Steak Pie

I spent New Year’s Eve 2014 into New Year’s Day 2015 in Scotland: the land of Hogmanay and Auld Lang Syng. In particular, I was in Edinburgh, which hosts one of the world's most famous New Year celebrations. Thought the official celebration is a major street party along Princes Street which cost over £20 to enter, I was with friends on Calton Hill waiting for the cannon at Edinburgh Castle to be fired at the stroke of midnight and the large fireworks display. Yes, there was much drinking and celebrating. It was a pleasant surprise that while watching the fireworks over the castle, there were supplemental fireworks over us. One fun note is that the clock faces of Waverly Station in Edinburgh, which were directly in view from Calton Hill, run two minutes early to help passengers catch their trains on time.

All baked and ready to be eaten

The next day, I was told that Scottish tradition is to have steak pie. This sounded like a great idea after a late night on the town being festive. Heading out to a well-suggested pub, I sought out a piece of this tradition.  Lo and behold, this pub didn’t make any for the New Year. Too hungry to look for another place, I went without.

 

This year, I decide not to go through this sadness and made my own steak pie for the holiday. While my internet research suggests that it is more traditional not to include any vegetables in the pie, I do like some in the mix. However I don’t use potatoes because that too reminiscent of a beef stew. (Though the filling would make a tasty stew on its own.) 

Steak Pie, serves 8

 

It's been cut

Ingredients

 

• 2 T butter
• 4-6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 lbs stewing beef, cubed (usually round cut, but any tough cut can be used)
• 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
• 1 large carrot (about 2 cps), sliced
• 1 t salt
• 1 t black pepper
• 1 shot (1.5 ounces) of Scotch (I personally suggest *not* using a single malt from Islay)*
• 12 oz bottle of beer (I also suggest a Christmas or winter style if making it for New Year’s – I used Abita’s Christmas Ale from a recent trip to New Orleans.**)
• 1.5 T cornstarch
• water
• salt and pepper, optional
• store bought puff pastry sheets

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet; sauté the garlic and onion until the onion turns translucent, about 5-10 minutes.
2. Add the beef cubes and sear all pieces on all sides, about a minute or so each side.
3. Add the mushrooms and carrot slices and season with the salt and pepper, cook, while stirring, for about 5 minutes until the carrots start to soften.
4. Add the Scotch to deglaze the skillet; when fully deglazed, add the beer.
5. Bring to a boil; when at a boil, immediately reduced the heat to a simmer and let cook for an hour at least.
6. Dissolve the cornstarch in enough water to create a slurry; add to the skillet to thicken the stewing liquid.
7. Grease the lip of a 11 x 7 glass pan with butter or oil, pour the steak filling into the pan.
8. Follow the directions for preparing the puff pastry for use; when ready cover the pan with the pastry. If there is extra, cut the remaining pasty into any shape pieces to add to the top of the crust. (I used strips, but diamonds could be cut and placed on the pastry in a pattern evocative of argyle.)
9. Place the pan in a preheated 400 degree oven, bake for 20 minutes or until the puff pastry starts to brown.
10. Serve warm.

All this lucky New Year's Day food

This year, I served the steak pie with Southern New Year’s favorites, collard greens and black eyed peas. I didn’t think that it would be a bad thing to stack as my much luck in my favor as possible.

 

There is a tasty traditional dish from the area called Fife Miners’ Stew. That recipe calls for carrots and parsnips. You can replace the one large carrot with one medium carrot and one medium parsnip to weave some of the traditions together.

notes

* I used Laphroaig Quarter Cask this time; there was some in the house. Islay whiskies are known for their use of peat. In using the Laphroaig to deglaze, I made the kitchen smell like a warm peat fire and that flavor permeates into the beef and broth. While I enjoy that smell and taste; others may not.‎

** Each year, Abita tinkers with their Christmas Ale and I wasn’t the biggest fan of 2015’s. It was very hoppy for a Christmas beer. It was red-tinted and I got some citrus hints and Christmas tree. However, it worked really well as the stewing liquid for the filling.