Ingredients:
• 2 pounds stewing beef, cut into bite-sized chunks
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 3 large onion, finely sliced
• 3 2/3 cup beef broth ( you can substitute beef broth for Guinness beer for more flavor)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons yellow mustard
• handful of fresh thyme
• handful of fresh parsley
• 2 bay leaves
For the pastry:
• Puff pastry
• 1 egg, beaten
Directions:
• Let the meat warm up to room temperature before cooking it, about 30 minutes.
• Toss the chunks of beef with the flour, salt, and pepper until coated.
• Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Brown the beef on all sides. About 10 minutes.
• Add the sliced onions and a little of the broth. Stir and cook the onions for a few minutes, until they have softened. About 6 minutes.
• Add the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and the remaining broth. Bundle together the sprigs of fresh thyme and parsley and use kitchen twine to tightly tie them into a bouquet garni. Add the herbs and bay leaf to the pot and stir well to combine the ingredients.
• Cover and simmer for 2-2 ½ hours, or until the meat is very tender.
• Remove the bouquet garni and bay leaf, then pour the stew into a pie dish and set aside to cool.
• Brush the edge of the pie dish with beaten egg and cover the filling with the puff pastry. Press the edges down to seal and trim off the excess pastry. Brush the top with beaten egg and cut several vent holes.
• Bake at 375°F for about 20 minutes, or until the crust is well browned. Let the pie cool for 15 minutes before serving.
The filling for this pie is cooked long and slow, tenderizing the beef and allowing the flavor of the filling (Guinness) to permeate it. You could prepare the filling a day in advance.
