Nici Wickes: Beef and Mushroom Pie

This is all my favourite flavours packed into one pie. It’s rich and warming and perfect for a hearty dinner.   Serves 4-6     Ingredients  2 tablespoons cooking oil   1 large onion, diced   1 large carrot, diced   500g rump steak, chopped roughly   2 heaped tablespoons plain flour   1/3 cup red wine   1-1 ½ cups stock or water   2 bay leaves   ½ teaspoon each sea salt + coarsely ground black pepper   200g Portobello or brown mushrooms, chopped roughly   2 sheets flaky puff pastry (or one each of short and puff)   1 egg, lightly beaten for egg wash     Method  Gently fry onions and carrots in oil in a medium saucepan for 5-7 minutes. Remove from saucepan. Add a splash more oil.   Liberally toss the steak in flour, then brown in 2-3 batches.   Add all the veges and meat back into saucepan, pour over the wine and simmer for 2-3 minutes.   Pour in stock and add in bay leaves and seasoning, then cover and cook for 40 minutes or until the meat is very tender.   Add mushrooms and cook for a further 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Cool filling.   Heat the oven to 180C fan bake and place a tray in to preheat.   Roll out the pastry and line a 23 cm pie dish with it, nudging it into the corners. Spoon in filling, heaping it higher in the middle.   Brush edges with egg wash, then then cover with a pastry lid, pressing/pinching it together with the bottom pastry layer to seal.   Make a few slashes in the top (to allow the steam to escape when cooking), then brush beaten egg all over and bake for 45-50 minutes on a preheated tray.   Allow to cool for 10 minutes then serve in hearty wedges.     Nici’s note:   Follow these golden rules for pie-making: preheat a tray to cook your pie on to ensure cooked pastry, always cool the filling before assembling, cuts or holes in the pastry lid allow steam to escape and ensure a crisp pastry shell.    LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.