Steak Pie With Guinness - cooking recipe

Ingredients

3 tablespoons plain flour
1 teaspoon English mustard powder
salt
black pepper
1 kg stewing beef, trimmed and cut into cubes
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 onions, sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 cups Guinness stout
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
1 cup chestnut mushrooms, halved if large
PASTRY CRUST
2 cups plain flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
salt
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
black pepper, freshly ground
1/2 cup suet, shredded

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 160\u00b0C.
Combine the flour, mustard and pepper, then coat the beef in th emixture.
Heat 2 TB of oil in a heavy based frying pan. Fry a third of the beef for 3-4 minutes until browned. Transfer to an oven proof dish and fry the rest of the beef in 2 more batches.
Add a tablespoon of oil to the pan, then fry the onions for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes.
Stir in the Guinness, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, thyme and sugar and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
Pour over the beef, then cover and cook for 2 hours.
Remove the dish and increase the oven temperature to 190\u00b0C
Fry the mushrooms in the rest of the oil. Stir into the beef, then transfer to a 15x20cm pie dish.
PASTRY CRUST:
Sift together the flour, baking powder and half a tspn of salt, then add the thyme, and pepper to taste.
Stir in the suet and bind with 10-12 tablespoons of water to forn a soft dough.
Roll out the dough, dampen the edges of the dish and cover it with the pastry.
Trim, then make a small slit in the centre.
Cook for 30-40 minutes, until golden.