Steak and Ale Pie - Another English Gift

Meat pies are the staples of English pub cuisine.  Well, I guess you have to add fish & chips to make it a full menu.

The most common English meat pie, Shepherd’s Pie I’ve already written about, given you a recipe, and done every bloody thing I can do for you besides strolling into your kitchen and slaving over your stove.

http://stroudallover.blogspot.de/2012/07/english-cuisine-is-underrated-shepards.html

So, have you plucked up some courage and made that one yet?  You have?  Well, I take back all I said and Bravo! for you. Still basking in the glow of success and well wishes?  I thought so.

Now I’ve got another savory treat and one I often lust for, especially when I’m nesting in an English pub, with a pint of Real Ale in hand.

Steak and Ale Pie, or steak and ale pudding, if you prefer, is a rich concoction that’ll make you put down that pint of ale and unsheathe your trusty spoon.  For fighter pilots salivating over this, just remember I said ‘trusty spoon’ not ‘rusty spoon.’

Onward…I have to give a nod to The Hairy Bikers, from Lovefood.  I used their recipe, but not exactly.  Do you ever follow a recipe without making some twists and turns?  I don’t.  Can’t be helped.  You’re out of this, or can’t find that, or just think your way might better satisfy the hungry masses.

In this case, my son and I concocted and cooked together.  And, I don’t mean I just asked him to stir now and then.  Nope.  We truly cooked this dish together.  Just wanted to get that straight in case you think I easily step aside to reward somebody else with the credit. When it comes to cooking, relatives get no special breaks. He cooked.

So, now that I’ve wasted time with nods and kudos here and there, let’s get to the heart of a dish that will thrill and delight even the pickiest eaters, with the most ungrateful attitudes.  You know of whom I speak.  Our so-called loved ones.

Steak and Ale Pie  (start early – taking 2 hours to cook, not counting another hour or two of prep and pre-cooking)

Puff Pastry, I used a package of Pepperidge Farms.   Very good and puff pastry is a bitch to make.

5 Tablespoons sunflower oil

8 oz bacon, chopped or cut into thin strips

2 Onions, diced

5 Cloves garlic, diced

2 lbs of rump roast, fat removed and cut into 1 inch cubes (2 lbs after fat removal. A little more meat won’t hurt.)

A quart of ale. (I used a dark, German variety)

A pint of beef stock. (I used two heaping tablespoons of Bovril English beef extract, dissolved in a pint of warm water.)  For my money, Bovril is the richest of beef extracts and you want this beef stock to be almost black with richness.

1 Heaping Tablespoon tomato paste

4 Sprigs of thyme, leaves stripped from the stalks

3 Heaping Tablespoons cornstarch, blended with enough cold water to make it very creamy

½ Pound mushrooms, quartered

2 Tablespoons butter

1 Egg, scrambled (for painting the crust before baking)

Salt and Pepper to taste….when it tastes almost right, add a little more pepper.

We used three cooking pots:  A 12 inch cast iron skillet, a 12 inch round enamel casserole pan with a lid, an 8 by 13 inch glass-oven-proof casserole dish.

1.     Heat one tablespoon of oil in the skillet, then add the bacon.  Before the bacon starts to crisp, add the onions and garlic and cook until the onions are golden.  Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon-onion-garlic mixture to the 12 inch round casserole pan.

2.     Heat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC)

3.     Cook the steak in the skillet (small batches work best) until well browned. Add oil as necessary and transferred each batch of cooked meat to the round casserole pan.

4.     Deglaze the skillet with half the ale, scraping up the bits from the bottom.  Pour this over the beef/onion/bacon in the round casserole pan.

5.     Add the remaining ale, tomato paste, stock, and herbs to the casserole pan. Return to the stovetop and bring everything to a boil.  Put on the lid and slide it in the pre-heated oven for an hour and a half.

6.     Remove the casserole pan from the oven, put it on the stovetop, add the cornstarch mixture and stir until thickened.  Set it aside to cool a bit.

7.     Turn the oven up to 400ºF (200ºC)

8.     Heat 2 Tablespoons of butter in the skillet and add the mushrooms.  Cook until golden. Add them to the meat mixture.

