Recipe: Dad's favorite steak pie

As someone who never liked pies, I did find it slightly odd when I was overcome with the urge to make one a good few months ago. Since then, I've made my own tweeks and finally have a pie that everyone in my house (including me!) loves! My dad in particular loves this and asks me to make it so it comes with his seal of approval!

You'll need: (Pie serves 4)

Stewing steak (roughly 570g)

1 large onion

1 pack of chestnut mushrooms

Ready rolled puff pastry (I'm a big dirty cheat I know!)

Plain flour

1 egg

1 OXO cube (Beef stock)

Gravy granules

2 bay leaves

Worcestershire sauce

Brown sauce

Tabasco Sauce

Salt & Pepper

Corn flour

1) Using some kitchen towel, dry the steak and place on a chopping board. It's important to dry the meat as this will help it brown better. Cut into bite size pieces. 

2) In a bowl, sprinkle in around 1/2 cup of flour and season with lots of salt and pepper.

3) Add in the steak pieces and coat with the seasoned flour and set aside. 

4) On a clean chopping board, fetch your mushrooms and onion.

5) Chop the onion into small pieces and slice the packet of mushrooms. If you don't like mushrooms you could use carrots or add them in also.

6) Heat some oil in a pan and brown your steak and the onions on a medium heat. Halfway through, add in the mushrooms, a splash of worcestershire sauce and continue cooking until all the outside of the meat is brown.

7-8) Place 1 oxo cube (beef stock) into a measuring jug and add in 400ml of boiling water. Once dissolved, tip into a large saucepan. In the same jug, put in 4 heaped teaspoons of gravy granules and 400ml of hot water, dissolve and add into your saucepan.

9) Into your gravy and stock add 2 bay leaves, a few drops of tabasco sauce, a generous amount of worcestershire sauce and season with pepper. You can also add a tablespoon of brown sauce in if you like a bit of a kick which I do!

10) Add your steak, onion and mushrooms to the sauce pan of stock. Turn the heat right down to low and simmer gently for 1 hour, this will make sure the steak is nice and soft.

11) After an hour, if you need to thicken up your sauce, mix a tablespoon of cornflour in a cup of cold water and add to you saucepan. 

12) Transfer to an oven proof dish and then add on as much gravy as you want.

13) Pre heat your oven to 200°C/425°F/Gas Mark 7 and remove your box of pastry from the fridge. Allow to stand for 10 minutes before you use it. 

14) Measure pastry to fit over your pie dish leaving extra to trim off after. With the spare pastry you can cut some shapes out using cookie cutters of make leaves using a knife. 

15) Take one egg and break into a bowl or cup and whisk up. Brush the mixture onto the rim of your pie dish and lay on your pastry top. Using a fork, press onto the edge of the dish and the add decoration. Make a couple of small holes in the middle of the pie and  brush on the remaining egg wash to the top of your pie. 

16) Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until golden brown and serve with mashed potato, vegetables or chips! (I also smother mine in more brown sauce too! Proper classy that! Mmm!)

Enjoy!

PS. Let me know if your try my recipe or if you have a favorite one of your own! I spotted a yummy looking chicken & leek pie recipe on the beautiful Belle du Brighton's blog which you can check out HERE.