Adventures of a Bookish Foodie: Steak Pie, a Benefit of Being British by Marriage

September 21, 2015

Well, it was a beautiful hot week here in Ontario but it will officially be Autumn in two days. My flip flops aren't quite tucked away thanks to this Indian summer but my sweaters are near at hand and as with every change of the season, the end of summer means a change to how we eat. Thankfully there is something so comforting about cold weather food and I'm not the only one who thinks so. This weeks cozy chef, Christy Carlyle agrees and she says being married to a Scotsman means she gets to sample yummy cold weather British cuisine at home. Her husband doesn’t cook a lot, but he treats her to delicious UK staples when he does. One of the dishes she asks for most often is steak pie. His family favored a simple recipe that involves stewed meat in brown gravy covered by rolled puff pastry painted with a light egg wash.

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I like to tease my Scottish husband that by marrying him, I became British by marriage. He’s not convinced. The truth is that I’m a longtime Britophile. My grandma’s father was from Cornwall, and though I never got to meet my great grandfather, Grandma talked about him often and her Michigan home was full of framed images of his Cornish village. Every once in a while she’d receive letters from her “English cousins,” and we’d read and re-read those letters as if they were precious treasures.

I studied history and English in college and always leaned toward British literature and history. The first time I ever travelled outside of the United States, it was to go on a university study trip to London. I haven’t been back to the UK for many years, but these days I get my fix by watching British costume dramas like Poldark. And, of course, I also write historical romance set in Britain. One Scandalous Kiss, the first in my Accidental Heirs series from Avon Impulse, is set in late Victorian era England.

Scottish-style Steak Pie

1 lb. (at least) of stew meat

Water to cover meat

1 sheet of puff pastry

1-2 Oxo cubes (can be found online or at any shop that carries British foods)

1 egg yolk

Oil to coat stewing pan

Brown chunks of beef and then cover with water to stew for half an hour. Add 1-2 Oxo cubes to make a thin gravy among the beef. Once beef is tender and the gravy is savory to taste, add it to a small-ish casserole tin or dish.

Preheat your over to 350-400, depending on the type of dish you use.

Roll puff pastry large enough to cover the sides of the dish and gently lay it over the dish, allowing some pastry to hang down around the edges. Lightly brush egg yolk across the top of the pastry in order to encourage a firm, shiny crust. Bake until the pastry is cooked through and browned on top, about 20 minutes in a 350-400 preheated oven.

It’s a simple recipe, but it’s scrumptious! We usually make mashed potatoes and peas to accompany the steak pie. I have to admit that when I try to make it, the pastry usually sinks into the gravy, but it still tastes just as good.