Steak & Mushroom Pie

Who doesn't love a big, tasty, heart-warming meat pie?! I certainly do. This dish was totally 'Sunday appropriate' and we had leftovers for the entire week. Now for this pie, you can add variations and change things up. You can opt for a 'pot' pie which doesn't consist of any pastry on the bottom of the dish or you can do what I did and go crazy with pastry (Bottom, top, all over) because I could seriously eat that stuff just by itself! I also used ready rolled pastry sheets which you can purchase from any local supermarket. I used short crust pastry on the bottom and puff pastry for the top. Or if you've got the time, you can create your own pastry too! For the steaks, I decided to dice them into smaller chunks before cooking. You can also cook whole steaks and slice them up later. And lastly for the consistency of the filling, you can have it as runny or gooey as you like! Simply add the corn flour which is optional for a gooey filling.

Ingredients

2x short crust pastry ready rolled sheets 

2x puff pastry ready rolled sheets 

3 steaks

2-3 tablespoons of worcestershire sauce 

2-3 cloves garlic, sliced 

1-2 chillies, sliced (Optional, if you need a kick)
1 cup beef or chicken stock
375g mushrooms, sliced

1-2 teaspoons of corn flour (optional)

1 egg

1 tablespoon of milk/dairy free alternative
2-3 tablespoons of oil
1 teaspoon of melted butter or margarine 

Salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

Oregano

Rosemary

Method

Preheat oven to 170 C/338 F fan forced. Prepare your steaks (Wash, drain, dry) and heat oil in a pan. Hotter pans are better for searing steaks, a lower temperature would cause the steak to produce too much water. Place your steaks in the pan and add in the garlic and chilli. Season with salt and black pepper. Cook until the steak reaches your desired rare/medium/well done preference. Because the steak will be placed in the oven, I recommend under cooking the steak slightly as the oven heat will provide the extra TLC.               

While your steak is sizzling away, grease your oven dish with melted butter or margarine and place your thawed short crust pastry in the dish. Ensure it reaches the sides of the dish and fold it over the edges. Place it in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until golden. (If you do not bake the bottom layer of the pastry separately, you might find yourself with a raw bottom layer.)

Once your steak is done, remove and slice if you cooked whole steaks. Otherwise turn the heat to low and add the stock. Let simmer for a couple of minutes and add the oregano and rosemary to taste. Meanwhile in another pan, heat a couple of teaspoons of oil or butter and brown your mushrooms. Once the mushrooms are done, add it to the filling. Simmer for a couple of minutes for the steak to absorb the flavour of the stock and gradually add in the corn flour if you are aiming for a gooey consistency. I recommend diluting the corn flour with some water in another bowl first to avoid it clumping together. Mix well and let the filling cool.

Remove your short crust pastry from the oven once it has cooked and place the filling in the pie dish, creating an even layer. Place the puff pastry sheet over the top and press down on the edges to seal. Prepare your egg wash by using 1 whole egg and mixing in the milk or dairy free alternative such as almond or coconut milk. Diluting the egg wash will help avoid the 'eggy' smell but will still give you a crispy and golden puff pastry layer. Bake for 30-40 minutes until golden.