Homemade Beef Pie

INGREDIENTS
1 T olive oil
2 lean bacon rashers, chopped
2 medium onions diced
3 garlic gloves, crushed
2 celery sticks, finely chopped
3 carrots, coarsely chopped
3 T tomato paste
1.5kg chuck stuck, chopped
1 T plain flour
2 C low-salt beef stock
1 C red wine
3 bay leaves

Ready rolled puff pastry
Egg Wash (1 egg/dash milk beaten with a fork)

METHOD - BEEF FILLING
Heat oil in large fry pan.  Add bacon, onion, garlic, celery and carrot.  Cook 6-7 mins until onion tender.  Remove from heat and add tomato paste, cook for a further 2 mins.  Remove from heat.  Add meat, sprinkle with flour and stir to combine.  Stir in stock and wine.  Return to low heat and cook stirring until mixture comes to a boil.  Add bay leaves and transfer into slow cooker.   Cook approx 4 hours on low heat.  Remove lid of slow cooker... and cook on high approx 40 mins until liquid thickens.  The longer you cook with lid off the more it will thicken. If you need to thicken it quicker, you can mix 1T of flour and 1T of butter together and stir into beef.  (If you don't have a slow cooker, bake mixture in an oven proof dish with lid for approx 3 hours, 160C).

METHOD - MAKING THE PIE
Kids: Puree about 2 cups of the beef filling.  Line individual greased pie dish with puff pastry, and prick base with fork several times.  Fill with pureed beef mixture and top with more puff pastry.  Using a sharp knife cut a small hole in the middle to let the steam escape.  Make further fork holes across the top layer.  Brush with egg wash.
Rest of Family:  In a large lasagna/pie dish cover the bottom with pastry.  Using a fork prick all around the bottom.   Fill with beef mixture (not the pureed kind).  Top with more pastry.  Using a sharp knife cut a small hole in the middle to let the steam escape.  Make further fork holes across the top layer.  Brush with egg wash.

TIPS
The recipe I followed said to add sliced mushrooms to beef mixture when you are assembling the pie. I forgot to do this, but will definitely try next time.  For the kids pies, I added a layer of mashed potato above the meat mixture before putting the pastry on top (its the only way Zach will eat potato).   I also made individual pies for Greg and myself, so there was lots of meat mixture left over which I have frozen.... so for a quick meal next time all I have to do is assemble the meat and pastry and we have a DELICIOUS dinner.


ELLA-ometer  She asked me to tell you all, she loved it, and would eat 100 more!
ZACH-ometer  Due to the red wine I thought this might be a bit too rich for Zach.. but he loved it too and ate almost the whole pie (normally he would only eat about 1/2 a pie, so this was a great success.

Source: Australian Better Homes and Gardens Magazine