Grain-free Pie

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Grain-Free Beef and Liver Pie

Grain free pie.jpg

I love an occasional bit of stodge, but it can be difficult to achieve on a paleo diet. There's nothing quite like a good hot pie on a cold winters evening. Since following AIP pies have been something I've dreamt of, but never thought I could have again. We make a lot of cottage pie type dishes with a variety of mashed root vegetables which are good but still not pie like enough for me.

My dad loves a good pie and always gets his from this amazing pie stall at the local farmers market. Watching him choose a few delicious and interestingly flavoured pies was the final straw on the camel's back for me. I had to create a pastry that meant my mum and I had more scope with food and a future in sight where I didn't go round to visit them just to be thinking about the delicious pork pie sat in the fridge that I couldn't get my gluten-free fingers on!  

I've been playing around with a pastry recipe (that doesn't use nasty binders) and I've finally hit on the one that works. It can be easily adapted for a fruit pie too, I'll be posting that recipe in a few weeks. I've found it's handy to cook up double the batch, make one for dinner that night and freeze the other for when you need it. 

This recipe contains a few healing foods; liver is an amazing source of vitamin A and for those that find the taste too strong this recipe blends it in nicely and slippery elm bark used in the pastry is fantastic for your digestive system. 

Beef and Liver Pie

This makes two decent sized pies, together serves 8 generously. I always freeze one for a rainy day. 

Ingredients

Pie Crust

Pie Filling

  • 500g Diced Beef
  • 250g Ox Liver (diced)
  • 300ml Beef Stock (beef marrow bone stock is my favourite as it's so rich and creamy!)
  • 1 cup Red Wine
  • 1 tblsp Pounded Yam Flour
  • 2 Large Onions (Sliced) 
  • 3 Garlic Cloves (crushed) 
  • 2 tsp Mustard Seeds (or gluten free, nightshade free wholegrain mustard)
  • 200g Mushrooms (sliced) 
  • 2 Celery Stalks (sliced) 
  • 1tsp Coconut Oil
  • Fresh herbs (bay leaves, rosemary and thyme work well) 
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Method

  • Mix the flours and slippery elm powder.
  • Cut the lard into pea sized pieces and add to the flours. 
  • MIx egg into the water. 
  • Pour egg mixture into flours and mix until a dough forms. 
  • Wrap in cling film and allow to rest in the fridge for an hour. 
  • Pre-heat your oven to 200C or Gas Mark 7
  • Fry off the onions into a tsp coconut oil. 
  • Add the sliced celery stalks and diced beef.  Fry until beef has browned off. 
  • Add the stock, herbs, red wine and mushrooms. Simmer for 20 mins. 
  • Using a small cup mix the tbsp of pounded yam flour with some cold water. Then slowly mix this into the stock and meat.  
  • Add the chopped lived and garlic mix well then take off the heat and pour into two pie dishes. 
  • Take the pastry out of the fridge and roll out between 2 sheets of baking parchment. 
  • Place the pastry over the pie dishes and press down round the sides.  
  • Pierce the pastry with a fork a few times.  
  • Pop it into the oven for 20 mins. Keep an eye on it as this pastry browns off quickly.