Pressure cookers really come into their own come wintertime. From beef pie to lamb shanks, I’ve used mine every week without fail. You could do this in a slow cooker too, but my Fissler really makes this a quick, come-home-after-work, whack-it-all-into-one-pot sort of dish. The cool thing about this pie is that it’s not just a mishmash of mixed up stuff and veggies that most normal pies are – you can see the shreds of beef and it’s topped with a generous amount of sweet carrots.
It has all my favourite things, and best of all, uses just 5 ingredients to make the filling. I can’t take credit for the idea though – I actually had it when I was out at the Mt Majura Vineyard. It was so good that I had to try and recreate it at home. Three attempts later, I’ve decided that the simplest recipe is the way to go – try it while it’s still abysmally cold outside!
- 800g diced beef - I used rump
- 1 cup (250ml) red wine
- 300g onions, halved and finely sliced
- 1 cup (250ml) beef stock
- 3 carrots, finely sliced into circles
- 1 sheet puff pastry
- egg, for glazing (optional)
- If you feel like it, place diced beef into a non-reactive bowl and cover with red wine. Seal with glad wrap and leave for up to two days. If you can't be bothered, that's ok too.
- When you are ready to cook your filling, place beef, red wine, onions and beef stock into your pressure cooker (making sure it comes up to the minimum fill line) and seal. Cook for 40 minutes, then allow to cool.
- Using the back of a spoon, break up the pieces of beef into shreds and simmer over a medium heat until the sauce is reduced by a third. If you want, you can now freeze this filling for later use.
- Fill a small saucepan with water and a tablespoon of sugar and bring to the boil. When boiling, add carrots and cook until just cooked through (there should be some resistance) - about 3 minutes if finely sliced. Don't overcook them as they lose their sweetness, it's alright if they're slightly undercooked as they'll be going back into the oven. Drain the carrots.
- Divide beef filling between four bowls and top with the sliced carrots.
- Puff pastry works better when it's cold, so make sure not it thaw it out too much or you'll get soggy, flat pastry. Cover each pie with puff pastry, brush with egg glaze and bake at 200C until the puff pastry is golden brown.
Wow, just cooked your pumpkin risotto , never made one with pumpkin before. Always looking for my signature dish , this ones a keeper . ThanksTash
Glad you like it Gina – I really hope it becomes a recurring meal at your family table.