Beef, Artichoke and Spelt Pie
Beef and artichokes work well together, like beef and oysters, and make a rich, filling and
flavoursome meal. It’s an easy dish to make. The filling will simmer away slowly and cook itself
(you just have to remember to stir it), then you cover with pastry and bake it in the oven. It can
be prepared the day before and baked fresh on the day.
Farro (spelt) can be grown easily. It is simple to cook (just boil it), and it has a chewy texture
and nutty flavour. It can also be bought canned and ready to use. Serves 4
Ingredients:
675 g braising steak
flour
olive oil
thyme, chopped
sage leaves, chopped
1 onion (Ramata di Milano), roughly chopped
2 cloves of garlic (Bianco Veneto), chopped
1 glass red wine
tomato purée
anchovy paste
2 large fresh artichoke hearts (Romanesco ) or a 200 g jar artichoke hearts, diced
140 g spelt, cooked (either boiled or ready canned)
500 g shortcrust pastry
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cut the steak into 2.5 cm cubes and toss in a plate of seasoned flour.
Put some oil in a heavy pan with a lid and, when hot, add the meat to brown. Cover and
stir occasionally. Season and add a good pinch of fresh chopped thyme and sage. When almost
brown, add the onion and garlic and stir in, lowering the heat to medium and covering again.
After 3–5 minutes, pour in the wine and flavour with a little tomato purée and anchovy
paste. Cover, and set a timer for 11⁄2 hours. Stir every now and then. When the time is up. Add
the artichoke hearts and spelt. There should be some good gravy, but you can always add more
liquid if necessary.
Pour into an ovenproof dish and cover with a rolled-out piece of pastry to fit. Make a hole
in the centre to allow air to escape and bake at Gas Mark 6/200°C for about 15 minutes until
golden brown. Serve with red wine and rustic bread.
*taken from the book ‘From Seed to plate’ by Paolo Arrigo, published by Simon and Schuster
