Slow-cooked beef stroganoff pie recipe | Good Food

Units:

3 tbsp sunflower oil
1kg braising steak
cut into walnut-sized pieces (see tip)
2 onions
roughly chopped
300g chestnut mushrooms
thickly sliced
2 garlic cloves
crushed
3 tbsp plain flour
plus extra for dusting
2 tsp sweet paprika
plus extra for sprinkling
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 beef stock cubes
made up with 650ml boiling water
100g crème fraîche
small handful of parsley
finely chopped
1 egg yolk
beaten (freeze the white for another recipe)
500g block of puff pastry

Method

step 1
Heat the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Heat half the oil in a large flameproof casserole dish and brown the beef well in batches, adding a little more oil as needed and removing the browned beef to a plate as you go.
step 2
Once all the beef has been browned, cook the onions in the casserole with a pinch of salt over a medium heat for 8-10 mins until the onions are soft and starting to colour. Add the mushrooms and cook for 5 mins more until soft. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 min.
step 3
Scatter in the flour and paprika and cook for 2 mins, stirring until the flour starts to brown. Stir in the tomato purée and cook until a sticky paste forms. Return the beef and any resting juices to the casserole, then stir in the mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Gradually pour in the stock, stirring well, and bring to a simmer.
step 4
Cover with a lid, transfer to the oven and cook for about 2 hrs, or until the beef is tender and the sauce is thick and rich. Stir in the crème fraîche, then taste for seasoning. Leave to cool completely. The filling will keep chilled for up to three days, or frozen for up to three months. Defrost in the fridge overnight before assembling the pie as instructed below.
step 5
Stir the parsley through the cooled filling, then spoon the filling into a 24-26cm rimmed pie dish. Brush a little of the beaten egg yolk around the rim of the dish. Roll the pastry out on a floured surface until it’s large enough to cover the dish with a generous overhang. Drape the pastry over the filling, trimming it at the edge but tucking a little overhanging under the dish. Press around the edge firmly to seal. Re-roll any offcuts to make decorations, if you like, and stick these on using a little more of the egg. Chill for at least 20 mins before baking – this will help stop the pastry from shrinking.
step 6
Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Brush the remaining egg yolk over the pastry and cut a few small slits into the centre to allow steam to escape. Dust with more paprika, if you like. Bake for 35-40 mins until the pastry is risen, crisp and deeply golden. Leave to stand for 5-10 mins before serving.