Ingredients
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1kg chuck steak, cut into chunks
1 brown onion, finely chopped
3 Tbsp plain flour, plus extra, for dusting
1 bay leaf
4 juniper berries
1½ cups red wine
200ml chicken or vegetable stock
200g swiss brown mushrooms
2 eschalots, halved if large
2 Tbsp redcurrant jelly
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
Sea-salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to season
1 free-range egg, lightly beaten, for brushing
Mashed potato and steamed green beans, to serve
PASTRY
1½ cups plain flour
100g cold unsalted butter, chopped coarsely
1 free-range egg
1 Tbsp iced water (approx)
Method
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Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large frying pan on high. Brown meat in batches, until golden. Remove to a bowl using a slotted spoon. Reduce heat to medium and heat half of the remaining oil in the same pan, then cook onion for 5 minutes, until lightly golden.
Return meat to pan, along with any resting juices, then sprinkle over flour and stir until well combined. -
Add bay leaf, juniper berries and wine to pan. Bring to a simmer and scrape base of pan with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits. Pour in stock and cook, covered, on low heat for 2 hours, until meat is tender. Remove lid for the final 10 minutes to thicken the sauce, if needed (it should be quite a thick gravy that coats the meat).
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Meanwhile, to make the pastry, pulse flour and butter in a food processor until crumbly. Add egg and enough of the iced water to make mixture come together. Knead pastry on a floured surface until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
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When pie filling is almost ready, heat remaining oil in a clean frying pan on medium. Fry mushrooms and eschalots for 15 minutes, stirring often, until caramelised, and eschalots are tender. Stir mushrooms, eschalots, redcurrant jelly and balsamic into pie filling. Season. Cool for 15 minutes.
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Preheat oven to 180°C fan-forced (200°C conventional). Pour pie filling into a 22cm lipped pie dish. Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface until large enough to cover dish. Brush egg around dish rim, then top with pastry, crimping edges and trimming excess. Brush pastry with remaining egg and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Serve with mashed potato and beans.