Wet Corn beef Pie – Nana’s Recipe
This is an amazing pie because the finished taste simply out does the humble ingredients. Guests at one of my dinner parties thought it was a Welsh Lamb Pie, it’s simply scrumptiously gorgeous! Try it!
Ingredients ( Serves 4-8 depending on your appetites!)
1 tin of corn beef, stand at room temp and crumbled
2 large onions, chopped
1 1/2 lb potatoes, peeled, sliced very thin
salt
pepper
*Gravy
——
1/2 cup of plain flour
1 stock pot beef or stock cube beef + pinch of gravy browning
1 pint of cold water
salt + pepper ( to your taste)
+Pastry
——
2 cups of flour
salt (pinch)
butter & lard ( approx 4oz of each) chopped into small cubes, stand at room temperature for twenty mins
some cold water, tablespoon (judge amount necessary)
Egg yolk beaten in milk to cover pastry before cooking
Method
Using a large, oval or rectangular family size casserole dish, make alternating layers of potatoes, onion and crumbled corn beef meat to fill dish until almost full to top i.e 3/4 full. Finish with layers of potatoes on top.
Cover with *gravy mix to fill 3/4 of dish volume. ( top up if necessary)
* Remember, to make this gravy mix, add flour to cup first and gradually mix in cold water until smooth paste, then thin out with more water before adding this to pint of stock made up. Mix in well, season and add a drop of gravy browning for colour.
+Pastry
——-
Use your usual method for pastry. I use my dear Nana’s pastry method. (Or, if you’re unhappy with making your own, use pre-made pastry)
+ my method:- Add flour, pinch of salt to bowl
Throw in butter and lard cubes
work into flour through fingers
Feel texture change into fine-like bread crumbs
Make a well in middle of crumbs
Add 1 tablespoon of cold tap water
Mix in using the spoon and add more water until it starts
to bind. Throw over some sprinkles of flour,
flour your hands and grab.
Knead quickly and roll out onto floured pastry sheet.
Cover top of pie dish with your pastry, wetting around corner of pie dish first to secure down pastry.
Cut a “cross” in centre of pie for steam to escape.
Brush over top of pastry with beaten egg yolk/milk
Bake in a moderate oven 160 degrees one and a half hours ( 90 mins)
Suggest you put flat oven-proof plate under pie dish as this pie bubbles and ouzes out the lovely juices/gravy.
Serve hot with fresh greens of your choice.
Enjoy! Wait ’til you taste it!
