I am going to tell you a food love story. Then, crisis! This wonderful rich meaty pie with its dark sauce and pleasant bitter notes is the savoury equivalent of sticky toffee pudding and they share the deep ebony-brown colour, concentrated flavour that borders on pure treacle molasses. Encased by buttery puff pastry a delicious deviation from the original hot-water crust pastry here , where a slightly soggy bottom can be heavenly and serving it with a heaping mount of vivid green peas is non-negotiable.
You brown, you chop, you cook, you add Guinness and then you leave it on its own. The filling can be prepared one day and the pie made another. Even if there are just one, two, three of you, it is best to make the whole amount of filling, divide into applicable portions and there is a comforting pie up your sleeve when urgently needed or persuaded.
Dry the meat thoroughly with kitchen paper. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or other ovenproof casserole pan with a lid over medium-hot heat and in small portions brown the stewing steak on all sides, seasoning each time you fry a new batch.
Take them out of the pot and set the aside. In the same pan, heat a little more oil and sweat the onions until soft and fragrant. Stir in the flour, return the steak and all its juices to the pan, season again and pour the Guinness over it. Top up with water until everything is covered. Leave to cool a little or cool completely, mix with the grated cheddar and keep in the fridge until use.
Butter a large ovenproof dish, line it with one sheet of puff pastry and leave some overhang. Decant the filling into the lined dish, cover with the second pastry sheet and seal the edges roll and crimp with a fork. Brush the top with the egg wash and bake on the bottom or the bottom rack of the oven for minutes until the pastry is golden brown.
