Рецепт Short Rib Pot Pie
Who
doesn’t love a great pot pie? Meat and
vegetables and gravy under a blanket of pastry, these pies are
American Classics. But they go back in
culinary history considerably longer. In the Roman Empire, the pastry was
banquet fare. Sometimes the crust
revealed live birds, which must have been quite a shock to unsuspecting
guests. In 16th century
England meat pies became all the rage.
The English ate meat pies of all sorts – pork, lamb, game and they were
especially fond of using venison. And, like the Romans, English cooks loved
their birds. In Elizabethan time, pot
pies were made using ‘chicken peepers’: tiny chicks were stuffed with
gooseberries. And then of course there’s
the nursery rhyme:
Four and twenty blackbirds,
Wasn't
that a dainty dish,
Although a nursery rhyme, it’s based on historical fact. In preparation for a visit by King Henry VIII
to the Hever Castle home of Anne Boleyn, ‘netters’ were sent out onto the
fields with rye in their pockets and the goal of catching a mass of blackbirds. Two dozen, feathers still intact, were baked
into a large pie which looked beautiful on the outside but which when cut into
produced a ghastly smell.
“The birds
began to sing" is British slang for ‘began to smell’ and ‘the dainty dish’ is pure
sarcasm. Today, I am happy to introduce you to a Pot
Pie that, once cut into, will surprise you not with a frightening flurry of
wings, but with a richly satisfying filling of beef and onions and mushrooms
topped with flaky pastry which you may or may not make yourself.
I found this recipe in a Bon
Appetit from last March. It’s of course
the perfect food for cold weather dining, warming and homey. Built around
boneless short ribs, it has two other main ingredients. Onions were in the
original Bon Appetit recipe. I added cremini mushrooms for taste taste and texture and they were a
great addition. It’s a great make-ahead dish for a dinner
party. And there was a hidden bonus I
hadn’t planned on when I set out to make it. Andrew and I were in Bridgehampton
for one of the interminable snows we’ve had this winter.
As I started making the pies early in the day,
the weather looked fine. By 5 o’clock
the snow created a virtual white-out, the winds picked up and were projected to
reach gusts of 60 mph. The Governor
asked everyone to stay off the roads and indoors. Our four dinner guests were not going to make it to
our house that night. Was dinner a wash-out? No, because we were making individual pot pies, we simply baked two
and took the rest of the filling home.
Sadly, we left the pastry in the fridge.
A blessing in disguise, I hauled out the filling, used store bought puff
pastry and once again we feasted on our enormously comforting short rib pot
pies. Here is the recipe that I adapted
from Bon Appetit.
- Recipe for Short Rib Pot Pie
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted
- butter, cut into pieces
- 1/2 cup vegetable shortening or beef lard
- 3 pound boneless beef short ribs, cut
- into 2" pieces
- Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus more
- 1 10-ounce package frozen pearl onions,
- thawed
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 6 sprigs thyme, plus 2 tablespoons
- chopped thyme
- Flaky sea salt (such as Maldon)
- Heavy cream (for brushing)
- 1. Pulse flour and salt in a food processor; add butter and
- shortening and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with a few pea-size
- pieces of butter remaining. Transfer flour mixture to a large bowl and drizzle
with 1/2 cup ice water. Mix with a fork until dough just comes together.
2. Knead dough lightly, adding more water by the tablespoonful if
needed, until no dry spots remain (dough will be slightly shaggy but moist).
Form into a disk and wrap tightly in plastic. Chill until firm, at least 2
hours.
Make the filling and assemble the pies.
1. Season short ribs with kosher salt and pepper; toss with 1/2 cup
flour on a rimmed baking sheet. Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high
heat and, working in batches, shake excess flour from ribs and cook, turning
occasionally, until deeply browned, 8–10 minutes per batch. Using a slotted
spoon, transfer to a large bowl.
2. Add onions to same pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until
golden brown; season with kosher salt and pepper and, using a slotted spoon,
transfer to a small bowl.
3. Put the mushrooms in the same pot and cook until they release some of their moisture and take on a golden color.
4. Reduce heat to medium, add garlic to pot, and cook,
stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring often, until slightly
darkened in color, 5–8 minutes. Add wine, rosemary, and thyme sprigs, bring to
a boil, and cook, scraping up browned bits, until liquid is reduced by half,
8–10 minutes. Add 6 cups water to pot and bring to a boil.
4. Return short ribs to pot; season with kosher salt and pepper.
Reduce heat and simmer gently, uncovered, until short ribs are almost falling
apart and liquid is thick enough to lightly coat a spoon, 2 1/2–3 hours.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Add onions and chopped thyme to pot and stir to break up short
ribs; season filling with kosher salt and pepper. Remove herb sprigs.
5. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/8"
thick. Transfer filling to 8 individual casseroles as I did, or to a shallow
2-quart baking dish. Place pasty over filling and trim, leaving overhang. Tuck
edges under and crimp. Cut a few slits in crust. Brush with cream and sprinkle
with sea salt. Place dish or dishes on a rimmed baking sheet and bake pot pie
until filling is bubbling and crust is golden brown, 50–60 minutes (35–40
minutes for smaller dishes).
5. Let sit 5–10 minutes before serving.