Beef & Mushroom - Pot Pie / Puff

I was looking for a pot pie recipe and came across one that I thought is simple and yet tasty. It sure was! My only regret; I should have made more! 

The taste was somewhat familiar; something that we had eaten in Singapore but can't remember where / the name of the bakery. Yes, it has been too long....hahaha.

Anyway, I am so glad for the frozen puff pastry that can easily be bought here, in The Netherlands. Ohhh....did you know? Sometime before 2000 BC, a recipe for chicken pie was written on a tablet in Sumer. Ancient Greeks are believed to have originated pie pastry.

Now, back to the recipe:

* The traditional beef and mushroom combo infused with rosemary and garlic. 

 - 700g beef, cut into 1cm pieces 
- 2 tbs plain flour
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 250g mushrooms, cut into 4 (depending on the size of the mushrooms that you have.)
- 1 onion, coarsely chopped, 2 cloves garlic crushed (I blended them using the dry blender.)
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 beef cube stock, 370ml water
- 2 tbs tomato paste (I used tomato sauce/ketchup)
- 1 egg, slightly beaten
- puff pastry

Method:

1) Place the cut beef in a large bowl. Add the flour, salt and pepper. Then mix them evenly. Heat half the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add half of the beef and cook till brown. Repeat with the remaining oil and beef.
2) Add the mushroom, onion, garlic and rosemary to the pan and cook till the onion softens. Add the beef, water, stock, tomato sauce and simmer. Reduce heat. Cook (covered) for an hour.
3) Add salt and pepper to taste. After it is done, set aside for an hour to cool. Then, transfer to a container and cover it. Place in the fridge for about 2 hours to cool completely.

** Note: For pot pie, the sauce would be slightly watery, not as thick for the puff.

4) Preheat the oven (follow the instructions on the package of the frozen puff pastry). After filling the puff pastry, seal it with water and then brush the pies with the egg. For pot tie, fill about half of the bowl with the fillings. Then cover it with the puff pastry. You may want to brush it with eggs to seal it.

** Don't let the frozen puff pastry to thaw completely. When it's just thawed, work quickly or you may stretch it, making it too thin and prevent it from puffing. 

Pot Pie is a type of meat pie with a top crust, generally made of flaky pastry.