Midsommer Murders Recipes: Parachute Pie

A few nights ago, my Dad watched an episode of Midsommer Murders with a sort of meat pie that the patron referred to as a parachute, but turned out to be agreeable despite its looks. I recreated the recipe and served it last evening. It was tasty. Here is how to make it.

1 strip bacon
1 onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots peeled and diced
3 potatoes, peeled and diced 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 cup peas
1 cup beef broth
1 steak, diced
1 T. Worchestershire (Wooster) Sauce
pepper to taste

Directions:
Marinade cubed beef in Wooster sauce for 1 hour. In skillet or large sauce pan Slow cook bacon until grease rendered into pan. Add onions, celery and carrot over low heat, cover 10 minutes, stir until onions clarified and starting to carmelize. Cut up bacon with kitchen shears. Shift veggies to side, add marinaded beef and cook slowly for 10 minutes, stirring to flip. Mix veggies and beef, add potatoes and beef broth, peas, fresh ground black pepper, and simmer covered with lid for 20 minutes or until potatoes are cooked.

Gravy
1 T olive oil
2 T flour
2 T broth
1/2 cup milk

In separate sauce pan, add flour to olive oil, mix, then heat gently until mix bubbles. Add 1/4 tsp cumin and pepper. Mix, simmer bubbles for about 5 minutes over low heat. Add a pat of butter then milk, lower heat. Sauce will thicken rapidly. Stir continuously to avoid lumps. Turn off heat. Salt as needed. Add broth from stew to sauce to expand and flavor brown gravy.

Note: this is actually a white sauce. This is not they way they teach it in cooking school, but this is the right way to make it in the real world.

Once stew potatoes are done, add gravy and stir. Liquid will thin sauce, coating all vegetables and meat. Remove from heat and spoon stew into oven safe serving bowls until 1 inch from rim.

Parachute
2 cups biscuit mix
1 cup water

Fill space in bowl to rim with biscuit. Preheat oven to 415'F, bake for 20 minutes, or until the biscuit covering has risen and browned slightly. Wait 15 minutes to serve as contents will be hot enough to burn your mouth. Very tasty though.

Serve with ale, porter, stout, Pale Ale, IPA, or red wine, as per your tastes. Would be good pub food. Sticks to your ribs.