Classic Recipes

Prep Time:20 Min

Cook Time: 5 hr 25 min

Serves: 4

Stephen’s Merthyr pie was inspired by an old recipe. Braised beef is flaked and layered with fried sourdough and cheese to make an oven-baked pudding.

Great tip

This recipe works great with the leftovers from a Sunday roast.

Ingredients

For the Beef

1kg Shin of beef on the bone
1kg Oxtail on the bone
2 Medium Carrots – Peeled and cut in half
1 Medium Onion – Peeled and cut into four
2 Sticks of Celery – Washed
1 Small Head of Garlic – Cut in half
3 Bay Leaves
1 Sprig of Thyme

For the Pie

A preferably round oven proof serving dish to bake the pie in,
approximately 7” in diameter and 3” deep
8 Thick Slices of good bread. Sourdough if you can get it
3 tablespoons of good Dijon Mustard or English if you prefer
200g approx of Beef Fat for frying bread
150g Grated Collier’s Cheddar Cheese
Salt and pepper to season

Instructions

To Cook the Beef Shin and Oxtail

1. Place the beef shin & Oxtail in a thick bottomed saucepan with the vegetables, stock cube and herbs. Cover with two litres of water and a circle of parchment paper and a tight fitting lid.
2. Place into an oven set at 130˚C and cook for approximately 5 hours.
3. When cooked, remove beef shin, oxtail, carrots & celery from cooking liquor and allow to cool enough to comfortable handle. When so, remove the meat from the bones. Discard the bones and put the meat to one side as you reduce half of the cooking liquor by ¾ and reserve the other half for finishing the dish with.

To make the pie

1. Fry the bread in hot beef fat. It should be golden brown on both sides but not fried completely all the way through. Brush the fried bread liberally with the mustard. Flake the cooked beef shin & oxtail roughly and roughly dice/chop the cooked carrots & celery. There should be a total of three bread and cheese layers and two beef layers.
2. Start with a layer of fried bread in the bottom of the dish and sprinkle with a third of the Collier’s Cheese and then half of the cooked beef & vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Repeat the above and finish with the final layer of bread and Collier’s Cheese.
3. Gently pour over the beef stock and place in an oven set at 160˚C for approximately 20 minutes.
4. To serve, remove from the oven, allow to stand for five minutes and serve.