Mini Guinness Pies

(Makes 6 mini pies)

I really enjoy chicken pot pies and beef pot pies in the colder months, but with a full double pie crust you end up with a lot of crust that I find don't add a whole lot to the dish. I also really enjoy Guinness stew, so I combined the two concepts together.

Ingredients:
2 to 3 cloves garlic
1 stalk celery
1 medium carrot
1/2 medium red onion
2 ounces mushrooms
1 small potato
1 lb stew meat
2 tablespoons corn starch
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup Guinness (or other stout beer)
1 cup beef stock
1 pie crust

1. Mise en Place
   French for "put in place," mise en place is the discipline of getting all of your ingredients ready before you start cooking. It's especially important for dishes like stir-fry, where you'll be doing most of the cooking all at once. For dishes where you have to wait while something cooks before you can start on the next step, you can go with a more "prep as you go" style.


• Dice the celery
  Cut the celery lengthwise into 1/4 inch strips, then dice into small cubes.



• Dice the carrot
  Cut the carrot in quarters lengthwise, then dice into small cubes.



• Dice the onion
  Slice the onion in half. Slice off the tip and peel down to the first full ring, but leave the roots on.
  
  
  
  Place the onion with the cut side down on the cutting board, place your off hand on top of the onion with your fingers curled up, then carefully cut horizontal slices until you almost slice through.
  
  
  
  Make a series of vertical slices so that you have a cris-cross pattern, and then slice perpendicular to the first two sets of slices.
  
  
  
  
  Cutting the onion in this way helps you to dice it into smaller pieces and can help to save time once you have the hang of the technique.


• Dice the mushrooms
  Slice the mushrooms (mine came pre-sliced), and then chop into small pieces.



• Dice the potato
  Cut the potato into 1/4 inch cubes.



• Dredge the meat
  Pat the meat dry with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture. Put the corn starch in a bag (paper luch bags work better, but I used plastic because I didn't have any paper available). Add the meat and shake the bag to coat it with the corn starch.



2. Brown the meat
   Stew meat should come pre-cut, but if your meat did not, first cut it into 1-inch cubes. Heat the pan over medium heat. Add 1/2 tablespoon oil to a stock pan and cook the stew meat until brown on one side (about 5 minutes), then turn and brown on the opposite side (about 3 additional minutes). They do not need to cook all the way through; you just want to cook the starch and seal in the juices. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside.




3. Cook the veggies
   Heat the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil to the pan (still over medium heat) and add the garlic. Cook the garlic for about 1 minute, then add the celery, carrot, onion, and mushroom. Cook for about 3 to 5 minutes, until softened.



4. Cook the stew
   Return the beef to the pan and add the potato, Guinness, and beef stock. Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to scrape any browned beef bits from the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. Check the broth to see if it is thick enough for your preferences. If it is not thick enough, put some corn starch in a bowl and add a small amount of ice water. Stir until smooth and then add to your pot. Give it about 5 minutes for the starch to cook and thicken up the broth and then check the thickness again. Starch dissolves in cold water, but clumps up in hot water, so it's important to mix it with the cold water first to ensure you don't get any clumps.



5. Bake the Pies
   Preheat the oven to 375°F. Roll out the pie crust and use a ramekin to cut out circles.
   
   
   
   Spoon the stew into ramekins and cover with the dough circles, then cut small vents into the top. Place the ramekins on a sheet pan and bake for about 30 minutes, until the crust is golden brown.