Ireland: Beef Pie with Guinness

This hearty entree is also known in Ireland as "sailor pie" or "sailor's pie" even though it contains no fish. Presumably it was thought of as being a good hearty dish suitable to give to a man who'd just come in from the sea.

Another version of this pie appears in a series of cookbooks produced by the government of the Irish Republic for young housewives in the 1930's. Because of this, the pie is sometimes known by the name of the then-Irish Taoiseach / prime minister, and referred to as "De Valera Pie."

The oldest versions of the dish use plain pastry or puff pastry tops for the pie. This one follows the newer tradition of using a soda bread crust.

The recipe...

For the pie filling:

• 900g / 2 lb lean stewing beef, cut into generous chunks
• 2 tablespoons plain flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 large onion
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 225g / 8 ounces turnip, cubed or roughly chopped
• 225g / 8 ounces carrots
• 340ml / 12 fluid ounces stout
• 1 small bunch fresh thyme, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 160C / 325F / gas mark 3.

Trim the meat of excess fat: toss in the seasoned flour until lightly coated. Heat the oil in a wide pan, and when hot add the meat and sauté until browned. With a slotted spoon, remove the meat and place in a lidded casserole (preferably a round one, as the soda bread crust will be easier to manage and look better).

Prepare and chop the vegetables. Saute the onions and garic first in the pan where the beef was sauteed; cook for a few minutes until soft and translucent. Remove and transfer to the casserole. Add 3-4 tablespoons of the stout to the sauté pan, bring to a boil, and stir and scrape well. Add this liquid to the casserole, then add the remaining vegetables, thyme and stout, and mix all well together. Cover and bake in a hot oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

When the pie is almost finished with its cooking time, prepare the soda bread crust.

• 225g / 8 ounces plain flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 150ml / 6 fluid ounces buttermilk

Sieve all dry ingredients into a bowl: mix well. Make a well in the center and add the buttermilk; stir gently until the cough gathers into a sticky, pliable ball. If more buttermilk seems necessary to make a pliable enough dough, add a little more at a time before you start kneading.

Turn out onto a floured board and knead very briefly, just long enough to bring the dough together. Then press out with the palms of the hands to form a cake 1cm / 1/2 inch thick.

Remove the casserole or other baking dish from the oven: remove the lid. Lift the soda bread carefully onto the surface of the stew, making sure it covers the surface of the meat and vegetable mixture completely. Score the surface deeply into four quarters. Dust the surface of the trust lightly with flour, replace the casserole lid over the crust, and return to the oven. Turn up the oven temperature to 200C / 400F / gas mark 6, and bake for 30-40 minutes.

When cooked, cut through the four quarters of the crust, slide a spoon under each quarter, and serve onto heated plates. Spoon more gravy over each serving of crust.

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