For many, corned beef and cabbage is a St. Patrick's Day go-to, but in case you're looking for a new classic look no further...
"Pubs in Ireland are the cornerstone of their communities, relaxed places where locals and visitors can experience the best of traditional Irish hospitality. Many pubs have also become the place to go for a great meal, with a choice of both traditional and contemporary dishes. In recent years Irish cooking has been transformed, with skillful cooks making the most of wonderful fresh local produce to create delicious new dishes and giving a twist to many classics."
- The Complete Irish Pub Cookbook, by Love Food Editors
Although its common to indulge on corned beef and cabbage when St. Patrick's Day rolls around, it's still nice to know there are other traditional Irish dishes that are just as, if not more, delicious. Truth be told, corned beef and cabbage is more of an Irish-American dish than an Irish dish as red meat became more accessible in America - originally the dish was simply bacon and cabbage, and still is in Ireland today!
Anyway, as St. Patrick's Day approaches, I thought I'd share one of my personal favorites - you never know when all of the corned beef sells out early...
Now, this recipe is certainly not my own, but is from one of my favorite go-to Irish cookbooks so far, called The Complete Irish Pub Cookbook. No joke, I purchased this book from the bargain book section at Barnes and Noble for my Irish boyfriend a few years ago, and honestly we turn to it often. Filled with reinvented traditional dishes, desserts, etc. this cookbook is a must in our household!
What I love about these beef and stout meat pies, besides the fact that they transport me straight back to rainy days in Ireland, is that they are quite practical in serving and saving. Essentially you make a hearty and delicious beef stew, pour it into ramekins or pie plates, cover each one with a puff pastry topping, and bake it to get that fresh meat pie crust. What's great about this is if there are only two of you, you can save the unused stew for another night, pour that into ramekins, and just add fresh puff pastry and bake again - essentially you just re-assemble a new pie from left over ingredients - that way you end up with fresh pies each time.
Beef & Stout Pies 🥧
Ingredients: Serves 4
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 lb boneless chunk steak (or eye of round steak) cut into 1 in. pieces
vegetable oil, for cooking
1 1/4 cups meat stock
1 onion, coarsely shopped
8 oz cremini mushrooms, stems discarded, caps quartered
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1 cup stout
1 lb store-bought puff pastry
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
Instructions:
Combine flour, salt, and pepper in a bowl, then toss the beef in the mixture until evenly coated.
Heat 3 tbsp of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the beef, in bathes, and transfer to a flameproof casserole dish. Deglaze the skillet with 1/4 cup of stock, and add the liquid to the casserole dish.
Heat another 1-2 tbsp of oil in the skillet and cook the onion and mushrooms for 6-7 minutes, until soft. Add the casserole dish with the tomato paste, thyme, stout, and remaining stock. Heat the casserole dish over medium-high heat, bring to a boil, then shimmer gently with the lid slightly askew for 1 1/2 hours. Check the seasoning.
Drain the meat mixture in a strainer set over a bowl, reserving the liquid. Let rest until cool.
Preheat oven to 425°F Put a baking sheet in the oven to heat.
Divide the meat mixture among four individual 1 1/3 cup pie plates.
Cut the pastry into quarters. Roll out each piece to about 1 inch bigger than the pie plates. From each quarter, cut a 1/2 inch strip and press it onto a dampened rim. Brush with egg yolk, then drape the pastry quarter on top, covering the strip. Trim, crimp the edges with a fork, and make three slashes down the middle. Decorate the tops with shapes cut from the trimmings. Brush with remaining egg yolk.
Place the pies on the preheated baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 400°F and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
Remove from the oven when done, set aside to cool a few minutes. Enjoy!
If you like this recipe, there's plenty more where this deliciousness came from if you check out The Complete Irish Pub Cookbook. From Irish appetizers to desserts, you'll have enough recipes to last you all the way to St. Patrick's Day.
Workload Rating:
On a scale from BASIC to EXTRA...
*In-Between:
Puff Pastry takes a little practice if you aren't very experienced with it.
Fairly easy if you look over the instructions a few times, carefully.
Happy St. Patrick's Day! ☘️🎻🍻🥧
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