Guinness, steak and cheese pie

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Guinness, steak and cheese pie 

This pie is a real winner from the Jamie Oliver recipe collection! As it uses bought puff pastry, it’s quick to prepare, and you can make the filling the day before if you want. 

Ingredients:

• olive oil 

• 3 medium red onions, peeled and chopped 

• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped 

• 30g butter, plus extra for greasing 

• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped 

• 2 sticks of celery, trimmed and chopped 

• 4 field mushrooms, peeled and sliced 

• 1kg brisket of beef or stewing beef, cut into 2cm cubes 

• a few sprigs of fresh rosemary, leaves picked and chopped 

• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 

• 1 x 440ml can of Guinness (no lager, please!) 

• 2 heaped tablespoons plain flour 

• 200g freshly grated Cheddar cheese 

• 500g best-quality ready-made all-butter puff pastry 

• 1 large free-range or organic egg, beaten 

Method:

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. In a large ovenproof pan, heat a tablespoon full of olive oil on a low heat. Add onions and fry gently for about 10 minutes. Turn the heat up, add the garlic, butter, carrots and celery and scatter in the chopped mushrooms. Mix everything together well before stirring in the beef, rosemary, a pinch of salt and a level teaspoon of pepper. 

Fry for 3 or 4 minutes, then pour in the Guinness, stir in the flour and add just enough water to cover. Bring to a simmer, cover the pan with a lid and place in the preheated oven for about 1½ hours. 

Remove the pan from the oven and give the stew a stir. Put it back into the oven and continue to cook it for another hour, or until the meat is very tender and the stew is rich, dark and thick.