Steak and kidney pie beer-style is the perfect winter warmer. Perfect on a chilly day bunkered in with the football and the family it's a classic hearty feast as sweet in the belly as it is easy on the hip-pocket. You can use any stout - Guinness, Carbine, Cooper's Dark or even an Amber Ale (if you like a bit more citrusy hop flavour) but either way the pastry will seal in the malty, peppery, aromatic juices.

Preparation Time: about 20 minutes
Total cooking time: about 3 hours 

What You'll Need
1kg chuck or blade steak, cut into 3cm cubes
1 calf's kidney or 2-3 sheep's kidneys
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon flour and extra
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme and parsley leaves
1 hearty ale
1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon tomato sauce
2 anchovy fillets, chopped
125g mushrooms, sliced
... and for the pastry crust
1 x 375g frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, beaten with a little water to make egg glaze 

Cooking

1. Crack an ale. Sip. Now remove fatty white bits from kidneys with a sharp knife and slice roughly.
2. Sprinkle the meat and kidney with flour, salt, pepper and herbs. Sip from the beer. Mmmmm...
3. Heat some oil in a heavy saucepan and fry a chopped onion until soft. Remove and set aside.
4. Throw the meat and kidney in and brown. Now throw the onions back in followed by the Worcestshire and tomato sauce, the mushrooms and whatever herbs are on the kitchen counter.
5. Pour half a bottle of beer over the stew. Don't cry now... and if you must, cry into the pan. It'll sweeten the meat.
6. Cover the concoction tightly and simmer gently over a low heat for about 2 hours OR in a preheated slow oven at 160 degrees celcius for about 2 1/2 hours or until the meat is tender. If necessary, add a little more ale. Grab yourself another while you're at it. You deserve it.
7. When the meat is cooked, stir in the anchovies (don't get squeamish - these will dissolve and salt the pie) and allow to cool. Not so the beer though. Take another sip.
8. Once cool, spoon it all into a pie dish to the brim, piling it up in the centre (to hold pastry lid up).
9. Roll out the pastry dough on a lightly floured board to about 3cm larger all round than the top of the pie dish. Cut a couple of strips and, after brushing the dish rim with some beaten egg mix, stick the strips on firmly followed by the pie lid itself, pressing down firmly. Brush the lid what's left of the egg glaze and cut two slits in the top to let the steam escape.
10. Bake the pie in an oven preheated to 200 degrees celsius for 20-30 minutes (if the pastry brown too rapidly cover it with foil) and remove when golden brown. Serve with mash and more beer.   

Beer Matches

James Squire Amber Ale

Perfect with a gourmet pie such as this one, the Amber brings a rich, malty tang to proceedings which is smooth at first but with a slightly nutty and citrus-toned kicker to follow. 

Carbine Stout

Named for the legendary thoroughbred who doesn't appear in this recipe, Carbine's flavours leap from the gates with roasted malt and barley permeations kicking into a strong middle furlong full of subtle hoppiness before a sizzling final furlong and a creamy finish. 

Guinness

Ireland's Mother's Milk is nothing if not versatile. We've seen it used as a barbeque marinade, a vinaigrette on salads, or the dark heart of a chocolate mousse. Here it highlights the pie's peppery tones and cloves while also standing sentry while the steaming contents cool.

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