Beef and Ale Pie- revised!

There's a running joke about the food here in England...it's served piping hot so you'll burn your tongue so you won't know that it's bland. That's simply NOT true! Sure they serve the food scalding hot but that's just the way they cook out here. Now as for flavor... I find that it depends upon what you go and what get. For myself, I like to have what's considered to be classic "Pub Food". You can't go wrong with this pub food classic- Beef and Ale Pie. I did some searching on the internet and with my knowledge of meats and veggies along with spices and the workings of my stove or "cooker" as it's called here in England I've come up with a rather nice Beef and Ale pie recipe of my own. Oh for my Friends back in the states, your Pyrex measuring cups should have the ml measurements.


So here's what I've come up with...
Butter- salt free
salt and pepper
Worcestershire sauce- just a dash
pre-made pie crust (I like Pillsbury but you could also make your own)
1½ pounds of lean beef (I used a lovely lean roast) cut it into cubes
2 med to large red onions- chopped
1 cup of a nice brown ale (I used Old Hooky)
1 400g can of diced tomatoes
26 ounces Swanson 33% less sodium Beef Stock
1½ to 1¾ lbs carrots- diced
½ to ¾ teaspoon of dried Grated Orange rind
3 Tbs cornstarch to thicken



Now lets get cooking!

Add some butter to a skillet and brown those beef bits! Do it in small batches or else you'll end up steaming your meas instead of browning them- salt and pepper your meats at this time. Place browned beef bits in a dish, saute the raw veggies, add the meats back in and add the canned tomatoes, ale, dash of worcestershire let reduce. Add in the beef stock and smimmer until the sauce reduces.
Use 1 Tablespoon cornstach to 2 Tablespoons COLD water, stir until there are no lumps and cornstach is well mixed,add in to meat mixture in pot stir until thickened. Place in pretty ceramic pie plate. Put a pie crust on top, cut some cute shape into the top of it (I usually make a heart) and bake in the oven until the top of the crust is golden brown. Follow directions on the pie crust to achieve desired effect. Remember your "pie filling" is already cooked.

This recipe makes enough for 4 people.

Tips from Sandie...
♥you can do a couple of different things to make a beautiful golden brown crust- brush crust with milk OR with a beaten egg, either one works well.
♥if you have oven proof bowls why not bake your beef and ale piein them! It's easy to bake individual servings that way! Just another reason why I love my Fiesta-ware!





**I've gone and revised the recipe for this dish- after having ate a few more pies in some various eating establishments and through trying various ingredients I've gone and changed up a few things. The secret ingredient in this recipe is the orange rind- it really helps to balance out the flavor (weird but true)