Ingredients
- 400g beef mince
- 1 tbsp olive oil (UK)*
- 1 carrot, peeled and finely sliced
- 1 small leek, trimmed and finely sliced
- 1 small onion, peeled and finely sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped or 1 tsp dried mixed mixed herbs
- 300g sheet shortcrust pastry
- 1 free range egg yolk
- salt and pepper to taste
Seasoning
- 1x45g sachet cottage pie seasoning (UK)*
or - 1-2 tbsp plain flour (optional)
- 1/2 tbsp tomato puree
- 1/4 glass of red wine (optional)
- beet stock cube
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- a few thyme sprigs
- 1 bay leaves
How to make Beef and veg pie
Set the oven to 190°C/ fan 170°C.
I like to use two different pans as I find out that meat usually taste better when frying on cast iron pan whereas vegetables saute better on stainless steel pan. So today I will use both, but feel free to use one of you choice.
I always start with frying meat and there are two reason behind that. First – meat cooks longer so you will be able to cook your veggies in the meantime. What will shorter your time spend in your kitchen.
And second of all if you are using one pan and you would like to keep the fat under control, you may use rendered meat fat to your vegetable later on without adding additional fat (oil or lard).
Thus heat the pan and add the meat, frying over high heat until golden brown. Stir it now and then so it wont burn. I like to salt meat for the taste at this stage too.
In the meantime preheat vegetable pan with a spoon of oil. Start form the the hardest vegetables, so first on the medium heat fry carrots. Then add leek and at the end onion with garlic. Fry until soft.
Transfer vegetables into the meat. Don’t worry if you feel it is a little dry. Mix it together.
At this stage you may add ready made ‘cottage pie seasoning’ or add all the ingredients from the seasoning list, mix it together and add water just to cover up the meat. Turn the heat down to medium and simmer for 15 mins. Let it cool completely.
Put the mixture into pie dish or any other ovenproof dishes.
Roll the pastry to the thickness of a coin and cut into two rectangles a little bigger than the tins. Beat the yolk and brush over the edges of the pastry. Sit the pastry on the pies, egg side down.
Press a fork into the edges to seal, then brush the tops with yolk and bake for 25 mins, until the pastry is golden and the filling piping hot.
I like to use two different pans as I find out that meat usually taste better when frying on cast iron pan whereas vegetables saute better on stainless steel pan. So today I will use both, but feel free to use one of you choice.
I always start with frying meat and there are two reason behind that. First – meat cooks longer so you will be able to cook your veggies in the meantime. What will shorter your time spend in your kitchen.
And second of all if you are using one pan and you would like to keep the fat under control, you may use rendered meat fat to your vegetable later on without adding additional fat (oil or lard).
Thus heat the pan and add the meat, frying over high heat until golden brown. Stir it now and then so it wont burn. I like to salt meat for the taste at this stage too.
In the meantime preheat vegetable pan with a spoon of oil. Start form the the hardest vegetables, so first on the medium heat fry carrots. Then add leek and at the end onion with garlic. Fry until soft.
Transfer vegetables into the meat. Don’t worry if you feel it is a little dry. Mix it together.
At this stage you may add ready made ‘cottage pie seasoning’ or add all the ingredients from the seasoning list, mix it together and add water just to cover up the meat. Turn the heat down to medium and simmer for 15 mins. Let it cool completely.
Put the mixture into pie dish or any other ovenproof dishes.
Roll the pastry to the thickness of a coin and cut into two rectangles a little bigger than the tins. Beat the yolk and brush over the edges of the pastry. Sit the pastry on the pies, egg side down.
Press a fork into the edges to seal, then brush the tops with yolk and bake for 25 mins, until the pastry is golden and the filling piping hot.
* These items contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a small commission if you make a purchase using these links.
You'll need
