Snow White's Evil Stepmother Pie
An Original Recipe by Not Quite Nigella
For beef, beetroot and chilli pie
- Oil for frying
- 1 large onion, peeled and diced
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and diced
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 350g/12.36ozs. gravy beef, cut into small chunks
- 1 large beetroot, cut into small chunks
- 1 large red chilli, diced
- 2 cups beef stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 1/2 tablespoon sugar
- Salt and pepper to season
For pastry
- 3 sheets shortcrust pastry
- 1 egg yolk
- Paring knife
- Ravioli cutter
Step 1 - Heat a cast iron pot on medium heat and add a couple of tablesoons of oil. Saute the onion, garlic and coriander until softened and fragrant. Add the beef and brown all over. Add the beetroot, chilli, beef stock and bay leaves and cover and simmer for 1.5 hours until beef is tender. Add the coconut milk and sugar and season with salt and pepper. Allow to cool. You can serve this with roti or rice if you don't want to make the pie.
Step 2 - Take an oval skillet and line with a sheet of thawed shortcrust pastry. I find that if you thaw it to the right amount then it is easy to work with - essentially you don't want it too floppy or thawed but you do want it pliable.
Step 3 - Cut out a top by turning over the skillet and cutting around a second sheet of pastry. Set aside.
Step 4 - Process the filling in a food processor so that it isn't lumpy and fill the pie with the filling and smooth with a palette knife. Place the other oval on top and seal it by gently pressing down on the sides. Using a paring knife cut out the remnants of the pastry to make a pattern around the "mirror". I made a bow and two rims around it. Cut out a face and crown - free form is fine as long as the pastry is not too hot which makes cutting difficult. I also punched out a few "jewels" in the crown with a straw. Glaze with the egg yolk and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Step 5- Preheat oven to 220C/440F and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden.