When dating, John told me that one of his favourite dish is our Goan stew. So for his birthday celebrated with my family, I decided to surprise him with this dish. While cooking, I hurriedly opened the pressure cooker and some of the steam with hot liquid fell on my chest to the left. I had a small blister and started to wonder whether it was a sign that he would break my heart. In fact, he turned out to be my Amor (Love). From then on, whenever I prepare our traditional stew, it takes me down memory lane.
Today, I decided to turn the stew into a pie called Pastelão, a Portuguese word meaning "pastry". Two of John's favourites; stew and puff pastry in one. As soon as he walked in the house from work, I served him the pie and he enjoyed it to the fullest. We are all familiar with our Goan mixed meat stew, but many are unaware of Pastelão. During the Portuguese rule in Goa, this mixed meat stew pie was served by the affluent at weddings and special occasions. The stew is prepared with a combination of beef, pork, chicken, sausages, vegetables and macaroni. Thickened, cooled and transferred into a pie dish. Topped with breadcrumbs, a sprinkling of sugar and dotted with butter before covering with puff pastry. Brushed with egg wash and baked at 400 F or 200 C for 20 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and stew bubbly. The creamy stew with the crispy flaky puff pastry is sinfully delicious. Heaven on a plate and devoured by the entire family.
Leftover stew can always be turned into a Pastelão with store bought puff pastry. Individual pies can be baked in small ramekins. Perfect for a social gathering with a big pie assembled ahead, refrigerated and baked just before serving. Economical, hearty, full of proteins and vegetables. A comforting dish and definitely, a crowd pleaser.
Today, I decided to turn the stew into a pie called Pastelão, a Portuguese word meaning "pastry". Two of John's favourites; stew and puff pastry in one. As soon as he walked in the house from work, I served him the pie and he enjoyed it to the fullest. We are all familiar with our Goan mixed meat stew, but many are unaware of Pastelão. During the Portuguese rule in Goa, this mixed meat stew pie was served by the affluent at weddings and special occasions. The stew is prepared with a combination of beef, pork, chicken, sausages, vegetables and macaroni. Thickened, cooled and transferred into a pie dish. Topped with breadcrumbs, a sprinkling of sugar and dotted with butter before covering with puff pastry. Brushed with egg wash and baked at 400 F or 200 C for 20 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and stew bubbly. The creamy stew with the crispy flaky puff pastry is sinfully delicious. Heaven on a plate and devoured by the entire family.
Leftover stew can always be turned into a Pastelão with store bought puff pastry. Individual pies can be baked in small ramekins. Perfect for a social gathering with a big pie assembled ahead, refrigerated and baked just before serving. Economical, hearty, full of proteins and vegetables. A comforting dish and definitely, a crowd pleaser.
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Pastelão
(Serves 8)
Mixed Meat Stew
Ingredients:
1/4 kg boneless pork
1/4 kg boneless beef
2 boneless chicken breasts, about 1/4 kg
2 onions (chopped)
1 tomato (chopped)
10 peppercorns
6 cloves
4 cinnamon sticks (1.5-inch each)
4 green cardamoms
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 bouillon cube
2 large potatoes (cut into small cubes)
2 large carrots (cut into small cubes)
1 cup green peas
1 cup elbow macaroni or shell pasta
1 cup cream
1 cup water
a pinch of sugar
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
salt
Grind to paste
4 long green chillies
6 large cloves of garlic
1" piece of ginger
Method:
Cut pork and beef into small cubes. Discard skin and fat of pork. Wash meat, season with salt and marinate with the ground paste for an hour.
On medium heat, in a wide-bottomed pressure cooker, add oil and butter along with onions. Saute until onions are translucent. Add the tomato, peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon sticks and cardamoms. When tomato is pulpy, add the meat and sear it for sometime. Then add the water listed in the ingredients. Cover cooker with lid and put the weight. Pressure cook for 6 to 8 whistles. Cool cooker and then lift weight to release the steam.
While meat is cooking, in a separate saucepan boil potatoes and carrots with some salt. Drain through a colander and run under cold water. Set aside.
Rinse saucepan and boil some water. Cook macaroni with salt until al-dente (firm to the bite). Drain and run under cold water. Keep aside.
Stir in the chicken pieces with rest of the meat, bouillon cube and vinegar. Cover with a flat lid keeping it slightly ajar. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes and then, incorporate the cream and green peas. Taste for salt. When the creamy sauce starts to boil, mix in 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour with 1/2 cup milk to thicken the sauce. Cook for a couple of minutes and put the flame off. Gently combine the potatoes, carrots and macaroni.
Cool stew and transfer to a pie dish. Top with 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs, a pinch of sugar and dot with 1 to 2 tablespoons of cold butter.
Lightly beat 1 egg in a bowl and brush the rim of the pie dish. Cover the pie with a sheet of rolled out puff pastry. Press, crimp or flute all around the edge to seal. Make a hole in the centre for steam to escape. Brush the top of the pastry with beaten egg. If desired, roll out scraps of pastry and decorate with cut-out leaves or shapes, as desired. Ensure to brush them with egg wash.
Place pie dish in a baking sheet to catch any overflow or drippings. The above stew was perfect in consistency with no spills during baking.
Bake in a preheated 400 F or 200 C oven until puffed, golden brown and stew bubbly, about 20 minutes.
Serve hot.
Note:
(Serves 8)
Mixed Meat Stew
Ingredients:
1/4 kg boneless pork
1/4 kg boneless beef
2 boneless chicken breasts, about 1/4 kg
2 onions (chopped)
1 tomato (chopped)
10 peppercorns
6 cloves
4 cinnamon sticks (1.5-inch each)
4 green cardamoms
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 bouillon cube
2 large potatoes (cut into small cubes)
2 large carrots (cut into small cubes)
1 cup green peas
1 cup elbow macaroni or shell pasta
1 cup cream
1 cup water
a pinch of sugar
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
salt
Grind to paste
4 long green chillies
6 large cloves of garlic
1" piece of ginger
Method:
Cut pork and beef into small cubes. Discard skin and fat of pork. Wash meat, season with salt and marinate with the ground paste for an hour.
On medium heat, in a wide-bottomed pressure cooker, add oil and butter along with onions. Saute until onions are translucent. Add the tomato, peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon sticks and cardamoms. When tomato is pulpy, add the meat and sear it for sometime. Then add the water listed in the ingredients. Cover cooker with lid and put the weight. Pressure cook for 6 to 8 whistles. Cool cooker and then lift weight to release the steam.
While meat is cooking, in a separate saucepan boil potatoes and carrots with some salt. Drain through a colander and run under cold water. Set aside.
Rinse saucepan and boil some water. Cook macaroni with salt until al-dente (firm to the bite). Drain and run under cold water. Keep aside.
Stir in the chicken pieces with rest of the meat, bouillon cube and vinegar. Cover with a flat lid keeping it slightly ajar. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes and then, incorporate the cream and green peas. Taste for salt. When the creamy sauce starts to boil, mix in 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour with 1/2 cup milk to thicken the sauce. Cook for a couple of minutes and put the flame off. Gently combine the potatoes, carrots and macaroni.
Cool stew and transfer to a pie dish. Top with 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs, a pinch of sugar and dot with 1 to 2 tablespoons of cold butter.
Lightly beat 1 egg in a bowl and brush the rim of the pie dish. Cover the pie with a sheet of rolled out puff pastry. Press, crimp or flute all around the edge to seal. Make a hole in the centre for steam to escape. Brush the top of the pastry with beaten egg. If desired, roll out scraps of pastry and decorate with cut-out leaves or shapes, as desired. Ensure to brush them with egg wash.
Place pie dish in a baking sheet to catch any overflow or drippings. The above stew was perfect in consistency with no spills during baking.
Bake in a preheated 400 F or 200 C oven until puffed, golden brown and stew bubbly, about 20 minutes.
Serve hot.
Note:
- Add 1 cup of sausage meat (without the casing) with the chicken pieces. Vinegar can be omitted if sausage meat is sour.
- If the cut of beef used is tender, then no need to pressure cook the meat.
- The entire mixed meat stew with the pastry was baked in a CorningWare 2.5 qt/2.3 L oval dish.
- I cut out hearts from a second sheet of puff pastry. Placed a small heart inside a bigger one after brushing each with some egg wash. Transferred onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silpat. Baked at the same temperature and time as indicated above. Served some stew with a puffed golden heart placed on top (see picture above).
- Meat was pressure cooked in an instant pot for 5 minutes, with the steam released immediately when done. Chicken cooked and rest of the procedure done with the saute setting.
- If you do not have puff pastry, then top the pie with a potato layer. Omit the potatoes in the mixed meat stew. Follow the creamy mash recipe and baking instructions, by clicking here.
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