Beef and Green Pepper Puff Pastry Tart

This recipe is simply one variation of a theme I have employed for many years. I have made Prawn (Shrimp) and Pineapple Puff Pastry Tarts, Chicken and Mushroom and even all vegetable variations. The concept is infinitely variable, just like with an omelette or pizza, and this beef and Green Pepper Puff Pastry Tart recipe should therefore be viewed in a certain sense as an example for developing similar dishes to suit your own tastes and those of your family.

Ingredients

8oz puff pastry
1/2lb stewing steak
1 green bell pepper
1 pint of fresh beef stock
Pinch of dried or fresh thyme
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method

The first step is to cook the stewing steak. Brown it quickly in a large saucepan before adding the thyme, black pepper and hot beef stock. Note that salt should never be added to meat at this stage as it draws the moisture and will probably make it tough. Add salt if desired only at the stage of serving the dish.

Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and allow to simmer gently for one hour.

If you are perhaps one who fancies yourself as something of a pastry chef, it is of course entirely possible and acceptable to make your own puff pastry. I am afraid, however, that I tend to buy it from the supermarket or butcher's shop when I buy my beef.

After the beef has been simmering for around three-quarters of an hour, put your oven on to preheat to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6. Roll out the puff pastry to a thickness of about an eight of an inch, in as close to a rectangular shape as possible. Trim the edges at the end, if required.

Grease a non-stick baking tray very lightly with some butter and sit the pastry on it. Leaving a border of about one inch all the way round, prick the centre of the pastry extensively with a fork. This is to ensure that the border will rise much more than the centre where we will place the beef and pepper. Glaze the unpricked border area with a little milk.

By the time the oven is heated, the beef should be cooked. Place the pastry in the oven and add the chopped pepper to the beef mixture. Cook for five more minutes simply to heat the pepper through and then drain well.

When the pastry has been in the oven for about ten minutes, remove it and very quickly add the beef and pepper to the central well before putting it back in the oven for ten more minutes. This will dry out and darken the surface of the beef only to some small extent but the centre will stay luscious and juicy in what is this short cooking time.

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