Beef and Olive Pie with a Cheese and Suet Crust

Name: Beef and Olive Pie with a Cheese and Suet Crust
Yield: Serves 6
Ingredients: 2 medium to large onions; 900 g/2 lb stewing beef; 100 g/4 oz carrots; 100 g/4 oz piece rindless bacon; 6 large cloves garlic; 1 medium red pepper; 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar; 150 ml/¼ pint red wine; 3 teaspoons oregano; 3 tablespoons olive oil; black pepper; 175 g/6 oz plain flour; 100 g/4 oz stoned black olives; salt; 50 g/2 oz fresh white breadcrumbs; 50 g/2 oz strong cheese, grated; 1 teaspoon baking powder; ¼ teaspoon salt; 100 g/4 oz vegetable suet; a little milk, to glaze

Preparation info

Serves
6

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Josceline Dimbleby’s Complete Cookbook

By Josceline Dimbleby

Published 1997

About

Suet pastry sounds very old-fashioned but it is delicious, and perfect for a winter dish. The inclusion of breadcrumbs and cheese in this variation makes the pastry both light and flavourful. In the slowly cooked beef filling, the vegetables blend into the juices, forming the body of the sauce.

Ingredients

900 g/2 lb stewing beef
2 medium to large onions

Main course
Winter

Method

Slice the beef into 2.5cm/1 in cubes. Peel the onions and slice them in rings. Cut open the pepper, discard the seeds and stem, then chop the flesh up finely. Peel the garlic. Slice the bacon into small pieces. Top and tail the carrots and grate them finely.

Preheat the oven to 140°C/275°F/gas mark 1