This is a standard casserole, which I then add cover with pastry. The pastry recipe is the 
one I gave to Gastrogirl when she was making her Guinness Pies. If you’re making pastry at all, make a big batch, it freezes great, and can then just be defrosted, rolled out, and plonked on top of any old casserole and turned into a pie. And there’s something about pies that my family loves, their appreciation for the dish seems to increase massively as soon as there’s a layer of pastry on top!
- 1 1/2 lbs chuck/round steaks, cut into 1 inch dices
- 1 lrg onion chopped + 4 carrots diced + mushrooms, quartered
- 2 tbsp flour + 1 tsp tomato puree + 1 pint beef stock + splash Worcester sauce
- 1 bay leaf + salt and pepper
Directions:
- This can be cooked on the stove, in the oven or my favourite, yep, Pressure Pot.
- So cube the meat, put everything else in the pot too. Season as you wish.
- Place the saucepan on medium heat, stirring in the flour, and allow it to cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in the stock and bring to a simmer, skimming off any impurities.
- The meat should just be covered with the stock; if not, top with a little more stock or water. Simmer gently, partially covered, for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Or put in the oven in a lidded casserole dish or Pressure Pot for 20 minutes…now beat that for cheaper cooking cost.
- If you need to thicken it a bit more, a couple of tablespoons of Bisto in a cup with a little water, mix into a paste and stir in. Make sure you have enough sauce, add more water if needed.
Cheats:
Pastry: This will make one big big pie or two medium pies. Either way, when you make the pastry, there will be enough to make a tart too for dessert. This way you’re using the oven and cooking 2 dishes, again saving the pennies.
Accompaniments: When I make this for the boys here, I include some potatoes in one of the pies for the freezer. Then if I’m not home, they don’t even have to do a spud. I’ll confess to being a typical “Irish Mammy”, making eejits of our boys and ruining them for the next poor woman. My Mother told my future Sister in Law, “I have trained my Son, do not undo or you’ll be left doing the lot”. I didn’t listen to the woman, she did though!
Ps – the dessert in the photo is rhubarb pie – recipe to follow asap!