by Paul Ainsworth from For the Love of Food (Pavilion Books)
Photography: Issy Croker
Growing up in a guest house, I remember my parents cooking for their customers every night of the week, and Dad would make this dish on Wednesdays. More recently, I brought it to life for the ‘budget eats’ round of Next Level Chef. It’s been elevated a little, but it’s still true to its heart of corned beef, potatoes, a stock cube, pastry and onions. Both the side dishes of pickled red cabbage and the walnut and raisin ketchup go brilliantly and make great gifts for Christmas, jarred up.
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 large white onion, sliced
1 large potato, peeled and cut into small chunks
2 garlic cloves, grated
3 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked and stalks reserved
1 x 340 g tin corned beef
600ml chicken stock
30g gravy granules (I use Bisto)
40g unsalted butter
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 sheet of ready-made all-butter puff pastry
2 egg yolks, beaten
Cornish sea salt
Cracked black pepper
For the pickled red cabbage
30ml water
100g caster sugar
100ml white wine vinegar
1 g mustard seeds
2 pinches of Cornish sea salt
30 ml extra virgin olive oil
1 small red cabbage (or ¼ big one)
1 red onion, thinly sliced
For the walnut and raisin ketchup
100g pickled walnuts (drained weight)
100g golden raisin purée
For the golden raisin purée
150 g golden raisins
400 ml warm water
30 ml brown sauce (I use HP)
Method
First, make the golden raisin purée. Put the raisins in a bowl, cover with the warm water and soak for 2 hours. Transfer the soaked raisins and water to a saucepan, bring to the boil and cook until all the water has evaporated, stirring occasionally. Transfer the raisins to a blender and blitz until smooth. Add the brown sauce to the purée and stir until fully mixed in. Keep warm until serving.
First, make the pickled red cabbage. Take a small saucepan and add the water, sugar, white wine vinegar, mustard seeds, Cornish sea salt and extra virgin olive oil, then bring to the boil. Place the cabbage and onions in a bowl and pour over the pickling liquid, then set aside to cool. This can be made at least 24 hours in advance and just gets better as time goes by. If stored in an airtight container or pickling jar in the fridge, it will keep for up to 2 weeks.
Preheat the oven to 175°C fan.
Now make the pie. My dad used to use a glass Pyrex-style bowl, but you can use a pie dish or ovenproof saucepan. Add the onion, potato, garlic, thyme leaves and corned beef and mix together gently so as not to break up the corned beef.
In a separate pan, bring the chicken stock to the boil with the thyme stalks.
Whisk in the gravy granules until thick, then whisk in the butter and take off the heat. Stir in the red wine vinegar, remove the thyme stalks and pour over the meat and potato mixture. While the stock is absorbing into the meat and potato filling, roll out the puff pastry into a lid to cover your chosen dish or pot. Make sure the pastry is sealed to the rim of your dish or pot, then brush with the egg yolk. You can be creative and cut leaves etc with any excess pastry. Bake for around 35 minutes, or until the pastry is crisp and a dark golden colour.
While the pie is cooking, make the walnut and raisin ketchup. Place the pickled walnuts and golden raisin purée in a blender and blitz until smooth.
Place the pie in the middle of the table with a dish of the pickled cabbage and serve the pie with a nice big dollop of the walnut ketchup on top. If you have any leftover ketchup, it will keep in an airtight container or jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Thank you for everything Dad.
Drinks tasted on air, alongside the dish.
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