Beef shin & Guinness pasty

If you’re feeling up for a challenge then this is the recipe for you. Failing that, you can always buy some pre-made pastry. Beef shin is a great cut for slow cooking and has a great depth of flavour. It works well when paired with Guinness or a dark stout for these pasties.

4 hours

6

Hard

• 1 pack of Field & Flower beef shin
• 2tbsp plain flour
• 1 red onion, diced
• 2 carrots, chopped into 1cm chunks
• 1 parsnip, chopped into 1cm chunks
• 2 sticks celery, chopped in 1cm chunks
• 2 rosemary sprigs
• 2 thyme sprigs
• 2 bay leaves
• 500ml Guinness
• 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
• Olive oil
• 500g plain flour
• 110g cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• Pinch of salt
• Cold water
• 1 beaten egg, to glaze
• Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C/Gas 3.

2. For the filling, heat olive oil in a casserole dish on a medium heat, sauté the onion for 5 minutes, followed by the celery, carrot and parsnip for a further 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and set to one side.

3. Coat the beef shin in a bit seasoned plain flour and shake to remove any excess. Add some more olive oil to the pan and on a high heat, brown the beef on all sides for 5-10 minutes. Add the vegetables back to the pan and deglaze with the Guinness. Add the chopped tomatoes and herbs, season generously and stir. Bring to the boil with the lid on slightly ajar.

4. Cook in the oven for 2.5 – 3 hours, stirring once or twice. When cooked, the meat will fall apart and the juices should have reduced to a thick sauce. Remove from the oven and break the meat up into smaller pieces. Leave to cool.

5. To make the pastry, rub the butter into the flour and salt using your fingertips until you are left with a mix that resembles breadcrumbs. Add cold water, a tablespoon at a time, and mix with a knife. Continue to add water until you have a slightly crumbly dough. Bring together with your hands, forming a ball. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 45 minutes.

6. On a floured surface, roll the pastry to just thinner than 0.5cm. Cut circles from the pastry using a side plate (about 20cm diameter) as a guide. You may need to re-roll to get all six rounds. Stack on top of one another, flouring lightly in-between each one to avoid sticking.

7. Preheat the oven to 180°C/4.

8. To make the pasties, place one pastry circle on a clean, lightly floured surface. Spoon 3tbsp of beef shin stew on to the bottom half of each circle with, leaving about a 3cm border. Brush the edge of the pastry with some beaten egg, and fold the clean half of the pastry over, creating a semi-circle. Firmly press the edges together, sealing in the filling and crimp. There are many different crimps, so just go with what feels easiest – it is your signature after all! Repeat with all 6 circles.

9. Brush the tops with the beaten egg and make 3 small slits in the top, to allow the air to escape. Place into the oven and cook for 35 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve.