Fall apart, ultra tender chunks of beef, bursts of fresh mushroom smothered in the most incredible gravy and topped with flaky, golden puff pastry. My friends, this is not just another beef pie. This is an EPIC Chunky Beef and Mushroom Pie with a little secret ingredient that takes this to the next level!
This is the sort of food that makes me do the happy dance. Literally. I took a massive spoonful and was jumping up and down with glee. It was everything I had hoped it would be, and more.
Non foodies will find it hard to understand the elation you feel when you make something that is this good. I mean, gravy even in its most basic form (and anything you smother in gravy) is fantastic.
But with this Chunky Beef and Mushroom Pie, with just one bite, you know it’s a step up from the usual pie. You may not be able to put your finger on it, but you know there’s something different about it – just better.
This is the secret ingredient – Dried Porcini Mushrooms. Just a tiny amount adds a punch of savouriness and earthiness – in posh foodie language, it adds umami.
Gourmet ingredient? Yes. But:
a) you don’t need much, just 20g/0.7 oz and the soaking liquid forms part of the braising liquid; and
b) ALDI SPECIAL BUY *** ALDI SPECIAL BUY *** ALDI SPECIAL BUY!!!!
About 5 years ago, back when I was in corporate, a group of my colleagues were talking animatedly about the ALDI Special Buys for that week (which, from memory, was ski gear at insanely good prices). There they were, a group of professionals, all dressed up in suits and heels and I couldn’t believe that they were so excited about it that they lined up at ALDI just to get the deal!!
What the????
I had clearly missed the ALDI train. I am now a firm regular on the ALDI train.
Nowadays, whenever one of my foodie friends come across an awesome ALDI deal, we send out a group text. “OMG!!! Luv-a-Duck only $12!!!” “I found lobster tails at ALDI. LOBSTER TAILS!!!!!” “Bargain Bonds at ALDI, OMG, I got stacks!!” (OK, the last one is not food, but yes it has happened. Or maybe it was Calvin Klein, I can’t remember.)
(And yes, there are always lots of caps and exclamation marks).
And this weeks’ ALDI Special Buys including things that are right up my alley – GOURMET COOKING INGREDIENTS! Truffles, gold leaf gelatine, Dutch Cocoa (bakers, take note!), and one of my favourite secret ingredients: dried porcini mushrooms. <3
Dried Porcini Mushrooms are like a secret weapon stock. And I used it to make this Chunky Beef and Mushroom Pie because it makes the most incredible gravy sauce ever.
Topped with some flaky, golden puff pastry (yes, I know it looks crazy yellow but that’s how it comes out if you brush with egg yolk)……and that moment when you break through that pastry to reveal the tender, fall apart beef and the smell of that savoury extra-tasty-gravy….
Well, let’s just say you should prepare to swoon.
Or do as I did. Do a happy dance! – Nagi xx
MORE COSY PIES
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Cottage Pie (beef)
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Shepherd’s Pie (lamb – because Shepherd’s herd sheep!)
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Browse all cosy Winter Warmers
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Epic Chunky Beef and Mushroom Pie
Ingredients
- 20 g / 0.7 oz dried porcini mushrooms (slices, whole or chopped) (Note 1)
- 1 ¼ cups / 312 ml boiled water
- 1 kg / 2 lb chuck beef , cut into 2.5cm/1” cubes (Note 2)
- 1 - 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 onion , finely chopped
- 1 celery , finely chopped
- 1 carrot , finely chopped
- 3 carrots , halved lengthwise then cut into 1.5cm/ 3/5” chunks
- 1/3 cup flour (any)
- 300 ml / 10 oz dark ale (or substitute with red wine, Guinness or more beef stock)
- 2 cups / 500 ml beef stock
- 3 sprigs thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme leaves
- 2 bay leaves , fresh or dried
- 200 g / 7 oz bacon , diced
- 300 - 400g / 10 – 13 oz Swiss brown mushrooms , larger ones halved
- 1 – 2 sheets puff pastry (enough to cover pie)
- 1 egg yolk
Instructions
- Place porcini in a bowl and add hot water. Leave to soak for at least 30 minutes. Strain mushrooms and reserve soaking liquid. Roughly chop porcini.
- Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper.
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large heavy based pot. Add half the beef and brown all over, then remove and repeat with remaining beef. Set beef aside.
- Turn stove down to medium low. If the pot is looking dry, add more oil. Add onion and garlic, cook for 2 minutes. Add finely chopped carrots and celery, cook for 6 minutes or until softened and sweet (taste test!). Add carrot chunks and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add flour and stir through.
- Add ale, beef stock, and stir to dissolve the flour.
- Add thyme, bay leaves, porcini, reserved porcini soaking liquid (don’t tip in gritty bits settled at bottom) and cooked beef. Turn heat up slightly, mix, bring to simmer, then cover. Adjust heat so it is simmering gently, not energetically.
- Cook for 1 hr 45 minutes or until beef is tender. (See video)
- Meanwhile, cook bacon in a skillet over high heat until golden. Remove and reserve bacon drippings in pan. Add mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes until golden all over. Return bacon into skillet, toss to coat mushrooms, then stir through stew.
- Simmer stew, uncovered, for 15 minutes until mushrooms are tender. Then remove from stove and cool.
To cook:
- Preheat oven to 200C/390F.
- Pour stew into a pie dish, even out surface. Pictured pie dish is 24 x 20 x 4.5 cm / 10 x 8 x 1.8" (1.5L / 1.5 Qt) - see Notes for more conversions.
- Top with puff pastry (if too big, just fold the ends in), brush with egg yolk. Cut a few slits in the surface then bake for 30 – 35 minutes until deep golden and the filling is piping hot in the middle (stick a knife in to check).
- Rest for 5 minutes before serving!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Today’s recipe is brought to you courtesy of ALDI Australia! Made using Dried Porcini Mushrooms which are one of many gourmet cooking ingredients that will be available as part of this weeks’ ALDI Special Buys which are available from today, Wednesday 28 June 2017, until sold out. Hurry! 😉
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
EPIC Chunky Beef and Mushroom Pie recipe video!
LIFE OF DOZER
Always happy. Playing. Sleeping. Or eating. i.e. Always happy.
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Loved this! Thank you so much! I love making beef and veg pies. …….AND I too am a late converted ALDI tragic also! I dare not go there off the cuff coz I know there will be a hit to the credit card. But I must must must recommend their Potato Gratins! Comes in a pack of four and are so delicious. My sister, who frequents her local Aldi in Sydney, put me on to them and they have impressed many people when I cook them! They also come with spinach and ricotta but I like the original best I think.
SO GLAD YOU LOVE THIS Evelyn!! And thanks for the tips! N xx
Porcini mushrooms are back at Aldi! Get on it everyone. Also Nagi are there any other recipes that you use the mushrooms for?
Thank you so much for sharing this great comfort food recipe. I often feed many hardworking men and find the most appriceated food is big hearty dishes like this. Great dish also because I can precook, freeze and never be caught short on a busy day. It’s a great belly warmer . The nearest aldi to me here in central qld is 8 hrs drive away in brisbane so I’ve used powered porcini mushroom salt that my daughter made last Xmas as a “from the heart gift”. Many thanks again Nagi. Happy cooking.Australia+61
I love hearing that Vicki! Sounds like you’re in country QLD feeding men who work on the land? 🙂 LOVE THAT! N x
I have been hooked on your recipes, they are all so good. I just made this last night and it is now one of my favorites, it was a hit with my whole family. What an amazing, rich flavour. Thank you so much.
I’ve started following your recipes lately and everything is incredible! I want to try to make this tomorrow. One question, if I used turkey bacon would it give the same edge as the bacon does or would it just be better to skip out the bacon step all together ?
