A meal worthy of admiration – crispy topped Cumberland pie

Have you ever wanted a meal that is worthy for those planned dinners with your whole family, but also has that extra ‘zing’, which makes it a great option for when you want to impress your guests? Well, you are in luck! There is a great recipe to try out the next time you are lost in ideas and need some inspiration. It is not expensive to make and is a slow-cooked meal that is not in the category of ‘too demanding to prepare’. Do a quick oven clean and give this recipe a shot by following the steps outlined below.

Needed ingredients:

• 2 beef stock cubes, preferably crumbled;
• 850g. of braising cut beef, cut into big chunks;
• 25g. grated parmesan and cheddar;
• 850g. large potatoes;
• 1tbsp. butter;
• 2tbsp. tomato puree and flour;
• 5 bay leaves;
• 3 thyme sprigs;
• 1 chopped onion;
• 2 sliced celery sticks;
• 2 carrots sliced halfway and then further in chunks;
• 2tbsp. vegetable oil;

The cooking method is as follows:

Heat the oven to about 140-160 degrees Celsius. Place the carrots, onion, celery, bay and thyme sprigs in a casserole. Add oil and butter and let the ingredients soften inside the oven for about 10 minutes. Add in the flour and follow with the puree and stock cubes. Add in 600ml. of water to the mix gradually. Then, tip in the beef and wait till the whole thing starts to simmer gently. That is when you cover it all up and cook in the oven for about 2 and a half hours. After that time has passed, remove the cover and cook for another 30 minutes to 1 hour. The goal is to get the meat to a tender state. In the meantime, cook the potatoes in a pan of boiling water. Cook them till they are three quarters or so done.

Transfer the meat to a baking dish and slice it into rounds of 1cm thickness. Add the remaining oil, thyme leaves and seasoning. The beef should be layered on, with cheese scattered in during the process.  Once you are done, you can cover the pie and chill it for a day, or even freeze it for up to 3 months ahead. When it is time to cook, heat up the oven to 180-200 degrees Celsius and bake for about 30-40 minutes. The goal is to get a crispy golden look.

Serving this with peas on the side will have everyone mmm-ing in no time! It is a mess-free, easy and inexpensive recipe, which you should try out the next time you cannot think of something creative to cook. Side bonus: no tough oven cleaning required afterwards.

© Specialist Oven Cleaners