Beef Shin Ragù Pie Food

BEEF SHIN RAGù PIE

Steps:

• Heat 25g of the butter and 1 tbsp of the oil in large deep casserole. Add the shallots and carrots and gently fry for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and mushrooms and fry for 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
• Add the remaining butter and oil. Coat the beef in the flour, add to the pan and fry until it starts to brown (2-3 minutes). Return the veg and add the chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, 500ml of the wine and the herbs.
• Bring to the boil, then simmer gently over a low heat. Put the lid on and simmer for 3 hours, stirring every 20 minutes, checking it's not catching on the pan base. If the beef isn't falling apart after this time, simmer for another 30 minutes.
• When ready, stir in the remaining wine and season, then take off the heat and cool almost completely.
• Meanwhile, make the pastry. Put the flour and salt in a heatproof bowl, make a well in the centre, crack in the egg, then cover with the flour. Put the butter and lard in a pan with 200ml water and bring to the boil. When the fat has melted, pour the mixture into the flour, mixing well with a knife. When cool enough to handle, knead on a lightly floured work surface until smooth. Shape into a disc, cover loosely and leave to rest for 30 minutes.
• Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/ gas 6. Once the pastry is lukewarm, cut off one third, wrap in cling film and chill. Roll out the rest on a floured work surface to a circle about 40cm in diameter. Grease a 23cm diameter, 5cm deep, fluted loose-bottomed tart tin. Line it with the pastry, leaving a 2-3cm overhang all round. Line with baking paper and foil, then fill completely with baking beans or uncooked rice. Blind bake for 20 minutes. Remove the paper, foil and beans, lightly brush half the beaten egg yolk all over the pastry case, then bake for another 13-14 minutes until the bottom of the case feels sandy and there are no grey areas. Cut away the overhanging pastry with a sharp knife to give a clean edge.
• Fill the pastry case generously (you may not need all the ragù), then roll out the remaining pastry on a lightly floured work surface to the thickness of a £1 coin. Stamp out as many leaves as you can and arrange over the filling in a circular pattern, slightly overlapping (you may need to re-roll the trimmings). Glaze with the remaining beaten egg, then chill in the freezer for 15 minutes.
• Put the pie on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 40 minutes until the pastry is golden. Turn the oven down to 170°C/150°C fan/gas 3½ and bake for 20 minutes more. Let it sit for 10 minutes before serving.

BEEF RAGOUT

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3 and season the beef all over. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a flameproof casserole over a medium-high heat and brown the beef until dark, about 15 mins, in batches if you need to, using 1 tbsp oil for each batch. Drain the beef in a colander to remove the fat while you cook the rest.
• Wipe out the pan with kitchen paper, then add about 2 tbsp oil, the onions, carrots, celery and garlic with a pinch of salt and cook for 8-10 mins over a low-medium heat. Stir in the tomato purée and cook for a further 3 mins. Add the wine, herbs, tomatoes and stock, season and bring to the boil, stir the beef back into the sauce and reduce to a simmer. Cover and put in the oven for 2 hrs 30 mins, then remove the lid, stir and put back in the oven, uncovered, for 30 mins. Stir or use a fork to roughly shred the beef, and season. Serve now, or chill until serving - it tastes better if made a day ahead.
• When ready to serve, gently reheat the ragout over a medium heat. Cook the pasta in a large pan of salted water for 3 mins, drain then tip into the ragout, toss together with some of the parmesan and leave for 1 min. Ladle the pasta into bowls, scatter over the remaining parmesan and serve.