Umami beef pie with cheesy mushroom mash

This rich slow cooked umami beef pie is a real winter warmer and a perfect family recipe. Created by the brilliant Tim Anderson for Kikkoman
- Serves4
- Preparation Time25 mins
- Cooking Time5 hours
Nutrition per serving
- Energy732 Kcals
- Fat29.6g
- Saturated Fat12.6g
Ingredients
- 4 rashers smoked streaky bacon
- 1kg braising beef steak, cut into chunks
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 4 carrots, roughly chopped
- ½ fennel, roughly chopped
- 250ml Marsala wine or ruby port
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 50ml Kikkoman Naturally Brewed Soy Sauce
- 250ml stout
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 star anise
- 5-6 sprigs fresh thyme, stripped
- Oil, for frying
- 500g button mushrooms, sliced
- 25g butter
- 800g potatoes, cooked and mashed
- 50g mature cheddar, grated
- Milk
- Handful of chives, chopped
Method
Preheat the oven to 125°C. Fry the bacon in a little oil in a casserole until crisp. Lift out and set aside.
Add the garlic, onions, carrot, and fennel and cook for 5 mins. Remove with a slotted spoon.
Dredge the beef in flour and fry in the oil until browned. Pour in the wine and tip the vegetables back in, then stir in the tomato puree, soy sauce, stout, bay, star anise and thyme. Season with pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer then cover with a lid and slowly braise for 4-5 hours, until the meat is tender and the liquid has reduced to thick gravy. (If the gravy is not reduced enough, boil the liquid on the stove until thickened.) Remove the star anise and bay.
While the meat is braising, sauté the mushrooms in butter until very soft. Mix with the mashed potatoes and cheese. Add enough milk to loosen the consistency, and season with pepper to taste.
When the beef is ready, transfer to a pie dish and spread the mash over. Grill for 5 minutes until golden brown. Garnish with chives and serve with steamed vegetables.
This recipe is rich in Umami. Do you want to know more about
the 5th taste sensation? Check out our What is
Umami guide