Winter warmers - beef, bacon and veggie pie

I have always loved a good pie, but the homemade variety, not the often dodgy, frozen supermarket version.

With winter in full swing [at least, it is this week!], I've decided to make some of these gorgeous winter warmers. Now many will criticise me calling this a pie, as it doesn't have a pastry base. As I'm trying to eat a bit more healthfully, I've decided to go bottomless.

This serves 4.

What you need:

• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 large clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 pieces of short cut bacon [or 1 rasher]
• 450g chuck steak, cut into cubes
• 1/4 cup flour
• salt and pepper
• 1 carrot, chopped into small-ish pieces
• 1 stick of celery, chopped
• 1/2 red capsicum, chopped
• 1 zucchini, chopped
• 8-10 mushrooms, cut into quarters
• 1 cup of stock [beef is best, but I used chicken this time as that was what I had]
• 1 cup red wine
• 1 tbs tomato paste
• 1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
• dried herbs - I used a bit of rosemary as that was what I had, but you could also use oregano, thyme, marjoram
• dash of tabasco sauce
• 1 sheet of puff pastry
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

What you do:

Preheat the oven to 160c.

Heat the olive oil in a casserole dish that can go in the oven. Use a low-ish heat. Add the onion and garlic and gently fry for about 3 minutes. Add the bacon and gently fry for another 3 minutes.

Pop the steak into a plastic bag with the flour and a shake of salt and pepper. Hold the bag closed and shake it until the meat is coated with the flour mix.

Shake it baby, shake it! 

Turn up the heat on the stove and add the meat and any leftover bits of flour [this helps thicken the sauce during the cooking process]. Brown the meat, then add all the veggies, stock, wine, tomato paste, sauces and herbs. Add salt and pepper to taste [you probably won't need much if any salt, especially if using a commercial stock].

Browning the meat

Once everything has been added into the pot

Give it all a good stir and pop it in the oven, with lid on, for about 3 hours. Check and stir every hour or so.

The cooked filling. One taste was just not enough! 

Once the filling is cooked, divide it among 4 ramekins (I used 2 cup, but it should fit in 1 1/2 cup). Top with puff pastry, cut to fit over the top of the ramekin. Brush beaten egg over the pastry.

You could easily make this filling the day before. The flavour is even better after a day or two!

I was ready for some wine by this stage!

I made a bit of a mess of the one on the left! And forgot the egg wash...

Bake at 180c for about 40 minutes, or until the pastry has puffed up.  

Serve with steamed greens, or a salad. However as it's full of veggies, I felt fully justified eating it without. 

As the ramekin was hot, hot hot!, I tipped it all onto the plate to make it easier to eat without burning myself

NOTE: My pastry didn't puff. And I forgot the egg wash. I later discovered puff pastry past its best before date isn't overly effective!

The leftover filling the next night was even better. I added a few roast veg - pumpkin, zucchini and fennel [my new fave roasted veg]

NOTE 2: Brown food looks very unappealing when photographed! The flavour was so much better!

What is your favourite winter pie?