Beef and Ale Pie with Peas and Onions

Season 1 episode 3: Lord Snow
     Storytime with Old Nan
Season 6, episode 4: Book of the Stranger
      Better days and Old Nan's pies...

When Old Nan wasn't telling little lords tales of the Long Night or keeping young Hodor out of trouble, she was busy making excellent pies for the lords and ladies of Winterfell. For House Stark, whose words are 'Winter is Coming' Old Nan was an important part of the Stark household, a keeper of two most powerful weapons, for there is nothing like a good story and a good pie to keep the bitterness of winter at bay. And as the Night King marches toward Winterfell at the end of season 7, don't we all wish the Starks had paid more attention to some of Old Nan's scary stories about the Long Night and those pale spiders big as hounds?

But the Brothers of the Night's Watch also know a thing or two about bitter winters. Manning a 700 foot ice wall is no easy task, but a good soup and good ale can keep one going through many a cold night. Sadly, the Night's Watch ale is apparently pretty terrible (priorities, brothers, I mean really!) but luckily, a bad ale can easily be turned into a decent soup. Turn that soup into a family sized pie (AS BIG AS HOUNDS!) and it can get downright cozy - even at Castle Black, right there at the foot of a literal wall of ice. This week we celebrate the sweet reunion of Sansa and Jon at Castle Black with a hearty, family-sized Beef and Ale Pie with Peas and Onions, a taste of happier times at Winterfell and a pie worthy of Old Nan herself. 

We've seen that House Stark has quite a history with pie, but unlike Arya, Old Nan baked her pies with a little more love and less revenge. A great big pot of beefy stew is a wondrous thing, stretching tough cuts of meat and vegetables into a hearty and satisfying meal. Old Nan used kidneys for her pies, but this recipe uses tender chuck roast rounded out with mounds of mushrooms, carrots, peas and onions. Instead of the terrible ale from Castle Black, we use yummy pints of Guinness for our broth which makes a wonderful rich gravy - and one mustn't forget about the gravy! - and is also very good to drink with a beef pie. A lid of homemade rough puff pastry for the flakiest of golden crust (although it can be replaced with your favorite pre-made frozen pie crust, if you must) and you will find yourself feeling warm and cozy and satisfied, even perhaps during The Long Night to come. This is deep rooted home cooking, and it can bring back memories of kitchens and people long gone. Topped with a flaky pastry crust and baked until a beautiful golden brown, this simple stew becomes a main dish fit for any Lord Commander.  

So when it feels like the Long Night has descended and the snows fall a hundred feet deep and that spring may never come, you'll know it's time for a nice hot pie, a few pints of good ale, and some tall tales of long winters told by the fire. Enjoy.

---

Beef and Ale Pie with Peas and Onions
This recipe makes one single rough crust pastry for the pie lid, and is a surprisingly forgiving and easy recipe. It makes a wonderful flaky, tender crust. But, if you're feeling a bit daunted or even a bit lazy (I wouldn't blame you) you can easily replace this homemade crust with your favorite pre-made puff pastry or pie crust. Also, it's really important to let the filling chill (ideally overnight) before adding the pie crust - if the filling is too warm, it will melt the butter in the dough and you will likely end up with a sad and soggy crust. 

Recipe Notes
• This recipe makes 1lb 2oz puff pastry, but you could easily buy ready-made puff pastry instead.
• The uncooked pastry can be frozen for up to one month before using.
• Pie fillings need to be cold before putting the pastry on top otherwise it can get steamy and make the pastry melt or go soggy.
• If you just want to serve beef in ale without the pie lid, cook the meat for another 30 minutes or until meltingly tender, then finish with the mushrooms (because meat in a pie would get another 30 minutes cooking).

Ingredients:

​For the rough puff pastry, makes one single crust for the pie lid.

