Footy night tomorrow! Time to start the pies. We want pie and sauce for the footy double, FIFA World Cup and Rugby Wales vs Wallabies…. Oh dear!

Here is the recipe for the filling. Goes well with my Gluten Free Pie Crust.

Prepare the dough and cook the onions the day before so that you can just brown the meat and then throw it all in the slow cooker in the morning so you can go to the beach!

Ingredients

100ml olive oil
5 onions sliced
4-5 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
4-5 sprigs thyme
3-4 bay leaves
1.5 kg trimmed chuck steak cut into cubes
3 carrots cut into chunks
440ml can Guinness
2 tsp white pepper
2 tsp smoky paprika
1 tsp cracked pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1l beef stock
2 tbsp tapioca flour
1/4 cup water
1 egg

Instructions

Prepare your pie dough yesterday. While your at it cook the onions also.

In a cast iron pot, heat it and add about 50ml of oil. Add the onions, garlic and thyme, stir and turn the heat down to low. Cook on low heat for about 40 mins or until the onion is soft and translucent, stiring occasionally. Increase the heat to medium high, add the bay leaves and cook until the onions are dark and caramelised. Add a little stock to deglaze and remove the onions.

Add some more oil and start browning the beef in small portions.

When all beef has been browned, add the carrots and brown for 5-6 minutes, then add the beef back to the pot. Add the Guinness, deglaze and cook the alcohol off. Add the spices and mix in the onions.

Add it all into your pressure cooker, add the stock and set it to slow cook, low temp for 4 hours. Now you can get on with your day.

When the meat is cooked, open and set the cooker to sear. Make up your tapioca slurry and add slowly while stiring the meat to thicken to your desired consistency. Now let it cool. You may need to put it in the fridge.

Turn the oven on to 180˚ C fan forced. Arrange the shelves to fit the trays. Use canola spray to grease each tin.

Time to get your dough and start to put it all together.

Put the meat into each pie shell and use a beaten egg to seal the base and lid together. When you put the lids on pressing lightly to remove any air underneath and then press the edges down onto the rim. Cut some slits on the top of each pie. Brush the tops with the egg wash.

Place pie tins onto baking trays and put into the oven for about 30 mins until tops are golden.

To Serve

Remove from tin and server with tomato sauce.

Storage

Put pies in individual zip locks and freeze for the next game.