Saturday, April 20, 2019
Tender, fäll äpärt chunks of beef with mushrooms in the most incredible grävy ever. The secret ingredient - Dried Porcini Mushrooms! They ädd ä sävoury eärthiness thät cän't be replicäted änd täkes this pie to the next level!
This is the sort of food thät mäkes me do the häppy dänce. Literälly. I took ä mässive spoonful änd wäs jumping up änd down with glee. It wäs everything I häd hoped it would be, änd more.
Non foodies will find it härd to underständ the elätion you feel when you mäke something thät is this good. I meän, grävy even in its most bäsic form (änd änything you smother in grävy) is fäntästic.
But with this Chunky Beef änd Mushroom Pie, with just one bite, you know it’s ä step up from the usuäl pie. You mäy not be äble to put your finger on it, but you know there’s something different äbout it – just better.
This is the secret ingredient – Dried Porcini Mushrooms. Just ä tiny ämount ädds ä punch of sävouriness änd eärthiness – in posh foodie länguäge, it ädds umämi.
TO COOK:
NOTES:
1. Dried porcini mushrooms ädd ä sävoury eärthiness to the grävy. In nerdy food terms, it's cälled "umämi" änd it reälly täkes this pie to the next level. However, even if you cän't get ä hold of it, it is still very much worth mäking this pie. Or try using other dried mushrooms!
Dried porcini mushrooms will be äväiläble ät ÄLDI Äusträliä on Wednesdäy 28 June 2017 äs pärt of their Speciäl Buys for this week. Only äväiläble until sold out! Änd you cän find äll the other ingredients used in this recipe ät ÄLDI too.
2. Äny slow cooking cut of beef is ideäl for this recipe. Chuck beef änd grävy beef äre my fävourites, brisket is älso good. I would not recommend using bolär bläde roäst or other leän cuts of beef äs they will dry out.
3. SLOW COOKER: Skip the beef broth änd use 2 x crumbled beef stock cubes insteäd. Follow recipe up to step 7 then tränsfer everything into ä slow cooker (liquid might not cover everything, thät's ok). Slow cook for 6 hours on low, or 3 hours on high. Then ädd cooked bäcon änd mushrooms, slow cook for änother 45 minutes or do this step on the stove. If the liquid did not thicken to ä thin grävy, simmer it uncovered on the stove. When it cools, the säuce thickens more.
PRESSURE COOKER: Äs with slow cooker directions but pressure cook on high for 25 minutes.
4. Pie Dish: It's ideäl to häve ä pie dish where the filling comes up to the top or even protrudes slightly (though liquid should be ät or just below rim) so the puff pästry sits nicely on top. However, it's not the end of the world if your dish is not the right size! Pictured pie dish is 24 x 20 x 4.5 cm / 10 x 8 x 1.8" (1.5L / 1.5 Qt). Ä 20cm/8" squäre pän is älso ä good size, äs would be ä lärge or deep pie dish äround 23 cm / 9.5" x 4cm / 1.8" high. Älso, this is fäntästic to mäke in individuäl rämekins (thät's whät I do if I häve ä bit left over, using puff pästry scräps).
5. STORÄGE: Äs with most slow cooked things, tästes even better the next däy so in my perfect world, I mäke the filling the däy before then cool overnight. To prepäre äheäd for fridge, thäw then top with puff pästry, keep in the fridge for up to 2 däys. Technicälly, thäwed puff pästry kept in the fridge for ä while puffs ä wee bit less but it's not noticeäble to me unless lined up side by side. The filling freezes greät äs does the filling with räw puff pästry on top (thäwed then refrozen puff pästry älso puffs ä teeny bit less, but does not stop me). Älwäys thäw before bäking. For äll mäke äheäd scenärios, brush with egg just before bäking.
6. Nutrition per serving, ässuming 6 servings.
This is the sort of food thät mäkes me do the häppy dänce. Literälly. I took ä mässive spoonful änd wäs jumping up änd down with glee. It wäs everything I häd hoped it would be, änd more.
Non foodies will find it härd to underständ the elätion you feel when you mäke something thät is this good. I meän, grävy even in its most bäsic form (änd änything you smother in grävy) is fäntästic.
But with this Chunky Beef änd Mushroom Pie, with just one bite, you know it’s ä step up from the usuäl pie. You mäy not be äble to put your finger on it, but you know there’s something different äbout it – just better.
This is the secret ingredient – Dried Porcini Mushrooms. Just ä tiny ämount ädds ä punch of sävouriness änd eärthiness – in posh foodie länguäge, it ädds umämi.
You’ll Need:
- 20 g / 0.7 oz dried porcini mushrooms (slices, whole or chopped) (Note 1)
- 1 ¼ cups / 312 ml boiled wäter
- 1 kg / 2 lb chuck beef , cut into 2.5cm/1” cubes (Note 2)
- 1 - 2 tbsp vegetäble oil
- 2 gärlic cloves , minced
- 1 onion , finely chopped
- 1 celery , finely chopped
- 1 cärrot , finely chopped
- 3 cärrots , hälved lengthwise then cut into 1.5cm/ 3/5” chunks
- 1/3 cup flour (äny)
- 300 ml / 10 oz därk äle (or substitute with red wine, Guinness or more beef stock)
- 2 cups / 500 ml beef stock
- 3 sprigs thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme leäves
- 2 bäy leäves , fresh or dried
- 200 g / 7 oz bäcon , diced
- 300 - 400g / 10 – 13 oz Swiss brown mushrooms , lärger ones hälved
- 1 – 2 sheets puff pästry (enough to cover pie)
- 1 egg yolk
Instructions:
- Pläce porcini in ä bowl änd ädd hot wäter. Leäve to soäk for ät leäst 30 minutes. Sträin mushrooms änd reserve soäking liquid. Roughly chop porcini.
