Beef Shin, Porter and Oyster Pie
900g Trimmed Beef Shin or Ox Cheek or Flank, cut into rough 3cm cubes
200ml Porter Beer or Guinness
Vegetable Oil
2tbsp Plain Flour
Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
30g Butter
1 Medium Onion
1 Garlic Clove
1tsp Chopped Thyme Leaves
1tsp Tomato Purée
1 Small Bay Leaf
1.5 litres Beef Stock
12 Oysters, 8 removed from the shell and 4 left in the half shell
For the parsley crust
2tbsp Fresh White Breadcrumbs
1tbsp Chopped Parsley
A Knob of Butter
For the pastry
225g Self-raising Flour
1tsp Salt
85g Shredded Beef Suet
60g Butter, chilled and coarsely grated
1 Medium Egg, beaten to glaze
Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6.
In a large, sturdy frying pan or saucepan, heat the vegetable oil. Lightly coat the meat with flour, season with salt and pepper, and brown it in 2 or 3 batches over high heat. Set aside.
Sauté the onions and garlic until lightly coloured. Add the remaining flour and tomato purée, stirring over low heat for 1 minute.
Slowly incorporate the porter beer and beef stock, stirring continuously to prevent lumps. Add thyme, bay leaf, and the browned meat. Bring to a boil, cover with a lid, and simmer gently for about 2 hours or until the meat is tender.
Once cooked, the sauce should have thickened to a gravy-like consistency. If not, create a paste with a little cornflour and water, stir into the sauce, and simmer for a few extra minutes.
Allow the mixture to cool before filling the pie dishes (or dish) to about 1cm from the top.
For the pastry, combine flour and salt with suet and grated butter. Add approximately 150-175ml water to form a smooth dough and knead for a minute. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface to about ¾cm thick. Cut out pieces about 2cm larger than the pie dishes (or dish) - with a slit or hole in the middle for the oyster.
Brush the pastry edges with beaten egg and place it on top, pressing the egg-washed sides against the dish rim. Cut a 2cm hole in the center, leaving the pastry attached for adding oysters later. Brush with beaten egg and let it rest in a cool place for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (or fan oven 180°C)/gas mark 6. Bake the pie for 40-50 minutes or until the pastry is golden.
To make the parsley crust, melt butter in a pan and mix in crumbs and parsley, seasoning as desired. To serve, remove the pastry disc, insert a couple of shucked oysters, and return to the oven for 10 minutes.
Scatter the 4 oysters in the shell with the parsley crust and grill until golden, then place over the hole.
Makes 4 pies.
Ingredients
Beef Shin
Porter Beer
Vegetable Oil
Plain Flour
Salt and Pepper
Butter
Onion
Garlic
Thyme
Tomato Puree
Bay Leaf
Beef Stock
Oysters
White Bread
Parsely
Self Raising Flour
Beef Suet
Egg