Proud as pie...Beef, onion and red wine pie

So the rainy weather I was hoping for didn't come to fruition. But I'm not letting that stop me from my relaxing weekend.

One thing I love to do is look through cookbooks, dream about all the things I can cook and then settle on something a little more practical. We had about 1 kilo of chuck steak at home and I found the perfect recipe to use it. A beef, onion and red wine pie from Seasons by Donna Hay, the Best of Donna Hay Magazine.

The picture doesn't look so great but trust me this is a beautiful recipe. Definitely worth the wait! Mum and I are sitting here with full and happy bellies and I'm happy to make this a recurring dish. I adapted it a little bit by using only shortcrust pastry (the original recipe calls for a puff pastry top) and by making it an 'open' pie.

Enjoy! :)

Beef, onion and red wine pie
adapted from Seasons by Donna Hay, the Best of Donna Hay Magazine

2 tablespoons olive oil 1 kg beef chuck steak, chopped 1 onion, peeled and cut into wedges 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 1/2 cups beef stock 1 1/2 cups water 1 bay leaf 1 tablespoon thyme leaves 2 tablespoons cornflour 1/4 cup water, extra 2 sheets store-bought shortcrust pastry, thawed 1 egg, lightly beaten
Heat a large saucepan over high heat. Add the oil and beef and cook in batches for 2-3 minutes or until browned. Add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and re-add the meat to the pan. Add the stock, water, wine, bay leaf and thyme. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1 1/2 hours or until the beef is tender. Combine the cornflour and extra water, add to the beef mixture and cook, stirring for 3-4 minutes or until the mixture is thickened. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celcius. Line a 22cm pie dish with the shortcrust pastry. Spoon the beef mixture into the dish. Fold in the extra pastry towards the centre of the pie. Brush the pastry with the egg. Bake for 40 minutes or until the pastry is cooked and golden. Serves 4.