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Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Beef Pot Pie

Yes, I promised you the rest of the recipe.  If you follow me at all, you know that I don't deal with recipes very well.  They are more like suggestions.  So here are my suggestions:

Photo by Trisha Field
toss stock flavoring in a small bullet cup
1 stock of celery washed
2 large cloves coarsely chopped
5-6 baby carrots
1-2 Tbsp water

Photo by Trisha Field
Blend stock flavoring
 Blend until mixed together, there might be a few chunks left in the stock but that is okay.  It will cook together.  I blend it down so that the flavors can get all around the meat.

Photo by Trisha Field
Pour stock base over meat
 Put water over the top enough to cover the meat by about half an inch.  Thin out the blended veggies. (I put the water in the cup and spun the blades.  Saves cleaning later.) I make sure that I wiggle the beef around so that the water and flavoring get on every side.  Bake a roast overnight.  Season to create a favorable stock by adding salt and pepper too.

Photo by Trisha Field
Cut beef into bite size pieces
 I separate the beef and the stock when I cool them.  The fat from the stock will solidify across the top as it cools in the refrigerator making it easy to separate.

Photo by Trisha Field
Double Trouble
 I decided to use two small cast-iron frying pans as the base for the pot pie. As I say what I used it is for BOTH of the small pans and split evenly.  You could also use several smaller ramekins. I chopped half an onion and sautéed it in about 4 Tablespoons butter and 1 clove of garlic chopped.

Photo by Trisha Field
More carrots and celery
 Chop up another stock of celery and 5-6 baby carrots.  (I chop the carrots big enough to pick out later.  I eat a raw carrot for each one that I cut up. What can I say, I don't care for the texture of a cooked carrot.)

Photo by Trisha Field
Sautéed Onions and Garlic
 The picture of the sautéed onions and garlic is just to make you drool!  Did I succeed?

Photo by Trisha Field
Add the carrots, celery and stock base
 Allow the mixture to sauté together, stirring as it warms up. Then add about 2/3 cup of milk and 2 palms full of flour.  The picture is being a bit of a rebel for me so you get an interesting viewpoint.

Photo by Trisha Field
Making the gravy
After the flour is mixed in, add your beef.  When I saw that there was plenty of room in the pan I made a last minute change.  I decided to add some potato to the mix. 


Photo by Trisha Field
Potato
 I cut up one small potato.  I should have added this about the same time as a carrot. So I cut it thinner. Then I let it simmer stirring it periodically.

Photo by Trisha Field
Final ingredient for the mix
Then I opened a small can of peas and split it between the two pans.  I also added a little more stock base as the mixture cooked together
Photo by Trisha Field
Oven Ready
 I prepared a cookie sheet with foil over it to catch any overflow so I didn't dirty the oven.  Then I put the first pan on it, I put the crust over the top and made a decorative design around the edge.  I put the second pan on and the crust missed it's mark and started falling apart.  (Good thing I don't work in a restaurant.)  I put an egg wash over the crust to help it brown.

Photo by Trisha Field
Homemade Beef Pot Pie
 I baked them for 25-30 minutes at 400 degrees.  Remember everything was almost cooked when it went into the oven.  Dale was doing lawns outside so the pans cooled for awhile on the stove.  That worked better for me because it was slightly easier to place the pie dough on the top.

Photo by Trisha Field
Dale starts with the crust
 If you want to learn to eat slowly, eat a beef pot pie.  It is so hot that each bite needs to cool before you eat it. 

Photo by Trisha Field
Even 1/2 way through it was hot enough to cool each bite before eating.
 I know this looks like a complicated recipe.  But take it one step at a time.  Plan ahead and bake your meat overnight, mix up your pie dough the night before (it gets nice and flaky that way.) Make any mix of vegetables, meat, and gravy for your filling.  Be creative and enjoy your homemade pot pie!

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