Preparation time
overnight
Cooking time
over 2 hours
Serves
Serves 6
By Sophie Wyburd
From Saturday Kitchen
Ingredients
For the Pie
- Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
- Coriander seeds: 1 tsp
- Vegetable oil: 6 tbsp
- Beef shin, cut into 4cm/1½in chunks: 1 kg / 2 lb 4 oz
- Shallots, thinly sliced: 4
- Garlic cloves, roughly chopped: 4
- Fresh root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped: 3 cm / 1¼ in piece
- Lemongrass stalks, roughly chopped: 2
- Red chillies, roughly chopped: 2
- Lime, zest removed with a knife and chopped: ½
- Tomato purée: 1 tbsp
- Coconut milk (tin): 400 ml
- Soft light brown sugar: 20 g / ¾ oz
- Dark soy sauce: 2 tbsp
- Cinnamon stick: 1
- Star anise: 2
- Puff pastry: 500 g / 1 lb 2 oz
- Flour, to dust: as needed
- Free-range egg: 1
- Ground turmeric: ½ tsp
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper: to taste
For the Bitter Leaves and Butter Beans
- Butter beans (2 x 400g tins), drained and rinsed: 2 tins
- Fresh rosemary sprigs: 4
- Garlic cloves: 6
- Olive oil: 2 tbsp
- Red endives or large radicchio, ends trimmed and leaves separated: 4 or 1 large
- Little Gem lettuces, ends trimmed and leaves separated: 2
- Red onion, thinly sliced: 1
- Lemons, juice only: 2
- Dijon mustard: 2 tsp
- Red wine vinegar: 6 tbsp
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper: to taste
Method
- Preheat the oven to 170°C (150°C Fan) or Gas Mark 3½.
- Toast the spices—in a dry frying pan, gently toast the cumin and coriander seeds over medium heat for about 2 minutes until aromatic. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Brown the beef:
- Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a heavy frying pan over high heat.
- Working in three batches, brown the beef chunks for about 3 minutes per batch until deeply caramelised, adding more oil if needed.
- Transfer the browned beef to a plate and keep to one side.
- Make the spice paste—in a small food processor combine the shallots, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, red chillies, lime zest, the toasted spices and tomato purée. Blend to a smooth paste, scraping down the sides as required.
- Cook the paste—heat 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a flameproof casserole over medium heat, add the spice paste and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring until fragrant and slightly sticky.
- Combine and season—add the browned beef back to the casserole, pour in the coconut milk, stir in the sugar and dark soy sauce, then add the cinnamon stick and star anise. Season with about 1 teaspoon salt and several twists of black pepper, then bring to a gentle simmer.
- Slow cook—cover with a lid and transfer to the preheated oven. Cook for 4 hours until the beef is tender. Remove and cool for at least 30 minutes; the stew can be made a day ahead and refrigerated overnight.
- Prepare pastry—when ready to bake, increase the oven to 220°C (200°C Fan) or Gas Mark 7. Roll the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface to about 2mm thickness.
- Make egg wash—beat the free-range egg with ½ teaspoon ground turmeric in a small bowl.
- Assemble the pie:
- Spoon the cooled beef mixture into a 26cm (10½ inch) round pie dish.
- Brush the rim with some of the egg wash, cover with the rolled pastry and trim the excess.
- Seal the edges with a fork, brush the top with the egg wash and chill for at least 15 minutes to set.
- Bake the pie—brush again with egg wash and bake on the middle shelf for about 25 minutes or until the pastry is puffed and golden. Serve immediately, piping hot.
Method for Bitter Leaves and Butter Beans
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C Fan) or Gas Mark 6.
- Prepare the butter beans—pat the drained butter beans dry on kitchen paper and spread them on a baking tray. Strip the rosemary leaves from the stalks and scatter them over the beans with the whole garlic cloves (skins on). Drizzle with 4 tablespoons of olive oil, season with ½ teaspoon salt and toss to coat.
- Roast—bake the beans for 20–25 minutes until golden and crisp.
- Pickle the onion—place the thinly sliced red onion in a small bowl, squeeze over the lemon juice, sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt and gently massage or scrunch the onion to start the quick pickle.
- Make the roasted garlic dressing—when the garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze the roasted cloves from their skins into a bowl. Add the Dijon mustard, red wine vinegar and a drizzle of olive oil, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and whisk to combine.
- Assemble the salad—in a large bowl toss the red endive or radicchio and Little Gem leaves with the roasted garlic dressing, massage the leaves so they take on the dressing, then add the pickled onion and roasted butter beans and combine gently.
- Serve—plate the salad alongside slices of the hot beef pie for a balanced, flavourful meal.