BEEF, BACON AND STOUT PIE

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 brown onion, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
250 grams streaky bacon, sliced
800 grams chuck steak or other stewing beef, trimmed and cut into 3cm pieces
3 tablespoons flour
20 grams butter
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon HP sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 dried bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup beef stock
330ml stout beer
sea salt and cracked pepper
750 grams good-quality flaky puff pastry
1 egg, whisked
1 tablespoon sesame seeds (optional)

If there's anything better than a pie on a cold day, it's a pie washed down with a nice glass of stout. Why not combine the two by adding stout to the meaty filling of a home-cooked pie. These ingredients are a match made in heaven.

Preheat the oven to 150C. Place olive oil in a large heavy-based casserole dish over
a low heat. Add the onion, celery, carrot, garlic and bacon and fry, stirring regularly, for 5 minutes. Set aside in a large bowl.
Place beef in a large bowl with the flour and toss until completely coated.
Return empty casserole dish to heat and add butter. Once melted, fry beef in small batches until browned on all sides.
Place all beef and reserved onion mixture in casserole dish. Add tomato paste, sauces, dried herbs, beef stock and stout. Season with a pinch of salt and cracked pepper and bring to a simmer.
Place in the oven and cook for 5 hours, or until meat is tender and falling apart. Set aside to cool.
Once filling has cooled completely, preheat the oven to 200C. Dust a clean work surface with flour. Roll pastry out to approximately 5mm thickness and cut out eight 12cm rounds and eight 10cm rounds.
Line eight 10cm pie dishes with the 12cm rounds and spoon in filling until three-quarters full. Brush the pastry edges with egg wash and place the 10cm rounds on top. Use the back of a fork to gently seal the pastry edges. Brush tops with egg wash and sprinkle over sesame seeds. Use a sharp knife to cut a small hole in the centre of each pie lid.
Place pies on an oven tray. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown.