Steak Pie Recipe with Shortcrust Pastry

5 from 13 votes

Slow-cooked beef, mushrooms, carrots, and porcini mushrooms in a rich gravy under a golden shortcrust pastry top.

Prep Time30

Cook Time3

Total Time3 30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: british, Western

Diet: Low Lactose

Servings: People

Calories: 722kcal

Place the dried porcini mushrooms in a heatproof bowl and pour over the boiling water. Leave them for 20 minutes to soften.
Lift the mushrooms out of the liquid, roughly chop them, and set them aside. Strain the soaking liquid through a fine mesh strainer lined with kitchen paper or a coffee filter to remove any grit.
Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Brown the beef in batches until well colored on all sides.
Lower the heat to medium. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Add the carrot, fresh mushrooms, and garlic. Cook for another 4 to 5 minutes.
Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Add the flour and stir for another minute so it coats the beef and vegetables.
Pour in the strained porcini liquid and scrape the bottom of the pan. Add the beef stock, stock cube, chopped porcini mushrooms, thyme, bay leaves, black pepper, and Worcestershire sauce.
Bring the filling to a gentle boil, then lower the heat. Cover loosely and simmer for 2 to 2½ hours, until the beef is soft.
Remove the lid near the end if the gravy is thin. Continue cooking until it coats the back of a spoon.
Stir in the parsley and add salt if needed. Remove the thyme stems and bay leaves.
Transfer the filling to an 11 x 7-inch, or 27 x 19 cm, oval pie dish or a 10-inch, or 25 cm, round pie dish. Leave it to cool fully.

Add the flour, salt, sugar, and cold diced butter to a large bowl.
Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. A few small pieces of butter are fine.
Add the cold water gradually, mixing only until the dough comes together. You might not need all the water.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and bring it together briefly. Shape it into a disc, wrap it in cling film, and chill for at least 1 hour.

Heat the oven to 200°C / 400°F, or 180°C fan.
Take the pastry out of the refrigerator 10 minutes before rolling. Roll it out on a lightly floured surface until it is large enough to cover the pie dish with a little extra around the edge.
Lay the pastry over the cooled filling. Trim any excess, then press the edges around the rim of the dish with your fingers or a fork.
Brush the pastry with egg yolk. Cut a small hole in the middle to let the steam escape. Use any pastry trimmings to decorate the top if you like.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is bubbling around the edges.
Leave the pie to stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Use braising steak, beef chuck, or beef shin. These cuts need slow cooking, but they become soft and full of flavor in the gravy.
Brown the beef in batches. Overcrowding the pan makes the meat steam instead of brown.
If you do not have dried porcini mushrooms, leave them out and use an extra 1 cup, or 250 ml, beef stock. The filling will still be good, but porcini mushrooms give the gravy a deeper flavor.
The gravy should be thick before it goes into the pie dish. If it looks like a loose stew, simmer it without the lid until it reduces.
Let the filling cool fully before covering it with pastry. A hot filling creates steam and can make the underside soft.
Keep the butter cold and do not overwork the pastry dough. Add the water gradually, as you might not need all of it.
You can use about 11 to 12 ounces, or 320 to 350 g, of ready-rolled shortcrust pastry instead of making your own.
Make the filling up to 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate it, then add the pastry and bake when you are ready to serve.
The pastry dough can also be made up to 2 days ahead. Keep it wrapped in the refrigerator and leave it at room temperature for 10 minutes before rolling.
When baking with chilled filling, allow an extra 5 to 10 minutes if needed. Check that the filling is hot in the middle before serving.
Freeze the cooked filling without pastry for up to 3 months. Defrost it overnight in the refrigerator, reheat until hot, then cool before topping with fresh pastry.