The Fox and the Polar Bear

For a polar bear who primarily eats beans, Mrs PB is a remarkable chef.

Her steak and ale pie is famous the world over.

Mrs Emily has one saving grace. Every so often, she has enough patience to help Mrs PB produce Steak and Ale Pie for Mr Tom. This recipe comes from an edition of Delicious magazine from a few years ago…

Ingredients (serves about 3)

• 600g stewing steak, diced
• 250g mushrooms
• 2 onions, sliced
• 300ml brown ale
• 300ml stock
• 5tbsp oil
• 25g butter
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped or crushed
• 2tsp sugar
• 1tbsp tomato puree
• 3tbsp worcester sauce
• 3 sprigs thyme
• 25g(ish) flour
• salt and pepper
• puff pastry

Method

1. Season the flour well and cover the meat in the flour. Shake the excess flour off the beef, keeping the remaining flour. Heat 3tbsp of oil over a high heat and then brown the meat. Once browned, take the meat out the pan and set aside.
2. Add half the butter and the mushrooms to the pan and fry briskly for 2 minutes. Then remove the mushrooms and set aside with the meat.
3. Add the rest of the oil to the pan along with the onions and the sugar. Cook over a medium heat for 20-30 mins until caramelised.
4. Add the crushed garlic and the rest of the butter to the onions and cook for 1 minute.
5. Stir in the reserved flour then add the stock, ale, tomato puree, worcester sauce, thyme leaves and bring to the boil. Add the meat and mushrooms, partially cover the pan and simmer for around 1 and a half hours.
6. Heat the oven to 200C. Put the filling in a pie dish, roll out the puff pastry and place on top of the pie filling. Glaze the pastry with a beaten egg or milk and then cook in the oven for around 20 minutes.

Yummy yummy yummy.

Mrs PB suggests you use beans not mushrooms. Baaaaaah.

Mr Fox and Mrs PB on Flickr