Thanks for the compliment Tooba! Turkey bacon isn’t quite the same but it’s better than skipping it so please use it! N xx
Unfortunately Aldis in the USA don’t have the same sale 🙁 so I skipped the porcinis and added some mushroom bouillon instead. Really, really good. Thanks so much for the recipe
WHOOT! So great to hear that Greg, thanks for letting me know! N x ❤️
Hi Nagi, made this one without porcini mushroom and it was still epic! Thanks for another great recipe!
WHOOT! So glad you enjoyed it Kat! N xx
Nagi, As the title says: EPIC! Made it at my daughter’s place because she is doing some renovations and had helpers there. Tantalised their taste buds while it was cooking, and of course it tasted awesome, particularly with a glass of red!! Thanks for your great recipes, I am enjoying receiving them into my Inbox. Going to try your sponge cake tomorrow for a family get-together. Anita
I’m so happy you enjoyed this Anita! Thank you for letting me know – N x ❤️ PS Hope you LOVE the sponge cake!!!
Hi Nagi,
My husband & I was so impressed with this pie 4 nights ago. Am making it again tonight!
Is porcini mushroom always available throughout the year?
Thanks for the great review Bonnie! I’m SO pleased to hear you enjoyed it! And yes dried porcini mushrooms are available all year round at other stores but at Aldi they were just a special buy unfortunately 🙁 N xx
Hi Nagi,
Great recipe! I was hoping that Aldi here in a he states held the same treasures as Australia, but alas no gourmet items :(. I will say the trip was a pleasant surprise as I have not been in an Aldi for years.
I made the recipe for brunch today and the entire family was swooning! I made the filling last night to allow the flavors to marry…..and I highly recommend this for a enhanced flavor profile (if you can keep your husband and his soup spoon out of the pot)! I also used black truffle infused olive oil to sauté the holy trinity (onions, celery & carrots) to amp up the mushroom flavor. Love this recipe and will make this again for sure. Cheers!
I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed this Sharon! Thanks so much for letting me know. Sorry to hear that your Aldi didn’t stock the mushrooms, hope they hit your stores soon! 🙂 N x PS Super impressed you made this even though it’s SUMMER over there!
Pubxic had the dried mushrooms (Porcini, & Chanterelle). I had more photo’s but the Pinterest format didn’t allow it 😢. Thanks again for the recipe! You
Amazing! Thanks for another great recipe Nagi. I’ve missed a good meat pie here in NL. Enjoyed getting back to my aussie roots with this one!
WHOOT! That’s so terrific to hear Sarahanne, thanks for letting me know! N xx
Cooked it tonight Nagi and there is only one word ……EPIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes yes YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 😂
Can you use shitaki mushrooms? Not sure if they sell these at woolworths or coles (gold coast, oz). Can you still buy them at aldi? Also what’s better the ale or a red wine?
HI Tara! Shitaki is 100% amazing in this, in fact if you use dried shitaaki you can skip the porcini because it has a similar earthy flavour. I prefer ale in this but red wine is honestly really just as terrific, it’s just a matter of what I have on hand 🙂 N x
My husband will love this. Thanks for the Aldi info, didn’t know they had gourmet foods on special this week, got in there today and scored dried porcini at half the price I usually pay, even treated us to truffles. Cheers Nagi.
WHOOT! So glad you managed to get some, sold out at my local!
Nagi, I was very happy to hear that Perth has Aldi. And right in the neighbourhood we’re about to move to! In the UK Aldi was our nearest supermarket so I’m used to the bargains.
The pie is making me mega hungry. We haven’t really eaten great since we arrived!
Do you find Aldi different here? Curious!
Hi Nagi
Your blog had me running off to Aldi (Q Super centre, Gold Coast) first thing yesterday morning. I had walked through an Aldi once before but didn’t think much of it. I opened my eyes yesterday and couldn’t believe what I found! I know you said that I could find everything to make this dish there… and I did: even the 28cm enamel baking dish for $8! I had planned to use a regular casserole dish but having that little ledge to lay the pastry on…that’s gold! Mine stuck a bit, perhaps I should have greased it first?
