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Beef and ale pie with pickled walnuts
Serves: 6
Prep time: 40 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Toby Scott
Beef and ale pie with pickled walnuts
This recipe from Kent pub The Fordwich Arms uses pickled walnuts – an old-fashioned British ingredient that add bursts of savoury depth to a pie
Serves: 6
Prep time: 40 minsTotal time:
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
805Kcal
Fat
49gr
Saturates
15gr
Carbs
35gr
Sugars
9gr
Fibre
6gr
Protein
48gr
Salt
1.4gr
Ingredients
- 25g plain flour
- 1kg beef stewing steak, diced into 3cm cubes
- 3-4 tbsp sunflower oil
- 4 carrots, diced
- 2 onions, diced
- 150g chestnut mushrooms, quartered
- 1½ tbsp tomato purée
- 200ml ale (we used Taste the Difference Kentish ale)
- 100ml red wine
- 300ml beef stock
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 5 thyme sprigs, leaves picked
- 1 x 390g jar pickled black walnuts
- 1 x 500g block puff pastry
- 1 egg, beaten, to glaze
Step by step
Get ahead
The filling can be made a couple of days ahead and chilled, or frozen. If cooking the pie from chilled, allow an extra 10 minutes or so cooking time.
- Season the flour generously, then toss with the beef to coat.
- In a casserole dish, heat 1 tablespoon of oil and fry the beef in batches until brown, using more oil as needed. Remove to a plate as it’s ready. Preheat the oven to 160°C, fan 140°C, gas 3.
- Add the carrots, onions, and mushrooms to the pan with a little oil and cook until the veg starts to colour. Return the beef to the casserole, add the tomato purée and cook for 3 minutes, stirring. Drain the pickled walnuts (you can reserve the liquid to make salad dressings) and cut them into quarters.
- Add the ale and red wine to the casserole, stirring well to mix in all the caramelised bits on the bottom. Add the stock, Worcestershire sauce, thyme and walnuts, bring to a simmer, cover and cook in the oven for about 2 hours or until the beef is tender. The liquid should be a thick, glossy sauce.
- Transfer the stew to a 2-litre capacity pie dish and leave to cool completely before adding the pastry lid, or the heat will cause the pastry to melt.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface to slightly larger than the dish. Brush the rim with a little water or beaten egg to help the pastry stick. Lift the pastry over the dish and press onto the rim, trimming off the edges. Glaze with beaten egg, make a steam hole, then bake for 45 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and crisp.
- Serve simply with some Tenderstem broccoli, or a watercress and shallot salad dressed with the pickled walnut vinegar and some rapeseed oil.