Ox Heart is something of a recent discovery in our household. Whilst most people’s reaction is one of revulsion at the thought of heart, when cooked right, it’s a lovely rich meat, and above all else it’s very cheap. The trick really is to cook it on a low heat for a long time – so perfect for a casserole, or indeed for a pie filling.

Previously I’ve cooked Ox Heart with red wine in a casserole, which went on to make a lovely soup the day after. For the pie I decided that I’d use up some of my homebrew ale from 2013, that I used slightly old yeast in – whilst it tastes fine, it’s lacking in carbonation. I also figured I’d give a suet shortcrust pastry a go – I’ve only done suet pastry for ox tail puddings (on a cooking course) in the past, and that involved working a dough with boiling water! Fortunately this pastry doesn’t involve that. I also mixed in a little braising steak that I had to use up to vary the texture of the meat.

Recipes

Suet Pastry

• 350g plain flour + some for dusting
• 2tsp mustard powder
• 100g suet
• 1 large egg
• cold water

1. Put the flour, mustard powder and suet into a food processor and mix until all incorporated
2. Add the egg and continue to mix
3. Slowly pour in cold water (while mixing) until the dough comes together
4. Tip out the dough onto a flowered surface and knead until smooth
5. Roll into a ball, wrap in cling film and put in the fridge for an hour

Ox Heart, Mushroom and Ale Filling

• 425g diced Ox Heart
• 175g diced braising steak
• 10g dried porcini mushrooms
• 4 small onions, quartered
• 2 large carrots, chopped roughly
• 250ml Homebrew Ale
• 1tsp dried thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 star anise pods
• 4tbsp plain flour
• 1tbsp tomato Puree
• 500ml beef stock
• 125g chestnut mushrooms

1. Heat some oil in a casserole dish on the hob, and heat the oven up to approximately 150ºC
2. Cover the dried mushrooms with boiling water for 15-20 minutes. Drain, reserving the water, and then chop up as desired.
3. Brown off the meat until well browned, then remove and set aside
4. Add the onions and carrots and cook until lightly coloured
5. Add the porcini mushrooms and cook for a couple of minutes
6. Add the flour and stir until browned.
7. Put the meat back in, and add the ale. Cook until slightly reduced, then add the stock, tomato puree, bay leaves, thyme and star anise. Season, then cover and put in the oven for at least 2 hours (if you can leave for longer, it will be better), stirring occasionally.
8. Chop the chestnut mushrooms up, fry in some oil and add to the casserole when cooking is done.

The Pie

Heat the oven up to 200ºC

Line the pie dish with 1/2-2/3rds of the pastry, remembering to grease and flower the dish well beforehand.

Add the filling to the dish using a slotted spoon – remember to fish out the bay leaves and star anise. Reserve some of the gravy to serve with the pie.

Use the remaining pastry to cover the pie, crimping the edges and then brush the top with an egg wash.

Put the pie in the oven for 40-45 minutes.