, beaten
- Fry the meat in a large pot until browned all over and set aside.
- Fry the onions, carrots, celery and bay leaves sticks until soft and fragrant, about 10 minutes.
- Add the garlic and fry for another minute before adding the chopped tomatoes and sugar.
- Add the meat back to the pot and pour in the chicken stock. Stir everything together and place the marrow bones on top.
- Reduce the heat and place a lid on the pot. Allow to simmer for 2 hour until the meat is soft. (you could also place the stew in the oven at 160°c)
- After 2 hours, remove the lid and allow the sauce to reduce for another 30-45 minutes.
- When the stew is cooked, pre-heat the oven to 180°c. Remove all the bones from the stew.
- On a floured surface, roll out the pastry to fit an oven-proof dish.
- Place one layer of pastry into the greased dish, add the beef shin filling and place the other layer of pastry over the top.
- Crimp the edges of the pastry and brush with the beaten egg.
- Place the pie in the oven for 30-45 minutes until the pastry is golden and cooked.
- Allow to stand for 5 minutes after baking and serve
