Beef Porcini Pot Pies

By tulawdog

Ingredients

• crust
• double the crust recipe if you want a bottom and top crust
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsps kosher salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening or beef lard
• 1/2 cup ice water
• beef porcini filling
• 2 oz. (1 cup) dried porcini mushrooms
• 3 cups boiling water
• 2 medium yellow onions, diced
• 4 medium yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 4 tbsps olive oil
• kosher salt
• pepper, freshly ground
• 2.5 lbs. boneless beef short ribs, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus more
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsps tomato paste
• 2 cups dry red wine
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 cups lima beans, frozen (optional, but I really like them)
• 2 tbsps fresh thyme, chopped
• flaky sea salt
• heavy cream, for brushing

Preparation

Step 1

Make the pie crust dough: For a double crust (crust on bottom and top of pie), double the recipe. Pulse the flour and salt together in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse the butter and shortening (or lard) into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs with some tiny pea-sized pieces. Empty the contents into a large bowl and sprinkle the ice water over it while tossing with a fork. Lightly knead the dough, pressing it together to form a cohesive ball. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Make the filling: Preheat oven to 425°F. Soak the dried porcini in a bowl with 3 cups of boiling water. Cover the bowl with a plate and let sit for 30 minutes. Strain the mushroom liquid through a fine mesh sieve and reserve the liquid (you should have about 2 cups). Rinse the porcini of any debris and coarsely chop the mushrooms. Set aside. Toss the diced onions, diced potatoes, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and salt and pepper together until evenly coated. Place the vegetables in a large roasting or baking pan and roast for 40 minutes, stirring them every 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

Season the beef short rib pieces with salt and pepper, then coat in 1/2 cup of flour. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium-high flame in a large stock pot or pressure cooker (whichever you plan to cook the beef in) and brown the beef on each side (about 8-10 minutes). Do this in batches if necessary. Remove the beef from the pot to a bowl. Reduce the heat to medium and add a tablespoon of olive oil if necessary (but hopefully you have some oil remaining in the pot) and sauté the garlic for a minute until fragrant. Add the tomato paste and stir until darkened (took me about 3 minutes). Add the wine, rosemary, and thyme sprigs. Bring everything to a boil, scraping brown bits until the liquid is reduced by half. Add the porcini, beef, 2 cups of porcini liquid.

If using a pressure cooker, add another cup of water and pressure cook on high setting for 40 minutes (over a medium-high flame) and then natural release (if the liquid is too watery, just simmer uncovered until the liquid reduces and thickens). If cooking conventionally, simmer the filling uncovered for 2 1/2 to 3 hours (add more water if necessary) until the liquid is thick enough to coat a spoon. Remove the herb sprigs from the beef. Shred the beef with two forks (it should be tender enough that this is easy to do). Add the roasted potatoes and onions, lima beans (optional), and the chopped thyme.

Assemble the pot pies (or pie): Preheat oven to 375°F. Roll the pie dough out to 1/8-inch thickness. If making a double-crust pie or pies, layer the bottom of your pie or baking dish with a single layer of pie dough, pressing it against the sides and having 1/4 to 1/2 inches of overhang. Cut away any excess dough and re-use it if necessary. For both double-crust and single-crust pies, fill the vessels with beef filling until the filling is even with the lip of the dish. Cover the dish(es) with a layer of pie dough that has 1/4 to 1/2 inches of overhang. Crimp the edges of the two layers of dough together if making a double-crust pie, or tuck under and crimp the edges if making a single-crust pie. Brush the top with cream and sprinkle salt over the top. Cut steam vent slits into the top of each crust (an X should work). Set the dish(es) on a foiled-lined rimmed baking sheet to catch any drips. Bake 35-40 minutes for small pies (6-inch) or 50-60 minutes for large pies. Makes six 6-inch pies or one 3-quart baking dish “pie”.