A soul-lifting flakey pastry parcel of slow cooked beef. It’s my take on a meat pie, it’s just a little bit fancy.

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450g chuck steak, chopped into 5cm cubes

60ml olive oil

1 brown onion, diced into small cubes

1 large carrot, diced into small cubes

1 stick of celery, diced into small cubes

1 clove of garlic, crushed

½ tbsp fresh thyme leaves

250ml beer

1 tbsp tomato paste

300ml beef stock

Olsson’s sea salt flakes

Freshly ground black pepper

500g puff pastry

2 egg yolks, beaten for brushing

In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil. Add the pieces of beef and cook until brown. Remove from pan and set aside.
Heat the remaining oil in the same pan that you cooked the meat in. Add onion, carrot, celery, garlic and thyme, and cook for 5 minutes, until softened.
Add beer and cook for 5-8 minutes, until reduced to half.
Add tomato paste and beef stock and cook, stirring now and again, for 10-15 minutes, until reduced by half again.
Return the beef to the pan. Place a piece of baking paper cut to fit the saucepan (a cartouche) on the surface of the liquid and simmer gently for 2-3 hours, until tender.
Strain off most of the remaining liquid, but leave the mix slightly wet. Place the beef mix in the fridge to cool. Once cooled, gently pull the meat apart.
To make the pithiviers, cut out 16 rounds, each 10cm in diameter. Divide the beef mixture into 8 equal portions and place a portion in the centre of half of the pastry rounds.
Brush the edges of these rounds with egg yolk and place the remaining pastry rounds on top. Press around the edges to seal, ensuring there is no air trapped inside.
Place the pithiviers on a baking tray lined with baking paper and brush with egg yolk. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes before baking.
Preheat oven to 190C.
Decorate by scoring the top of each pithiviers, being careful not to pierce through the pastry. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until puffed and golden.