Winter calls for self-care to stay warm and strong. So what better way to keep healthy than to eat nutritious, flavoursome beef pies? We have selected three delicious beef pie recipes that will tingle your taste buds, replenish your body, and feed your soul.
They are easy recipes to follow, meaning you can prepare them on any day of the week, including after a long stressful workday.
Read on to learn about some delicious pies you can prepare for yourself and your loved ones this winter.
Steak and Pepper Pie
A favourite slow-cook recipe among beef enthusiasts is the steak and pepper pie. It is a convenient option when cooking for family and friends. In addition, the ss step means you can start the recipe during the day if you still are working from home and continue working while the meat simmers gently on the stovetop.
You cannot dispute the nutritious goodness that comes with this pie. The grass-fed beef and beef broth within the steak and pepper pie filling provide enough proteins to replenish your cells and support hormone and enzyme production in the body. Additionally, the body converts excess proteins into energy, keeping you warm.
Other essential ingredients include tomatoes, garlic, rosemary, and thyme, reliable sources of magnesium, zinc, calcium, and vitamins B6 and C.Below is an easy-to-follow recipe for a sumptuous steak and pepper pie.
Pepper Steak Pie
Time
- Preparation: 30 min
- Cooking: 3 h
- Ready in: 3 h 40 min
Ingredients
- 3 packs Slow-cook diced beef
- 1 cup Flour (seasoned with salt & pepper)
- 2 Onions (sliced)
- 4 cloves Garlic (crushed)
- 2 sprigs Fresh rosemary
- 4 sprigs Fresh thyme
- 400 g Tomatoes ((Canned))
- 1 Provenir Beef Broth
- Olive oil (for frying)
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat a generous splash of olive oil.
- Fry the beef in the hot oil until golden brown all over. Remove from the pot and set aside.
- In the same pot, fry the onions until soft and translucent then add the garlic, rosemary and thyme and fry for another 30 seconds.
- Pour in the tomatoes, stock and pepper and add the beef back to the pot.
- Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 90 mins – 2 hours until the beef is soft and tender. Keep an eye on the beef while it’s cooking and top up with water if necessary.
- Pre-heat the oven to 180°c.
- When the beef is cooked, season to taste then place in an oven-proof pie dish to make a large pie, or smaller pie dishes for individual pies. Alternatively you can add a layer of pastry to the bottom of the dish as well to make an encased pie.
- Brush the edges of the dish with beaten egg and roll over the puff pastry. Trim the edges then brush with the remaining egg.
- Make a small incision in the centre of the pie to allow steam to escape.
- Place the pie in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and crisp.
- Remove from the oven and serve.
British Steak and Ale Pie
The British steak and ale pie remains a famous pie recipe. It comprises tender beef cooked with vegetables, mushrooms, garlic, and peas. Additionally, some people add Worcestershire sauce to spice and tenderise the meat.
The beef chunks and mushrooms are the primary protein sources. At Provenir, we recommend grass-fed and grass-finished beef to maximise your beef pie’s protein content.
Many people serve the British steak and ale pie with peas, a rich source of carbs, thiamine, and vitamins. Thus, a serving is enough to meet one meal’s dietary and nutritional needs.
Follow the recipe below to prepare a finger-licking beef pie.
British Steak and Ale Pie
Time
- Preparation: 1 h
- Cooking: 30 min
- Ready in: 1 h 30 min
Ingredients
For the pastry:
- 3 cups Flour (plain)
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 226 grams Unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup Water (cold)
- 1 large Egg (beaten to brush on pastry)
For the pie filling:
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 2 pounds Unsalted butter
- 2 packs Slow-cook diced beef
- 1 medium Onion (chopped)
- 2 large Carrots (peeled and cut into bite-size chunks)
- 2 cloves Garlic (peeled and finely chopped)
- 2 tablespoons Tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons Flour (plain)
- 3/4 cup Dark English ale
- 1/2 cup Beef Broth
- 1/2 teaspoon Fresh thyme (finely chopped)
- 1/2 teaspoon Fresh rosemary (finely chopped)
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Black pepper
- 1 large Egg (Beaton)
- 1 bag Dried beans
Instructions
To make the pastry
- Add the flour, salt and butter to a large bowl. Using your fingertips (or a pastry cutter) rub the butter and flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. Drizzle in the water and mix using a fork until the it starts to come together and holds together when pressed in your hand.. You may not need all of the water.
- Remove and shape into a ball on a floured board. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
For the pie filling:
- Add the vegetable oil and butter to a large, heavy, ovenproof saucepan or braising pan over medium high heat. Add the beef and cook, turning the pieces until brown on all sides. Remove and set aside.
- To the same pan, add the onion and carrots and cook until the onions soften, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to mix well and cook for 1 minute.
- Sprinkle in the flour and stir well until all the flour is well mixed. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the ale and stir until it starts to thicken. Stir in the beef, beef stock, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper.
- Cover with a lid and allow to come to a low simmer for 35-45 minutes. Remove the lid and simmer for 15 more minutes to thicken the liquid. You do not want the liquid too runny, it should be thick. The meat should be quite tender, but will also continue cooking in the oven.
- Preheat oven to 220°C with rack in the centre of the oven. Lightly butter a 23 or 25.5 cm pie dish.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and cut in half. Wrap one half back in the plastic wrap and refrigerate.
