Sunday night: Steak & Ale Pie followed by Crumble

Gah, thanks to internet failure this is the second time I've written this, but it's worth it. Steak and Ale Pie is a classic, as is crumble, and it is so easy to put together at home. I'm not going to argue that this will surpass a pub pie, but I think you'll be surprised just how good it is, and it is a fantastic alternative to a sunday roast, and doesn't take any more time. So here goes,

As with any meal, this takes some forward planning. The pie is essentially a beef stew covered by pastry, and the stew will need 2-3 hours cooking to make sure it is really lovely and tender. As is cooks, you can get on with the other bits and pieces. To start the stew, shake some flour into a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Toss the beef in the flour until it is all covered and then, in the pan you are going to cook the whole thing in, brown the beef. Just cook it quickly to change the colour, you can do this a little at a time becuase you don't want beef to sweat and start giving out juices. Once all the beef is done, put to one side and, in the same pan, fry off two chopped onions - leave them nice and chunky or they'll get lost. When the onions are starting to turn translucent you can add the meat back in, and pour over the beer. I used a bottle of ale, but you could use a can - giuness works very well here. Stir it all up, bring to the boil and then pop it in a medium oven to simmer away sowly. You can leave it on the hob, but turn the heat right down.

The beef will take a while so this is a good time to prepare any veggies that you are going to have, ready to be cooked later. We had roast potatoes, carrots and parsnips.

While the beef is cooking you can make the pastry. The rule is half fat to flour, so I used 8oz flour and 4oz butter. Rub them together until the mixture resebles breadcrumbs, I use a pastry blender just to try and stop the mixture getting too warm. Add a couple of table spoons of butter and stir with one hand to bring the mixture together. Work it just enough to bring it into a dough, wrap it in cling and leave it to cool in the fridge.

I think a crumble is best if you start the fruit off first. So, peel, core and chop the apples into chunks. I used bramleys because they dissolve to leave a lovely sauce, but braeburn are also nice and tend to stay chunkier. Put  them in the dish and sprinkle over some sugar and cinnamon, and also add some nobs of butter. Cover with foil on the top and pop them into the oven for about 40 minutes.

I don't have a cast-iron recipe for the topping and tend to make it up as I go. At a guess, I'd use 4oz butter with 6oz dry (flour on it's own, or mixed with oats), mix until like breadcrumbs but don't be too fussy this - I think a rough mix with a few larges lumps is best. Then stir through with a fork, cinnamon or mixed spice, sugar (demarara or caster), and you can always add a bit of coconut. Put this to one side.

When the beef has been in for about 2 hours take it out and turn the oven up, it needs to be nice and hot to cook the pastry. Tip the beef into the pie dish and just wiggle the dish so that the stew flattens out.

Roll the pastry on a floured surface making sure that it is big enough to cover the dish. Pick it up, using the rolling pin to help and drape it over the stew, resing it on the edges of the dish. Trim the pastry around the edges of the dish, but make sure there is enough there, so that when it shrinks with cooking, it's not going to uncover the beef. Make some small slits in the top with the knife and pop it back into the oven for about 40 minues - till golden brown.

While this is in, take the apples out, and shake over the crumble mixture. This can cook while you eat the main course, and will be ready by the time you've finished, cleared, and whipped up some custard.

Delish.