For the recipe, you will need the following ingredients: about 700g of shortrib beef meant for stewing, 100g diced lamb kidneys, 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, 1 onion (sliced), 2 garlic cloves (sliced), 2 medium-sized carrots (peeled and sliced), 250g small button mushrooms, 2 sprigs of rosemary (and additional for garnishing), 3-4 sprigs of thyme (plus some for garnishing), 250ml of red wine, 500ml of beef stock, 1 tablespoon of tomato paste, 50g each of flour and butter, butter to line the dish, a block of shortcrust pastry, flour for dusting, and 1 egg yolk.
To start, preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius. Cut the beef short-rib into small bits. Pour vegetable oil into a heated casserole pot and add in the beef. Cook this for 3 minutes until brown. Remove the cooked beef and place it on a plate. Return the pot to the heat and add onions, carrots, garlic, and button mushrooms. Cook these for 3 minutes until they start to brown. Next, return the beef into the pot, add in butter, flour and mix thoroughly.
After cooking for 2 minutes, add in the red wine, beef stock, tomato paste, thyme leaves, and sprigs of rosemary. Make sure to scrupulously scrape up any particles from the bottom of the pot and stir well. Add salt and pepper for taste and bring the mixture to a boil. Cover the casserole pot with a lid and place it into the preheated oven. Let it cook at 150 degrees Celsius for 3 hours before taking it out to cool.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven again, but this time to 180 degrees Celsius. Apply some butter to line a 20cm wide by 6cm deep pie dish. Roll out the shortcrust pastry until it’s around 2-3mm thick and cut a piece that’s slightly larger than your dish. Gently press it into the dish, making sure it reaches into the corners and leaves a bit hanging over the edge. Put this into the refrigerator for about 10 minutes. This will help it hold its shape before baking.
Extract the prepared pastry from the refrigerator and laden it with the pre-cooled beef mixture. Apply a layer of egg yolk to the pastry’s perimeters. Use a rolling pin to flatten the leftover pastry and place it over the pie, applying pressure to bind the pastry together and secure the pie’s contents. Use a non-sharp knife to neatly trim any overhanging pastry. Feel free to embellish the pie’s surface with pastry scraps, and lightly brush the top with the egg yolk. Cook the pie in the oven, set at 180 degrees, for a duration of 40 to 45 minutes or until it achieves a rich, golden brown colour.
Upon completion, allow the pie to settle at room temperature for a short period of around five minutes. Afterwards, gently dislodge it from the pie dish prior to serving.