Beef & Guinness Pie

Ingredients

• 800g (1.7lb) beef chuck steak, diced
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp.tomato paste, reduced salt
• 1 cup beef stock
• 2 cups Guinness (1 can)
• 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. cracked pepper
• 2 tsp. thyme (to taste)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp. brown sugar
• 3 carrots
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 3 celery stalks
• 2 sheets puff pastry cut into 4 squares each sheet
• Milk for glazing top of pastry
• 2 tsp. cornflour, mixed with ¼ cup cold water

Method

1. 1We used a slow cooker but you can use pot on stove, low and slow. Turn slow cooker on high.
2. 2Heat 1 tsp. oil in a non stick fry pan and brown the meat for 2-3 mins. Take off heat, place in slow cooker, set aside and reheat 1 tsp. oil and cook onions for 5-10 mins until softened, add to slow cooker. Now add garlic,Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, Guinness, beef stock, bay leaves, sugar, diced tomatoes, season with cracked pepper and leave in cooker for a couple of hours.
3. 3After 2 hours add celery and carrots. Simmer for a further hour, until meat is tender.
4. 4When cooked, add the cornflour mixed with cold water to the dish, stirring. This will thicken the sauce in 1 minute.
5. 5Preheat oven 200C (400F), fan bake.
6. 6Cool mixture and spoon into 8 ramekins. Place 1 square of puff pastry over each dish, press the edges to secure the pastry to the ramekin. Brush the tops with a little milk.
7. 7Bake in oven for 20 mins, until the pastry has puffed.
8. 8Serve with peas or steamed cauliflower.