No country has made the pie into a source of national price as much as Great Britain. Pasties to pot pies; suet crust, flaky, or shortcrust pastry; savory, sweet, or both (Bedfordshire Clanger, anyone?)
Yes for Brits, the pie is a true work of art. So it only makes sense that one day a year is not enough time to celebrate this paragon of pastry. We need a week.
This year, British Pie Week runs from March 6 to March 12. The event started in 2007 although the pastry company that started it all seems to have dropped the ball this year. Luckily, the dedicated folks at Pierate have taken over. Through sheer love of pie, they have tasted and rated more than 600 pies around the country and on March 8, they will judge the British Pie Awards.
If you love pie but, like many, are scared of the whole pastry-making process, there are now plenty of premade pastry options available, so if you aren’t yet brave enough to make your own crust, don’t worry. You can still make pie! We kicked off National Pie Week celebrations with a steak, ale, and mushroom pie. It takes a little prep time but add some cabbage or greens, and you’ve got a hearty meal.
Steak, Ale, and Mushroom Pie (adapted from BBC Good Food)
2 tbs olive oil
2 lbs stewing steak
2 onions
4 carrots
4 tbs plain flour
12 oz ale or stout
14 oz beef stock
thyme, bay leaf, and parsley
6 oz mushrooms
2 sheets pre-made pastry (obviously you can make your own, if you wish)
1 egg, beaten
Cut the beef into small chunks. Dice the onion and carrots. Preheat the oven to 160C or Gas 3.
Put one tablespoon of the oil in a large ovenproof casserole dish or pan and brown the steak. Put the meat to one side and add the onions and carrots to the pan. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil and cook the vegetables on a low heat for about 5 minutes until they start to soften. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir for a minute until it browns. Now return the meat to the pan and stir well. Add the ale and stock to the meat mixture along with a sprinkling of salt and pepper, a bay leaf, and a few sprigs of fresh thyme and parsley. Cover and cook in the preheated oven for 2 hours.
Chop the mushrooms into quarters and fry for a few minutes until they have softened and are starting to give off a little liquid.
Once the beef has cooked, remove the pan from the oven. At this point, you can remove the herb sprigs and bay leaf. Stir in the mushrooms. Then pour the pan’s contents into a large bowl and set in the refrigerator to cool. (It will help the pie to set up better).
Preheat the oven to 220C or Gas 7.
Roll out one sheet of pastry and use it to line a greased pie dish. Add the pie filling, using a slotted spoon so that there is not too much liquid. Don’t throw away any leftover liquid. Roll out the other pastry sheet and use it to make the pie lid. Seal the edges well and brush with beaten egg.
Bake for 40 minutes. Leave to rest for 10 more minutes before serving. Heat up the remaining liquid as a gravy and serve with some steamed cabbage. Then go back for seconds – you know you want to.
