315g| 11oz plainall purpose flour, plus more to dust
185g| 6.5oz cold unsalted buttercubed
45g| 1.5oz vegetable shorteningor you can use all butter
2tbspgranulated sugar
1tspfresh thyme leaveschopped or use dried thyme
1/2tspsalt
60ml| 1/4 cup ice-cold water + 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
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<b>For the filling</b>
800g| 1.6 pounds chuckcasserole steak, cut into small cubes
2tbspplain flour
salt and freshly ground pepper to season
1large yellow onionpeeled and finely diced
2celery sticksfinely diced
200g| 7oz chestnut mushroomsstems removed, sliced
2garlic clovespeeled and minced
3tbsptomato paste
1tbspWorcestershire sauce
1tbspsoy sauce
125ml| 1/2 cup beef or mushroom stock
125ml| 1/2 dark aleI used Amstel dark plus more to deglaze pan
2bay leaves
2star anise
olive oil to fry
small egglightly beaten, for egg wash
Instructions
Put the flour, sugar, salt and thyme in the bowl of a food processor and pulse briefly to combine.
Add the cubed butter and shortening and pulse again until they are roughly blended in and mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Combine vinegar and water and add to the dough through feeding tube in a slow drizzle while pulsing. Stop when the dough forms clumps.
You may not need to add all the water or you may need to add a touch more if dough is too crumbly. Gather the dough into a ball, divide into two sections, flatten to form two disks, cover with cling film and chill for an hour (or up to a day). You will have leftovers which you can freeze well wrapped in plastic for a month or use for another recipe.
Preheat the oven to 180C (350F).
Put the flour on a plate and season liberally with salt and pepper. Add the beef and toss to coat.
Heat 2-3 tablespoons olive oil in a large casserole dish and brown the beef, in batches. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Add a generous splash of ale to deglaze the pan and scrape any browned bits.
Add the onion, garlic and celery and cook, stirring, until softened.
Add the mushrooms and a splash more oil if needed and cook for 5 minutes.
Stir in the tomato paste, Worcestershire and soy sauce, the stock and ale.
Bring to a simmer, cover and transfer to the oven (or slow cooker - see notes) to cook for 2 hours. Cool before using.
Divide the filling between four small, deep ramekins leaving a small gap at the top.
Roll out your pastry to 5mm thick and cut out rounds large enough to cover your pie containers. Use plunge cutters to create decorations if you wish.
Brush the edges of the dishes with the egg wash, then place pastry lids on top.
Use a fork to seal the edges of the pastry lids. Brush with the egg wash and pierce or cut a small hole to allow the steam to escape.
Add the decorations if using and brush with egg wash.
Place the pies on a baking tray and cook for 30 minutes or until the filling is bubbling and pastry golden. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
You can cook the filling in the slow cooker for four hours on high setting. Cool before using.