The surprise ingredient Gordon Ramsay adds to New Year’s steak pie recipe to make it extra tasty
JUST as turkey is linked to Christmas, the humble steak pie is a huge New Year's Day tradition.
After boozy celebrations for Hogmanay, there is no better treat than piping pastry and meat to cure the hangover.
And there's always plenty to go around if you have friends or family visiting on January 1.
But there’s a little-known reason as to why the pastry dish is so popular across Scotland on New Year's Day.
Bruce McColl, of the Scottish Craft Butchers Association, told the : “One theory holds that steak pie became the national dish at New Years because January 1 wasn’t generally taken as a holiday so families were too busy to cook.
“They would buy steak pies to feed their families instead, this continues to this day as people want a delicious meal after the previous night’s celebrations.
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“So it was essentially one of the first ready meals.”
He added: “The other train of thought is that people would have it as their main meal on Hogmanay before they started to drink.
“It’s a good meal to be made in advance so in the West of Scotland a lot of people have it as their main meal before the bells.
“It is [also] a big meal so you can keep warm and serve to visitors throughout the day, as people come to the house.”
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And if you're making your own steak pie this year instead of picking one up at the supermarket or butchers, there's a surprise ingredient you will want to add to make it extra tasty.
Gordon Ramsay is a fan of adding the kitchen cupboard staple to his recipe, and it looks like he's not alone.
It emerged a yummy favourite after one person took to Mumsnet to say: "Hello.. made a steak pie last night as a tester. Added some Guiness. DH [dearest husband] said it was quite nice but needed something extra to be amazing.
"What might that extra be?! Would red wine be better than Guiness?
"I added tomato purée to the steak as well as a beef stock cube crumbled straight in. I also added some onions."
Food lovers immediately jumped in with the same suggestion, as one wrote: "A splash of worcester sauce."
A second echoed: "A big slug of Worcester sauce."
Meanwhile, a third simply chimed in: "Worcestershire sauce."
And a fourth added: "As previous posters have said, add a decent glug of Worcester sauce."
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Delighted with the suggestion, the original poster later replied: "Great idea. And I actually have some."
The original Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce will set you back around £1.70 in most supermarkets, but the likes of Tesco and Sainsbury's also offer an own-brand version for £1.30.
Gordon Ramsay's Steak Pie Recipe
Ingredients:
- 2lbs brasing steak, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons plain flour
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 cups beef stock
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 sheet of puff pastry
- 1 egg, beaten
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Heat olive oil in a large oven-safe pot over medium-high heat. Add beef cubes and cook until browned, about 5-7 minutes.
Remove beef and set aside. Add onion, carrots, celery, and garlic to the pot and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
Sprinkle flour over vegetables and stir. Cook for 1-2 minutes until flour is lightly browned.
Add tomato paste, beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Return beef to the pot and stir.
Bring mixture to a simmer, cover pot, and transfer to oven. Cook for 2 hours until beef is tender.
Remove pot from oven and increase temperature to 400°F. Roll out puff pastry and cut to fit over the pot.
Brush beaten egg over the edges of the pot. Lay puff pastry over the top, pressing edges down to seal. Brush top with beaten egg.
Return pot to oven and cook for 20-30 minutes until puff pastry is golden brown and crispy. Serve hot.