Slow cooked beef pot pie

1 kg blade steak steak, fat trimmed

2 tbsp olive oil

8 brown mushrooms, washed and halved

12 baby onions, peeled or a large onion peeled and diced

1.5 cups red wine

1 cube beef stock

1 handful of fresh thyme and fresh rosemary, stalk and all!

4 cups diced pumpkin

1 batch short pastry

1 egg for brushing over the pastry

salt and white pepper

Preheat oven to 180*C. Cut beef into large cubes and sear in a large casserole dish (with a lid). Remove meat and set aside. Add a little more oil to casserole dish and sauté whole onions, then add mushrooms and continue to cook for 2 minutes. Add red wine, stock cube, pumpkin, rosemary and thyme. Bring to boil on stovetop with lid off, then put in oven with lid on. Cook for 25 minutes then remove lid and cook for a further 20 minutes before removing the thyme and rosemary stalks.

Whist this is cooking make up the short pastry and set aside to rest.

Place the beef into a deep casserole dish and allow to cool before rolling out the pastry on a well floured surface to appox 1 cm in thickness.

Lay the pastry over the top of the casserole dish and then take a rolling pin. Roll over the top edge of the casserole dish cutting the pastry.

Take the egg and quickly whisk to break up, before brushing over the top of the pastry, pricking a couple air holes in the center.

Place the pie into an oven for a further 30 minutes when your ready and served with olive oil mash.

Short crust pastry

340gm plain flour

¼ tsp salt

170gm Butter, chilled

6 Tbsp cold water

In a large bowl combine the flour and salt.

Grate in the cold butter and rub with hands until it starts to resemble rough sandy texture. Slowly add the water until a dough starts to form. Add more water if required. Work on a bench for 5 minutes until the dough is smooth. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 30 mins.