I’m a huge fan of my pressure cooker (Breville FAST SLOW COOKER) so I tweaked your recipe just a little. After getting the porcini soaking (only $3.99 at Aldi!) I started cooking with Step 9 using the SEAR setting. Apart from not needing to dirty another pan, the residual flavour went into the dish. I used the SEAR setting through til Step 7. Step 4 did not take as much time as noted in your recipe. (If I thought it was getting too hot, I would just switch the setting over to WARM). I cooked the beef (I bought gravy beef) on HIGH PRESSURE for 25 minutes. Then I used the WARM setting for the remainder of the recipe. If you need to evaporate more liquid, I would switch it over to the SEAR setting for a bit.
My husband was still raving about this dish this morning. So much for leftovers… we all loved it so much we overate!
Thank you!
BA HA HA!!! Isn’t it an eye opener?? Until my colleagues told me about it, I had never been. Now I’m a regular!!! And guess what – I USE THE BREVI
LLE TOO!!! You wouldn’t believe the number of comments I get on videos where I use it where people say “that’s not a slow cooker, it’s a pressure cooked” and I have to explain. 🙂 I always write my recipes starting on the stove then finishing in the slow cooker because most people don’t have the awesome sear function. I’m so so pleased you enjoyed this Chris, thank you for letting me know! PS My pastry got a bit stuck to the ledge too but it didn’t bother me because it’s only a bit but yes you could grease it 🙂
What would substitute for Swiss Brown mushrooms? I seriously doubt we could find those here on island, and I know we don’t have anything like an Aldi store here. Perhaps those are found on Oahu, but not in the very rural area of the far less populated island I live on – Big Island. Thanks! and thanks for all your yummy recipes.
Hi Merrily. Have you tried the Hamakua Heritage Farm in Laupahoehoe? They have stopped the tours but might still have a store or can let you know where to buy their produce. I think Crimini mushrooms are what we call Swiss Browns in Australia. They might be easier to find on the Big Island?
Hi Merrily! Any mushrooms will be fine, if you can’t find mushrooms, then add chunky vegetables of your choice – like potato, more carrots. zucchini, or baby onions. Just bear in mind the cook time – carrots and onions can handle the slow cooking time, potatoes and zucchini would get too mushy so add them towards the end etc. 🙂
Good one Nagi! You have bit me to shout Aldi this week!! Bought all yumiiii vinegars, dark cherry, plum, pomegraniteand salt mill with roses, calendula, at last garlic inOIL, olive oil the lot. Am going today to get fresh pork hock will cook in Apple cider with whole apple in heavy cast iron pan with good lid, but first need to on stove cook in cold water ONLY05 min discard water rins meat and pot and than cider, rest and in oven for two hours, or until falls apart. Beautiful spicy salad cauliflower, celery, zucchini good dressing and if you are in mood to make flat bread. Cheers!! Here’s to you and Aldi!!
BA HA HA!!! You’re like ME! I’m going there this afternoon to stock up on more goodies. The truffle is INCREDIBLE value!!
Amazing Gurl….
High praise! N xx
Hi Nagi, this looks tasty, can you make it the day before and reheat the following day?
Yes yes yes! I’ve added storage instructions in the notes 🙂 N xx
Hi Nagi, I was wondering if it would be OK to substitute dried porcini mushrooms with dried shiitake mushrooms or would the flavour be altered too much . Love ALL your recipes cheers Jennifer
Hi Jennifer, that would be terrific! The flavour of the shiitake mushroom soaking liquid is not as strong so it will reduce that extra “something something” porcini gives it but it will still have an edge 🙂 One tip would be to reduce the soaking liquid to intensify the flavour i.e. 2 cups soaking liquid reduced to 1 cup which is how much is used with porcini 🙂 N xx