Guinness Beef Pie

...because what could be better than beer and beef and pie?

Now that the cold weather seems to have finally settled in, my thoughts turn to warming up the kitchen with the kind of slow cooked hearty meal that makes a chilly afternoon stretch leisurely into early evening while the house fills with the aroma of dinner yet to come.  With some football on tv, a fire crackling in the fireplace and a glass or two of my favorite red wine, a meal like this is the reason Sunday is my favorite day of the week.

I came across the recipe for Guinness Pie in the NYTimes dining and wine section a few years ago and it became an instant classic in my kitchen.   It is exactly what I look for in a Winter dinner....hearty and comforting...and just how I want to cook on a lazy weekend afternoon.   I hope you love it as much as I do.

Without further ado, allow me to introduce Guinness Beef Pie.

What you'll need:

For the stew:
4 tbsp unsalted butter
2 large red onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
20 mushrooms, sliced
3 lbs brisket or stew meat, chopped into bite size pieces
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
2 tbsp flour
Sprig rosemary
2 Pints Guinness (or other stout)

For the pastry:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 stick cold unsalted butter, diced
Ice water
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
Sea Salt

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large, ovenproof pan fitted with a lid, melt 2 tbsp butter over medium-low heat.  Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until soft.  About 10 minutes.

Add carrots, celery, mushrooms and remaining 2 tbsp butter and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are dark and their moisture has evaporated.  About 15 minutes.

Season the beef with salt and pepper and toss with flour.  Add beef and rosemary to the pan and cook over high heat, stirring often, for about 5 minutes.  

Add enough Guinness to just cover the beef.  Cover pan with lid and put in the oven for 1 1/2 hours.

Once stew is in the oven, make the pastry. 




...coarse meal...

 Sift together flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl.  Using pastry cutter, your hands, or food processer, quickly work the butter into the dough until it is the texture of coarse meal.  Add ice water, a splash at a time, until dough comes together (it will be a little sticky).   Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

After the stew has been in the oven for 1 1/2, remove it and stir.   At this point, if the liquid is gettting too low you can add a little more Guinness or beef stock.  

Return to the oven and cook for 1 more hour.  Once its done, if the liquid remains thin, you can put it on a burner over medium heat, remove the lid and let it reduce.  Season to taste with kosher salt and ground pepper.

Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and place between two sheets of plastic wrap.  With a rolling pin, roll to about 1/4 inch thickness and wide enough to fit your baking dish.  Pour stew into an 8" square, 2" deep baking dish or a 10" pie dish.   If desired, scatter freshly grated cheddar cheese or crumbled blue cheese on top of the stew.  

Place the dough on top of the pie and pinch it closed around the edges.  Slash with a knife or prick with a fork and then brush with beaten egg yolk, sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt, place on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes until the pastry is  puffy and golden.

What to drink:

Now that you've got this heavenly pie filled with hearty braised beef and vegetables you'll want to pair it with an equally hearty glass of something!  Guinness is a no-brainer.  But, I'd be remiss in my duties as a Wino if I didn't offer up a wine pairing.

I've made this recipe several times and have paired it very successfully with a few different wines.  My favorite of these was an inexpensive Barbera (Pennyfarthing Barbera, about $10) that was a deep purply red, lightly acidic with a full body, plenty of tannin to balance the beef, a juicy mouthfeel and a smooth finish.  

This time around, I went with an '09 Carchelo, a blend from the Jumilla region of Spain.  40% Monestrell, 40% Tempranillo and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon promised to deliver the big bold red needed for a hearty meal like this.   

Upon opening, the Carchelo was bright and juicy, with black fruits from the Monestrell, juicy acidity from the Tempranillo and a slightly vegetal spiciness from the Cabernet.   Tannic with a black pepper finish, this was a really good match with the stew. 

Guinness Beef Pie is definitely not a quick weeknight dinner...its going to take the better part of 4 hours from start to finish...but its time well spent for a meal I'm sure you'll  make a regular part of your winter menu.  Enjoy!