Steak and Guinness Pie

1/3 lb thick-cut bacon, diced
2 lb chuck roast, cut into one-inch cubes
1/2 cup flour

1 large (grapefruit-sized) onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp Herbes de Provence, or Italian herbs
2 tsp garam masala

1 liter Guinness Stout beer
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp tomato paste

2 1-lb packages puff pastry (2 12x12- inch sheets per package)
1 egg whisked with 1 Tbsp water

Preheat oven to 450F. In a large oven-going Dutch Oven, fry the bacon in a bit of olive oil, until fragrant and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, celery and carrots and continue cooking for about another 10 minutes, until the veggies are softened and caramelized a bit. Add the garlic, herbs, and the garam masala and cook another 2 minutes, stirring often. Set mixture aside.

Meanwhile, toss beef cubes with flour in a large bowl. Brown the beef in the Dutch Oven in a bit of canola oil, in batches (2-3 batches), until browned on all sides. Remove beef to a bowl. Deglaze Dutch Oven with the beer, and return the beef and veggie mix to the casserole. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce and the tomato paste and pop stew in the oven. Salt and pepper to taste.

Bake for 45 minutes, covered. Stir stew, add a bit of water if necessary and reduce heat to 325F. Bake for about another hour, until meat is extremely tender. Now your stew is done! You can make your pie now if the timing is right, or better yet, let the stew sit for a day or two in the refrigerator - the flavors will develop beautifully.

Preheat oven to 375F. Line two pie plates each with one puff pastry sheet. Fill pies with warm stew filling. If you refrigerated your stew beforehand, warm on the stove before filling pies. Cover each pie with another sheet of puff pastry. Paint the crusts with eggwash and poke a few vent holes in the crust with fork times. Its a good idea to put a baking sheet on the oven rack below the pies to collect any filling bubbling over. Bake about 30 minutes, until crust browns nicely, and pie filling is piping hot. Makes 2 pies, serving 8.