Old fashion Beef Pot Pie With Marsala And Mushrooms

This old fashion beef pot pie with pastry bottom is an Italian spezzatino stew made with a Marsala wine sauce served in a pie crust. It is creamy, rich and decadent and since it has a bottom crust it can be removed from the pan and served on formal dinnerware.

Jump to:

• When to serve beef Marsala pie
• Which cut of beef is best for stew
• Best pastry for beef pot pie
• Making the filling for the beef Marsala pie
• Composing and cooking the pie
• Tips for making the best beef pie with Marsala sauce
• More pie ideas
• Recipes you might also like
• 📋 Old fashion Beef Pot Pie With Marsala And Mushrooms

When to serve beef Marsala pie

Beef pie is perfect for a dinner party as the filling and the pastry can be prepared the day before.

In fact, if you prepare the beef stew one day before it is even better as it will have time to absorb the flavors.

I add the mushrooms and the peas after the stew is cooked when it is still hot from the oven.

I want the mushrooms to remain firm, so I let them steam in the pot with the stew while it is cooling down.

The pie can be put together 1 hour before the party and cooked 35 minutes before serving it.

It is delicious comfort food, a complete meal, and can be served with a salad or some roasted potatoes.

Which cut of beef is best for stew

The best cuts of beef to use in the stew are the cheaper cuts, usually well-worked muscles.

Because they worked a lot, they are lean and tough but with a lot of connective tissues.

Those tissues melt when cooked for a long time forming thick creamy gelatine.

In the chart below you can see where those cuts are located. They are called:

• 8 & 9 Shank in Italian Campanello or Muscolo, in French Jarret, Gîte
• 10 & 11 Round in Italian Girello or Controgirello, in French Semelle, Jumeau
• 12 Chuck in Italian Giovarro or Collo, in French Collier

If you want to know more about the difference among those cuts you can read an interesting article on Seriouseats.com : Stew Science: How to Choose the Best Cuts for Beef Stew.

Are you interested in knowing more about cuts of beef and their names also in French and Italian? You can find more information in the article: Cuts of Beef for Barbecuing 

Best pastry for beef pot pie

If you want to make a beef pot pie with a pastry bottom I recommend using a shortcrust pastry.

It has a firm and crunchy consistency, strong enough to stand by itself.

Therefore the pie can be removed from the baking pan and served on formal dinnerware.

The secret for a nice crunchy pastry is to keep it cold in the fridge just before baking it.

Making the short pastry

This is a classic short pastry recipe that I use for any type of recipe, from savory to sweet. When I make a covered pie I double the dose of ingredients as below:

• 3 cup - 400 gr of flour
• 1 cup - 200 gr of butter at room temperature
• 2 eggs
• 1 pinch of salt
• 4 tablespoon of water

The process is very simple:

1. Mix all the ingredients
2. Roll into a ball and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes so the butter resolidifies
3. Take ¾ of the pastry and roll it flat
4. Cover the bottom of a removable base baking tin ( 9 ½ in - 24 cm) with parchment paper. Butter and flour the edges
5. Lay the base of the pie and pierce it with a fork. Put back in the fridge for another 30 minutes before filling it
6. Once the pie is filled and covered with the second layer of pastry, pierce with a knife and brush with egg wash

If you have a busy day ahead, you can buy the pastry already made and proceed as from step 3

Making the filling for the beef Marsala pie

In this pie I use the following ingredients:

• 2 lb - 1 kg of beef for stew cut in large chunks
• 2 carrots
• 2 celery stalks
• 2 onions
• 10 oz - 500 gr of mushrooms
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup of Marsala wine
• 3 tablespoon of butter
• 1 tablespoon salt

You can add a cup of water to the stew to make it juicier, the flour will thicken the sauce.

The mushrooms are a key element to this beef pie. I leave them in big chunks, the same size as the beef and I do not cook them before.

I like the mushrooms to remain firm and the water they release while the pie is cooking will make the pie juicy without making the pastry soggy.

This is how to proceed:

1. Cut the beef in cubes and coat with flour
2. Stir fry the beef in a casserole until the meat is brown, add the salt
3. Cut the carrots, celery and onion in large chunks and add to the meat
4. Stir fry for a few minutes, then add the bay leaf and a cup of Marsala and let the alcohol evaporate for 1 minute
5. Cover the casserole and put the meat to cook in the hot oven for 2 hours at 350 F - 180 C
6. Once ready add the mushrooms cut in quarters and remove the bay leaves
7.  Cover and let it rest for at least 1 hour.

Composing and cooking the pie

Once the pastry and the filling are ready, the pie can be composed and cooked just 1 hour before serving it.

1. Filled the pierced cold short-pastry with the prepared beef stew
2. Lay the cover on top and tight the edges. Make some cuts on the top so the steam can escape while the pie is cooking. Brush the top with egg wash to make it shine
3. Cook the pie in a hot oven at 350 F - 180 C for 35 minutes
4. Let it rest for 10 minutes before moving it into the serving dish
5. Serve while still hot

Tips for making the best beef pie with Marsala sauce

• Make sure the pastry is cold when you put the pie in the oven. It will make a nice crunchy crust.
• Keep the vegetables in large chunks the same size of the beef bite as they make a nice juicy contrast
• If you don't have Marsala you can substitute with a red full body wine. Porto would be too sweet, but if you like sweet, you can try.
• You can also serve only the filling as a stew with rice or fresh tagliatelle. If you like it moister you can add ¼ cup of beef stock before cooking the meat for 2 hours

More pie ideas

• Chicken and Mushroom Pie Recipe
• Chelsea Market Heidi Pie With French Chevre
• Zucchini Mushroom Quiche Recipe
• Caramelized Squash Spinach Bacon Quiche
• Beef Sausage Hand Pie Recipe

Recipes you might also like

For more recipes, check out the category: Main Course

Also check the recipes below:

• Classic Veal Milanese
• Brazilian Picanha BBQ
• Daube Provencal
• Homemade Roast Beef

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