Tender pieces of steak are complemented by the tantalizing flavor of mushrooms in this flaky-crusted savory pie. Fresh thyme and asparagus add to the rich earthy goodness of this dish. Simmered in ale and beef stock, the mushrooms take on an incredibly deep woodsy flavor that is simply mouthwatering. This Steak and Mushroom Ale Pie is the perfect dish to prepare on a cold wintry day, the enticing aroma of the simmer filling will have everyone counting down the minutes to dinner.
It was on recent trip to the market to pick up a few miscellaneous items that this dish came about. I don’t recall right now what I was even headed in to get, however mushrooms had not been on my list. As I walked through the front door I was immediately greeted by a large table piled high with bags of incredible looking cremini mushrooms and bundles of gorgeous asparagus. It probably was a bit of my attention disorder kicking in, but I suddenly found myself in line with a big bag of mushroom and some beautiful asparagus. As I was headed to the car giggling with glee over the amazing bounty from my hunt, I realized I had not purchased anything on the list in my pocket, and I really had no idea what I was even going to do with my big score. On the return trip back inside it came to me to put together a savory pie, so I gathered the balance of the items to create my recipe as well as the items I had originally come in for. The second time through the line, the cashier looked at me with a bit of a confusion. Rather that let her think she was loosing her mind, I told her my story which gave both of us a little chuckle.
- 1 pound steak cubed into 1 ½” pieces
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- ½ medium sized yellow onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic peeled and thinly sliced
- 1½ pounds mushrooms quartered
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 Tablespoon flour
- 1 bottle Ale room temperature
- 2 cups beef stock
- bundle fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoons black pepper
- 1 cup asparagus tips
- 1 cup pearl onion
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 pie crusts make your own crust or packaged
- 1 egg beaten
- 2 teaspoons water
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In a large skillet with a well fitting lid or dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium high heat. When shimmering hot, add steak and lightly season with salt and pepper. Cook only long enough to brown all sides of the meat. Remove steak from pan and set aside.
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Add diced onions to the pan and cook until translucent stirring to prevent scorching (add more oil if necessary).
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Add garlic and stir. Cook for several minutes to bloom the garlic. Remove onions and garlic from pan and set aside.
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Reduce the heat to medium. Add butter. When melted add mushrooms and stir to coat with butter. Cook mushrooms until tender and the liquor is released.
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Sprinkle flour over the top of the mushrooms and stir to coat. Cook for about 5 minutes to eliminate the “flour” taste.
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Add back the steak, onions, and garlic.
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Pour entire beer into pan and add stock. Stir to mix. Add pepper and bundle of thyme, working it down into the liquid.
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Increase heat to medium high. Bring to a boil, stirring as mixture heats.
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Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer covered for about 1½ hours. Stir occasionally. If mixture is becoming too dry add a little more stock. We want the mixture to be the consistency of a thick gravy.
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While mixture is simmering, boil water and blanch asparagus tips to bring out the color. Plunge in cool water to stop the cooking. If pearl onions are frozen, thaw while gravy is cooking.
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Uncover the pan and remove what is left of the thyme bundle with tongs. Add the pearl onions and the lemon juice.
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Position rack in the lower third of the oven and heat to 350° F.
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Allow mixture to simmer uncovered while oven is heating to reduce liquid. Keep an eye on the gravy, it should be rather thick but not dry.
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Adjust accordingly by adding more stock if too thick.
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If too thin, kick up the heat slightly to reduce, or if needed make a slurry in a small ramekin by mixing several tablespoons of corn starch with a teaspoon of cold water (this will prevent lumps). Using a spoon or your finger mix until all the corn starch is dissolved. Add a couple tablespoons of the hot gravy back in to the slurry and mix well. Pour the slurry mixture in to the pan and bring the pan back up to a boil stirring to combine. Gravy will thicken.
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Taste gravy and add salt or pepper if needed.
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Add asparagus to mushroom mixture, stir to combine.
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Roll out a pie crust and transfer into a deep pie tin or cast iron skillet.
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Pour mushroom gravy into the prepared pie shell. Cover pie with top crust and crimp edges. Brush the top with an egg beaten with 2 teaspoons of water. Using a sharp knife make slits in the top for steam to escape.
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Place pie on top of a parchment or foil lined baking sheet (just in case) and bake for 30 – 40 minutes or until top crust is golden brown.
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Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before digging in, if you can hold the crowd back that long.
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For the perfect side dish, serve pie with a fresh spinach salad tossed in a light vinaigrette.
Remember mushrooms drastically reduce after cooking. I used about a pound and a half of brown mushrooms for this pie. Also carrots or peas would work well instead of asparagus if you prefer. I used a filet for my steak, however any cut would really work quite well. Use kitchen string to tie together a bundle of thyme. I find this much easier than picking all the leaves. As the dish cooks the leaves fall off leaving behind a tied bundle of sticks which is easily removed.