• 2 cups flour, plus extra for rolling out
• ½ tsp fine salt
• 2 sticks, 2 tbsp unsalted butter, cold but not rock hard 
• 1/2 cup ice-cold water
• 1 egg, beaten for egg wash

For the filling

• 2 lbs  beef chuck roast, cut into cubes
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2-3 bottles of Guinness stout
• 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 2 onions, roughly chopped
• 3 medium sized carrots, roughly chopped
• 2 sticks celery, roughly chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• handful fresh thyme sprigs
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 lb mushrooms, halved or cut into quarters if large
• 4 1/2 tbsp of all purpose flour
  
• 3 tbsp butter at room temperature
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pastry:

1. For the pastry, sift the flour and the salt into a large mixing bowl, then put into the fridge for a few minutes to chill. (Keeping the flour and bowl cold will help you to get a better result later and create nice separate layers or pastry.)
2. Meanwhile, cut the butter into small cubes. Using a pastry cutter or knife, stir the flour into the bowl until each piece is well coated with flour. Pour in the water, then, working quickly, use your hands to bring everything together to a rough dough.
3. Gather the dough in the bowl using one hand, then turn it onto a work surface. Squash the dough into a fat, flat sausage, without kneading. Wrap in cling film then chill it in the fridge for 15 minutes. 
4. Lightly flour the work surface and the pastry. Roll out the pastry in one direction until it’s about 1cm thick and three times as long as it is wide, or about 18 x 6 in. Straighten up the sides using your hands now and again, and try to keep the top and bottom edges as square as possible. 
5. Fold the bottom third of the pastry up, then the top third down, to make a block about 6 x 6 in. It doesn’t matter if the pastry isn’t exactly the right size, the important thing is that the corners are square. 
6. Turn the dough so that its open edge is facing to the right, like a book. Roll out and fold the pastry again, repeating this four times in all to make a smooth dough, with buttery streaks here and there. If the pastry feels greasy at any point, or starts to spring back when as you roll, then cover and chill it for 10 minutes before continuing. Chill the finished pastry for an hour, or ideally overnight, before using.
7. Congratulations, you have made a rough puff pastry dough! (Aside from a pie crust, this lovely dough can be rolled out to make any number of pastries and danishes, filled with jams and fruits and cinnamon-sugar, I'm just saying.)

Filling:

1. Heat a tablespoon of the oil in a large heatproof casserole up to a medium heat, then add half the beef. Brown for about 10 minutes, until golden-brown all over. 
2. Transfer the first batch of meat to a bowl, then add a splash of brown ale or water to the pan and scrape up any meaty bits. Tip the liquid into the bowl of meat. Wipe out the pan, then add a tablespoon of oil and brown the second batch of beef. When the beef is golden-brown transfer it to the bowl and set aside.
3. Add the final spoon of oil to the pan and heat gently. Add the garlic, onions, carrots, celery and herbs to the pan and fry for a few minutes, until softened.
4. Put the beef back into the pan. Pour in the Guinness, just enough to cover the meat. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer the stew for 1–1½ hours until the beef is almost tender.
5. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large frying pan, then add the mushrooms. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then fry over  high heat for 5 minutes, or until golden-brown. Set aside.
6. In a medium bowl, mash 3 tablespoons of butter and flour together with a fork until a paste forms and no flour is still visibly dry. Pour one ladleful of hot filling over it, and whisk until smooth. Add a second ladleful, whisking again. Return this butter-flour-filling mixture to the larger pot, stir to combine, and bring mixture back to a simmer for 10 minutes. The brothy base should thicken to a gravy-like consistency. Adjust seasonings, if needed.
7. Add mushrooms to the filling. Set aside to cool, overnight if possible. 
8. To make the pie, preheat the oven to 385 degrees. Place your filling in your desired pie or casserole dish, fill to at least a 1/4 inch from the top of the pie dish. 
   
9. Flour the work surface, then roll out the pastry to the approximate size of your pie or casserole dish with a 1 inch overhang. Brush the edge of the pie dish with a little water or beaten egg.
10. Use a sharp knife to cut the pastry to fit the top of the dish – if it’s too big it doesn’t matter. Lift on top of the pie, laying the pastry over a rolling pin to lift it. Press down gently to seal. 
11. Holding the knife blade horizontally, make a patterned edge by pressing down gently all around the edge of the pastry (this will help the layers in the pastry to puff up). 
12. Cut a couple of slits in the top of the pie to release steam. Brush the top of the pie with the beaten egg – taking care to avoid getting egg on the edges of the pastry as it will stick the layers together. Chill for 10 minutes, or until the pastry is firm. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling and the pastry is golden-brown and puffed all over.