9.     Pour the meat mixture into the oven-proof-glass casserole dish.

10.  Roll out the puff pastry.

11.  Paint the edges of the glass casserole dish with egg (so that the pastry topping sticks to the edges of the dish).  Stretch the pastry over the meat mixture and use a knife to poke holes in it. (this allows steam to escape)

12.  Paint the pastry topping with the remaining egg and pop the casserole dish in the oven for another 30-35 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed and lightly brown.

If you’ve done things right, this pie will be so thick and rich that conversation will cease and in no time you’ll have some Olivers, bowls in hand, pleading pitifully, ”Please sir, may I have some more?”

I left out the steps about keeping the ale flowing while the Pie cooks.  A big red wine also works well. Your hungry guests may get testy if they’re left with time on their hands and beer on their minds.

You might consider putting out some Stilton and crackers, or perhaps some mild Gorgonzola. But, not too much.  This meal is filling by itself.

The Rockfish! Nothing Fishy About These Fish and Chips

The Rockfish.  A perfect place for fish and chips in the little, historic seaport town of Dartmouth.

It’s downtown, facing the Dart River, and about a stone’s throw away.  The blue front, with large white letters looks small, but opens up when you step through the door.  White and bright, like cresting waves on a blue sea.

http://www.therockfish.co.uk

The craving for fish and chips is second only to the deep and abiding need for beer and bouncing breasts.  I mean for some people, not you and me, of course.  To satisfy the need for F & C, we asked the locals.  Everyone pointed in the same direction.

We popped into The Rockfish.  Cheery place, with nautical décor.  Beer and wine line the walls, along with other, less interesting things.  The cod and chips were wonderful.  Crisp, flavorful.  And, the service was top of the line.

It’s one of those places you come to eat, but stay for another beer or two.  Comfortable and conversational. The waitresses glow with efficiency and charm.  I like it that the kitchen is open.  Being a curious cook myself, I wandered back and watched the process. 

What makes The Rockfish fish and chips different from anyone else’s?  Dip the fish in batter, fry ‘em!  If only it were that simple.  First, the fish must be FRESH.  The Rockfish’s motto is spot on!

Which begs the question:  How can you tell if the fish are fresh?  Your nose.  When you walk into a fish restaurant and smell a bit of brine, but nothing ‘fishy,’ you’ve come to the right spot.  If the smell blasts you like a right jab from Mike Tyson, turn around and quick-step out.

Next, the batter.  It should cover the fish and become one with the fish, but not replace the fish.  Sounds straight forward.  I like the batter as a thin, crispy addition, with a crunch that adds to the joy of biting into moist, white fish.  The Rockfish did not let me down.  Their fried fish is exactly as it should be. Crunchy on the outside, moist within. Tasty. Cheers!  Bravo! 

Next the chips, or fries, as we call them in the Colonies.  Not thin.  Not thick.  As crisp as the fish.  There’s a secret, which I’m certain you already know.  Chips must be fried twice.  The first dip into hot grease brings the moisture to the surface, the second frying adds the crispness. Quite nicely done, Rockfish!

Now, do you add some catsup?  Oh, lads and lassies, ye have immense gaps in your culinary knowledge.  Vinegar.  Adds a bit of bite.  Cuts the grease.  Permits your taste buds to relax and smile with joy and settles your stomach.

But, not just any kind of vinegar!  My favorite (and the English standard) is malt vinegar. Rockfish also gives you an unexpected choice of lemon vinegar.  Superb!

What is malt vinegar anyway?  Well, anything that ferments can be taken a little too far and you end up with vinegar, right?  You’re got red and white wine vinegars, apple vinegar, and dozens of others.  Malt vinegar is made by malting barley.  Ok, clever man, what-the-fruitcake is malting???  You take fresh barley grain, soak it in water, allow it to sprout, and dry it with hot air.  From there, you make ale and let time turn the ale to vinegar.

In England, at the fish and chips take-aways, they used to serve fish and chips wrapped in newspaper, the chips sticking up in stalks of golden splendor.  Millions of people ate their fish and chips with no ill effects.

