Steak, Ale, and Mushroom Pot Pies make a hearty paleo dinner; you can serve the stew as-is or whip up the quick paleo crust to turn them into adorable little pot pies.
Ingredients
Stew Filling (makes about 4 cups):
1½ tablespoons clarified butter (ghee)
1 lb (450 g) stew beef (chuck works well), cut into ½-inch cubes
2 cups (475 ml) unsalted beef broth
2 cups (475 ml) ale
1 bay leaf
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
6 oz button mushrooms, chopped
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons tapioca starch dissolved in 2 tablespoons cold water
Pie Crust (makes enough for 1 9-inch round pie or 4 individual pies):
1 cup (120 g) almond flour
½ cup (60 g) tapioca starch
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and diced small
1 large egg yolk
2 tablespoons ice-cold water (or more or less as needed)
Other:
1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water, for eggwash
Instructions
For the stew, add the ghee to a 5-quart pot over high heat. Add the beef and cook until browned, about 4 minutes. Add the beef stock, ale, and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Cover the pot, turn the heat down, and simmer until the beef is tender, but not falling apart, about 1 hour. Add the onion, carrot, mushrooms, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and black pepper. Bring back up to a boil, and then turn the heat down to simmer and cook (covered) until the vegetables are softened, about 30 minutes. (You can add a splash more water or broth if necessary, but there should be just enough liquid to barely cover everything.) Stir in the tapioca and cook (uncovered) until thickened, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
For the crust, whisk together the almond flour, tapioca starch, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a fork until it looks like coarse meal (there should be some larger pieces). Use a fork to stir in the egg yolk, and then gradually enough water so it comes together as a dough. Roll the dough into a ball, flatten it into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill 15 minutes in the freezer.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375F. Divide the stew between 4 (6 to 8 oz) oven-safe ramekins, leaving about ¼ to ½-inch headspace at the top of each. Divide the dough into 4 pieces and roll each into a ball. You can roll each out between 2 sheets of parchment paper, or press them out with your hands on a piece of parchment paper. The diameter of each circle of dough should be about 1½ inches larger than the diameter of the top of your ramekins. Place one dough round on top of each ramekin and lightly brush the top of each with eggwash; poke a few holes in each so steam can escape. Bake the pies on a foil-lined baking sheet (they will probably bubble over a little, so that’s why I recommend foil-lined) until golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes.
Serve.
Notes
Make Ahead: Make the stew and keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days before making the pot pies.
Recipe by An Edible Mosaic™ at https://www.anediblemosaic.com/steak-ale-and-mushroom-pot-pies-paleo/