We would have loved to bring you a Guinness Pie for St Patrick’s day, but since Guinness isn’t suitable on the failsafe diet my husband and I have come up with this alternative using none other than Irish Whiskey, and he was happy to part with some of his precious stash for this recipe! A hearty casserole served in a pot with a crisp pastry top. We made this one in the slow cooker especially for our non Thermomix followers. I must admit, I do really like a casserole that has been cooked slowly so the meat melts in your mouth. If you have amine responders in your family, you can reduce the cooking time accordingly.
A combination of whiskey and carob syrup help to make a rich, deep gravy sauce for this casserole. We bought carob syrup from Carobana while on holidays in Coffs Harbour. You can also buy it on line from Allergy Train and The Carob Kitchen have a list of suppliers around Australia. Cooking for Oscar has a recipe to make your own carob syrup as well.
1 cup veg stock (2 tablespoon of veg stock concentrate with 1 cup water)
½ cup whiskey
¾ cup carob syrup
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon dried chives
1 leek
2 tablespoons plain flour seasoned with salt
1kg diced steak
1 stalk celery, chopped
Potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 Swede, peeled and cubed
2 Carrots (optional*), chopped into chunks
2 – 3 Short crust pastry sheets
Poppy seeds to garnish (optional)
Mix together the stock, whiskey, carob syrup, garlic and chives together in a jug/bowl. Slice leek thinly and place into slow cooker. Place the diced steak and flour into a bowl and stir to coat or place into a ziplock bag and shake to coat. Tip the steak into the slow cooker and pour the sauce over the top and stir until completely coated. Set timer on low for 3 – 4 hours.
With 1 ½ hour remaining, add prepared vegetables to slow cooker and stir to combine.
Once the casserole is cooked, pre-heat the oven to 180 deg. Using the oven proof bowls you would like to dish the pies in, place it upside down on top of the pastry and cut out leaving a 5mm excess to cover the edges. Then ladle the beef stew into the bowls. Cover with the pastry and smooth over the edge of the bowl to seal it. Make a few slits with a knife in the pastry to allow steam to escape. Cut out clover shapes or use 3 heart shapes for each pie, plus a narrow piece of pastry cut to form a stalk and decorate the top of each pie in a flower design. If desired, sprinkle the top of the pie with poppy seeds. Bake in the oven for 10 – 15 minutes or until the pastry is lightly golden.
Notes: To cut down on the level of amines, I did not brown the meat first in the flour, if amines are not a problem for you, you can do that to help seal the meat. I still coated it in flour to help the sauce to thicken slightly.
I used 2 larger raminkins for my husband and myself and 3 smaller ones for the children.
*Carrots are moderate Salicylates. If you are on the strict elimination diet or can not tolerate Salicylates, leave them out.
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