Steak and Ale Pie with Mushrooms

Ingredients:
500g cubed beef stewing steak
1 onion, diced
1 can pale ale or lager
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
300g peeled and cubed potatoes
100g quartered fresh mushrooms
1 tablespoon plain flour
pastry for double-crust pie

Cooking Instructions:

1.
Place the beef, onion and ale in a large saucepan. Simmer over low heat until the meat is tender, about 30 minutes.
2.
Preheat the oven to 200 C / Gas mark 6.
3.
Season the beef with garlic, thyme, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Mix in the potatoes and mushrooms. Cover and simmer over medium heat until potatoes are just tender enough to pierce with a fork, 10 to 15 minutes. Whisk a small amount of the sauce together with the flour in a small bowl, and stir into the beef. Simmer until slightly thickened.
4.
Fit pastry into the bottom and up the sides of a pie dish. Spoon the hot beef mixture into the dish and top with the remaining pastry. Cut slits in the top to vent steam, and crimp the edges to seal them together.
5.
Bake in preheated oven until the pastry is golden brown and gravy is bubbling, 35 to 40 minutes.
Make ahead...

This pie freezes well - simply assemble the pie and freeze before baking. Once you're ready to bake, simply throw it in the oven straight from the freezer.

Hearty Mushroom, Ale and Puy Lentil Pie by Kate Ford

Cooking Instructions:
1. Heat olive oil and butter in a pan, add shallots and cook gently until brown. Reduce heat, add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes.
2. Stir in tomato purae, lentils, flat and chestnut mushrooms. Turn up heat and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the brown ale and 100ml of the stock. Cover, bring to the boil and simmer for 30 mins.
4. Soak the porcini mushrooms in 200ml warm water for 20 minutes, drain (reserving the soaking liquor) and chop roughly. Add both the porcini and the soaking liquor to the pan.
5. Simmer for a further 10 minutes, using the remaining stock or the Cornflour and butter paste to adjust the consistency until a thick gravy-like pie filling is achieved. Stir through the baby spinach, and spoon the mixture into individual pie dishes. Brush the edges with beaten egg and cover with rolled puff pastry. Brush the pie tops with puff pastry and bake in a preheated oven at 180oC for 20 minutes or until pastry tops are golden and well risen. Serve immediately.

Ingredients:

10 small shallots, halved
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp tomato puree
75g puy lentils, washed and drained
150g chestnut mushrooms, sliced thickly
150g flat mushrooms, sliced thickly
20g dried porcini mushrooms
275ml brown ale
200ml vegetable stock
50g baby spinach
Cornflour and butter made to a paste, to thicken
Ready-made puff pastry
1 egg