Long past.  The government, like all governments, found a solution to a non-existent problem.  Bureaucrats with time on their hands and a steady flow of the silver coin decided that newspaper print is toxic.  Now-a-days paper used to wrap the fish at fish and chips stands is approved for use in a sterilized lab room for infectious diseases.  Ok, I added that last part.

There are also ‘fish labeling’ laws to contend with.  Restaurants can no longer simply state ‘fish and chips’ on the menu, but have to name the type of fish, cod, plaice, etc.  So far, the bureau-dolts have not required first names and birth certificates.

But, at The Rockfish, no worries.  No newspaper wrapping.  Order cod or plaice, or whatever (by name).   Sit back and sip a cool, local ale, or a nice glass of wine.  It’s going to take a bit of time.  Nothing they serve is pre-battered, or frozen, or pre-cooked.  It’s fish and chips as they should be.  Perfect! 

Finished eating? I think we have time for one more beer and perhaps some dessert.

Lemon Cheesecake!  Sweet and tart!  Super!!!

Write the name down:  Rockfish!

The Royal Castle Hotel: History and Mystery!

A grand old lady, her stark white walls and gold lettering gleaming in the sun, The Royal Castle Hotel, rests placidly by the waterside, overlooking the River Dart and a bay filled with boats and ships.  She has graced the historic harbor since the 17^th Century, or maybe before if you count previous inns that have occupied the space, including one Sir Francis Drake stayed in.

You remember Drake.  Elizabethan Admiral (a pirate in Spanish eyes), commander of the victorious British Fleet against the Spanish Armada, and circumnavigator of the globe.

We didn’t stay at the hotel, but even if you choose more modest accommodations, it’s essential to at least sit in the hotel’s Galleon Bar, sip a local DoomBar Ale, and wander around inside to see the grandeur of an old coach inn.  Modest in some ways, yet splendidly opulent in richly woven rugs, overstuffed seating, polished brass fittings, and weathered leather.

light ale on the left, cider in the middle, Doom Ale on the right

Lots of local frequent the Galleon Bar

The Galleon Bar, it’s said, features timbers gleaned from the wrecks of the Spanish Armada.  That was 1688, so the timing is right enough and the timbers do indeed look both ancient and notched from previous use.

In England, history never dies, it just lingers on, cut and polished, and applied to other purposes.  History this hotel has in quantity.  Mary and William stayed here after arriving from the Netherlands to claim the English throne.  Charles II and his female admirers also spent some time.  Edward VII (1841-1910), movie stars such as Cary Grant, and the author Agatha Christie are others of note.  The latter changed the name of the hotel to Royal George in her novel Ordeal by Innocence.

Charles II owns a special place in English history.  His father, Charles I lost a war and lost his head.  Charles II also lost a war, but after Oliver Cromwell’s death and the restoration of the monarchy, he mounted the throne.

In The Royal Castle, you not only have history served on a platter, but if you’re lucky, in the dark of the evening, you may even hear the whinny of horses or the cracking of a whip as a phantom stagecoach picks up equally phantom passengers by the front door.  Hey, you can’t call yourself a true English hotel without a ghost or two!

Didn’t stay in any of the 25 hotel rooms, but I hear they are individually decorated in sumptuous antiques, some featuring four posters and modernized by the addition of Jacuzzis.

Top of the stairs looking down on the sitting area.  Note the bells on the top left.

There’s a seafood restaurant on the ground floor and another dining room above that looks out over the harbor.  But, whether you stay or eat or both, do not miss the chance to trip up the winding staircase that looks down on a sitting area.  On the top floor is an old library featuring leather-bound volumes of hotel registers. 

On the wall above the sitting area, look for the 20 bells, in the long ago used by guests to call for assistance from the staff.

We camped in The Galleon bar for some time, ordering plowman’s lunches (cheese, salad, and bread), while we quaffed an ale or two and watched the locals.

The Royal Castle Hotel is a friendly, welcoming place.  You could stay awhile, soaking in the history of the weapons and nautical gear on the walls.  You may be sitting where royalty sat.  It’s a comfortable feeling and you may stay awhile.  We did.