Photo by by Annaliese Bischoff
Provenance of Dish
This is an adapted version of a New England style steak and ale pie I created about 10 years ago. Here I reduce the steak and introduce shiitake mushrooms.
Recipe
Ingredients
excellent quality commercial puff pastry (or shortcrust pastry made with @ 1 tbl. each of cider vinegar, buttermilk powder, pureed pumpkin, and fine corn meal added to recipe if possible)
3 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1/2 pounds grass-fed sirloin, sliced bite size
12 oz. fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
kosher salt to taste
fresh milled pepper to taste
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, minced
1 two inch sprig of rosemary, leaves only, minced
3 fresh sage leaves, rolled and sliced
1 bay leaf
2 ounces flour
1 cippolini onion, peeled and sliced
3 tablespoons maple syrup
6 ounces amber ale
12 ounces homemade stock, mushroom or beef, with more in reserve
1 leek bulb, sliced
1 parsnip, peeled and sliced
1 red bliss potato, peeled and diced
1/3 cup fresh sugar pumpkin, or butternut squash, peeled and diced
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
1 mac apple, peeled and sliced
1 slice of cooked applewood smoked bacon, diced
1 egg yolk thinned with a tbl. milk
Instructions
Heat a pan with 1 tbl. oil. Add the beef with some milled pepper and sear quickly. Remove from pan.
Add 1 tbl. oil, heat, and then add the mushrooms. Cook for @ 4 minutes. Remove from pan. Dredge in some flour seasoned with herbs, salt, and pepper.
Add the remaining tbl. of oil and sauté the onions in the pan until translucent. Add the stock, ale, and syrup. Bring to a boil, and then simmer.
Add the vegetables, bacon, steak, dredged mushrooms with all the flour and herbs to the pan. Add the apple about 15 minutes later. Simmer gently for about 40 minutes. Make sure you achieve a gravy-like consistency here at this stage.
Then line the deep dish pie pan with your selected chilled pastry crust. I hope you are able to integrate some pureed pumpkin and corn meal into your crust, just by adding a tablespoon of each to your recipe. Brush lightly with oil. Add the filling.
Add and seal the top crust as a solid piece with vents. Brush with an egg yolk thinned with about a tablespoon or less of milk. Bake until golden brown in a 400 degree oven (35-40 minutes). Cool but serve warm with some wilted greens like Swiss chard in light olive oil and lemon.