- Roll out the other half onto a floured surface to a thickness of 1/8 of an inch. Cut a circle from the dough 1/2 inch larger than your pan and place into the pie dish allowing the edge to hang over.
- Cut a large circle of parchment paper or foil larger than the pan or and place on top of the pastry in the pie dish. Pour the dried beans to the center to weigh down the dough. Or, place a piece of foil on top of the dough and weigh down with an oven-proof dish that will fit inside. Bake for 12 minutes until you start to see the edges get a little golden brown.
- Remove the crust from the oven, grab the corners of the paper or foil and remove the beans. Make holes in the bottom of the pastry with a fork to prevent it puffing. If it puffs, it should go down. Return the crust to the oven for 5 more minutes to cook the bottom of the pastry.
- Remove the crust from the oven, grab the corners of the paper or foil and remove the beans. Make holes in the bottom of the pastry with a fork to prevent it puffing. If it puffs, it should go down. Return the crust to the oven for 5 more minutes to cook the bottom of the pastry.
- Fill the cooked crust with the beef filling.
- Brush the edges of the cooked pastry with the egg. Roll the pastry circle over your rolling pin, lift and place on top of the pie with the egg washed edges down so they stick to the other dough, pinch the edges or press with a fork.
- Brush with the entire top with egg wash and cut a couple of slits in the center of the crust. Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown. The time will vary depending on your oven.
At Provenir, we are also committed to the ‘paddock to plate‘ philosophy. This means we reduce the distance that meat travels to reach your plate as much as possible by using mobile abattoirs on the farms where animals are reared, which is also a more humane option for them.
Minced Beef and Onion Pie
We cannot compile a winter beef pie recipe without including the minced beef and onion pie. It is a go-to recipe when you want to serve your family or friends some comfort food. A handy pro-tip when getting the ingredients for a minced beef pie recipe is to get grass-fed beef; it almost always guarantees tender and juicy pies.
Use beef stock as part of the ingredients to boost your beef pie’s nutritional value. Beef stock often contains calcium, iron, magnesium, and potassium, integral to everyday body functions. In addition, other essential ingredients like olive oil and unsalted butter meet your body’s fat and calorie requirements.
Don’t let winter pass without having tried this beef mince pie recipe. The recipe below is all you need to prepare a nourishing meal.
Minced beef and onion pie
Time
- Preparation: 30 min
- Cooking: 40 min
- Ready in: 1 h 20 min
Ingredients
Pie filling
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 large Onion (finely sliced)
- 1 clove Garlic
- 1 pack Provenir Mince Beef
- 1 tbsp Flour (plain)
- 200 ml Provenir Beef Broth
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp Dark soy sauce
- 1 medium Egg (free-range)
Instructions
- To make the pastry, put the flour, salt and butter in the bowl of a food processor, then pulse until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add the beaten egg, vinegar and iced water, then pulse until the mixture starts to come together into a ball. (Alternatively, put the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine crumbs before working in the egg, vinegar and iced water). Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead just until smooth. Wrap and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the sliced onion and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes until starting to soften. Add the garlic and minced beef and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until the beef is browned all over. Stir in the flour, ensuring the mixture is evenly coated, then cook for 2-3 minutes more.
- Add the beef stock, Worcestershire sauce and dark soy sauce to the pan, then simmer for 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Taste and season with salt and pepper, then remove from the heat and set aside to cool while you finish preparing the pastry.
- Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Put a baking sheet in the oven to heat. Roll out two thirds of the pastry on a lightly floured surface to form a rough 24cm circle, about 3mm thick, then use it to line the base and sides of the prepared dish/tin. Pour the cooled filling into the dish/tin. Roll out the remaining pastry to form the lid. Brush round the edge of the pastry in the dish/tin with the beaten egg, then lay the pastry lid over the filling, pressing to seal. Trim off any excess pastry and cut a hole in the centre of the pie lid to release steam. Use a fork to create a decorative pattern around the edge of the pie, then brush with more beaten egg (see Make Ahead).
- Put the pie on the heated baking sheet in the oven and cook for 35-40 minutes until the pastry is golden and the filling is bubbling. Remove from the oven and serve.
Provenir’s Family Pie Range
We understand not everyone is not always in the mood to hit the kitchen and prepare a hot meal. Our family pie range will have you covered on such days. We have three great-tasting pies in our family pie range – chunky beef, beef & mushroom, and beef & pepper.
The Provenir Difference in Beef Pies
You might wonder why we emphasise grass-fed beef when preparing beef pies. Here’s why! Grass-fed cattle guarantees the highest-quality meat you can get. Animals are not naturally adapted to eat high-grain diets; such feeds disrupt their digestive systems, causing unnecessary anguish. In addition, Provenir focuses its supply change on producing ethically produced beef; we do not compromise animal welfare for wider profit margins.
Provenir also guarantees 100 per cent on-farm beef production. Most meat processors transport animals from the farm to the abattoir. The process often takes several hours or involves multiple steps that stress the animals.
Disrupting an animal’s environment, altering its feed, or transporting it over long distances often undermines meat quality. For example, prolonged stress induces muscle tension and the release of stress hormones, altering the resultant beef’s tenderness and flavour.
The Takeaway!
Provenir is your go-to grass-fed beef butcher for all your grass-fed, grass finished beef steaks and minced beef needs. We guarantee 100 per cent grass-fed, grass-finished, on-farm, and ethically produced beef to make the most delicious beef pie this winter.