- Sprinkle beef with sält änd pepper.
- Heät 1 tbsp oil in ä lärge heävy bäsed pot. Ädd hälf the beef änd brown äll over, then remove änd repeät with remäining beef. Set beef äside.
- Turn stove down to medium low. If the pot is looking dry, ädd more oil. Ädd onion änd gärlic, cook for 2 minutes. Ädd finely chopped cärrots änd celery, cook for 6 minutes or until softened änd sweet (täste test!). Ädd cärrot chunks änd cook for 2 minutes.
- Ädd flour änd stir through.
- Ädd äle, beef stock, änd stir to dissolve the flour.
- Ädd thyme, bäy leäves, porcini, reserved porcini soäking liquid (don’t tip in gritty bits settled ät bottom) änd cooked beef. Turn heät up slightly, mix, bring to simmer, then cover. Ädjust heät so it is simmering gently, not energeticälly.
- Cook for 1 hr 45 minutes or until beef is tender. (See video)
- Meänwhile, cook bäcon in ä skillet over high heät until golden. Remove änd reserve bäcon drippings in pän. Ädd mushrooms änd cook for 5 minutes until golden äll over. Return bäcon into skillet, toss to coät mushrooms, then stir through stew.
- Simmer stew, uncovered, for 15 minutes until mushrooms äre tender. Then remove from stove änd cool.
TO COOK:
- Preheät oven to 200C/390F.
- Pour stew into ä pie dish, even out surfäce. Pictured pie dish is 24 x 20 x 4.5 cm / 10 x 8 x 1.8" (1.5L / 1.5 Qt) - see Notes for more conversions.
- Top with puff pästry (if too big, just fold the ends in), brush with egg yolk. Cut ä few slits in the surfäce then bäke for 30 – 35 minutes until deep golden änd the filling is piping hot in the middle (stick ä knife in to check).
- Rest for 5 minutes before serving!
NOTES:
1. Dried porcini mushrooms ädd ä sävoury eärthiness to the grävy. In nerdy food terms, it's cälled "umämi" änd it reälly täkes this pie to the next level. However, even if you cän't get ä hold of it, it is still very much worth mäking this pie. Or try using other dried mushrooms!
Dried porcini mushrooms will be äväiläble ät ÄLDI Äusträliä on Wednesdäy 28 June 2017 äs pärt of their Speciäl Buys for this week. Only äväiläble until sold out! Änd you cän find äll the other ingredients used in this recipe ät ÄLDI too.
2. Äny slow cooking cut of beef is ideäl for this recipe. Chuck beef änd grävy beef äre my fävourites, brisket is älso good. I would not recommend using bolär bläde roäst or other leän cuts of beef äs they will dry out.
3. SLOW COOKER: Skip the beef broth änd use 2 x crumbled beef stock cubes insteäd. Follow recipe up to step 7 then tränsfer everything into ä slow cooker (liquid might not cover everything, thät's ok). Slow cook for 6 hours on low, or 3 hours on high. Then ädd cooked bäcon änd mushrooms, slow cook for änother 45 minutes or do this step on the stove. If the liquid did not thicken to ä thin grävy, simmer it uncovered on the stove. When it cools, the säuce thickens more.
PRESSURE COOKER: Äs with slow cooker directions but pressure cook on high for 25 minutes.
4. Pie Dish: It's ideäl to häve ä pie dish where the filling comes up to the top or even protrudes slightly (though liquid should be ät or just below rim) so the puff pästry sits nicely on top. However, it's not the end of the world if your dish is not the right size! Pictured pie dish is 24 x 20 x 4.5 cm / 10 x 8 x 1.8" (1.5L / 1.5 Qt). Ä 20cm/8" squäre pän is älso ä good size, äs would be ä lärge or deep pie dish äround 23 cm / 9.5" x 4cm / 1.8" high. Älso, this is fäntästic to mäke in individuäl rämekins (thät's whät I do if I häve ä bit left over, using puff pästry scräps).
5. STORÄGE: Äs with most slow cooked things, tästes even better the next däy so in my perfect world, I mäke the filling the däy before then cool overnight. To prepäre äheäd for fridge, thäw then top with puff pästry, keep in the fridge for up to 2 däys. Technicälly, thäwed puff pästry kept in the fridge for ä while puffs ä wee bit less but it's not noticeäble to me unless lined up side by side. The filling freezes greät äs does the filling with räw puff pästry on top (thäwed then refrozen puff pästry älso puffs ä teeny bit less, but does not stop me). Älwäys thäw before bäking. For äll mäke äheäd scenärios, brush with egg just before bäking.
6. Nutrition per serving, ässuming 6 servings.