Lourens de Lange
Steak en pepper pie
Ingredients
Serves: 4
1 - 1.2Kg chuck or blade steak
For the seasoned flour
1/2 Cup plain flour
1 Tablespoon cracked black pepper
3/4 to 1 Tablespoon white ground pepper
1 Tablespoon ground black pepper
2-3 Tablespoons canola or olive oil
2 brown onions (sliced and diced)
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon chives
1/2 tablespoon thyme
1/2 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
750ml beef stock
For the pepper mix (mix together before adding)
1 Tablespoon cracked black pepper
1 Tablespoon white pepper
1 Tablespoon ground black pepper
3 Tablespoon whole black peppercorns
1 Cup water (extra - if needed)
2 Sheets Pampas puff pastry
30-50 gms butter
1 egg (beaten for glazing pie pastry top)
200-250gms mushrooms, chopped (optional- stir in at end of cooking while mixture is cooling)
Directions
Preparation:30min › Cook:4hours › Extra time:3hours cooling › Ready in:7hours30min
Dice up steak into 4 cm cubes and put in freezer bag with seasoned flour, shake well to coat steak. Place coated cubes into a medium bowl. Using a medium to large saucepan or a med to large wok, add the oil & cook the steak cubes until brown all over. It's best to cook cubes in two batches. Once browned set aside in bowl.
Cook onion over medium heat with rest of oil and add garlic after a few minutes, stir well. Add the steak & stir through, add Worcestershire sauce and beef stock, stir in well. Add and mix in chives and thyme. Add and mix in pepper mix.
Gently bring to boil then reduce heat & simmer on low for 2-3 hours. Stir occasionally to stop burning, check because you may need to add some extra water. When steak is tender, let cool. (Stir in the mushrooms at this point if using.) Leaving mix overnight in fridge will result in more tender steak.
When you are ready to cook the pie, preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Thaw the pastry sheets until workable. Using your pie dish as a guide, cut the pastry 1 cm wider than edge of pie dish and set aside. This will be the base. Cut lid for pie with other sheet of pastry, make this same size as pie dish and set aside.
Grease the pie dish by rubbing butter liberally over the base - this helps later for removing/serving pie after baking. Line base of pie dish with the pastry bottom and press all around to edges of pie dish. Spoon in the cooled pepper steak mixture, spreading it out evenly to edges. Brush lip of pastry around pie dish with beaten egg.
Put pastry lid on and press edges all round pie dish. Decorate with fork to create 'crust edge'. Brush all over with beaten egg. Make a small sliced opening in middle of pie before putting in oven - this lets steam escape as it cooks. Transfer to oven and cook for 15 min. Rotate pie around and cook for a further 15 min. Let cool for 15 min, after cooking before serving - this way the pastry sets and makes it easier to serve or flip on to a plate.
Freezing tip
It can an easily be frozen after cooling once cooked. Wrap well with aluminium foil to avoid freezer burn.
Make ahead
The longer you can cook the steak mixture the more tender it will be. As a rule 2/3 hours is minimum. Slow cookers are ideal for this recipe.
