An Italian meat pie usually has a topping of sliced potatoes, not mashed potatoes like the English equivalent.
Serves 10
1.35 kg (3 lb) braising steak
450 g (1 lb) pork steak
9 tbsp olive oil
120 g (4 oz) unsalted butter
1 Spanish onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp sugar
sea salt
3 celery stalks
2 carrots
4 garlic cloves
2 tbsp thyme
6 sage leaves
2 tbsp rosemary leaves
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
pepper
1 tbsp dried oregano
6 tbsp tomato purée
300 ml (1/2 pint) red wine
180 ml (6 fl oz) full-fat milk
2 kg (4 1/2 lb) waxy potatoes
120 g (4 oz) freshly grated Parmesan
1 large bunch of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
If you have a friendly butcher, ask him to remove all the fat and gristle from the beef and pork and to cut the meat into 1.5 cm (3/4 inch) cubes. Otherwise you need to do this yourself.
Put the oil, a third of the butter and the onion in a heavy sauté pan (ideally it should be a large earthenware pot). Sprinkle with the sugar and 1 teaspoon of salt and sauté gently until the onion is soft.
Meanwhile chop the celery, carrots, garlic, thyme, sage and rosemary together either by hand or in a food processor. When the onion is cooked, add the vegetable mixture, nutmeg, pepper and oregano to the pan and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the tomato purée, cook for 1 minute and then add the meat. Cook until the meat has lost its raw colour, turning it over frequently. Splash with the wine and cook for 10 minutes. Mix in the milk and bring to the boil. Cook over a very gentle heat until the meat is tender, about 40 minutes. If there is too much liquid by the end of the cooking, turn the heat up and boil rapidly to reduce the juice, which should be rich and full of flavour. Taste and check the seasoning.
While the meat is cooking, peel the potatoes and cut them into wafer-thin slices. A food processor with the fine blade disc is invaluable for what is otherwise a lengthy job. Put the potatoes in a bowl of cold water and rub the slices together to get rid of some of the starch. Drain and turn the potatoes on to a tea-towel. Dry them thoroughly.
Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F) mark 6.
Butter a large lasagne dish or a shallow oven dish into which the meat should spread to a thickness of about 2.5–4 cm (1–1 1/2 inches). Use 2 dishes if you do not have one large enough.
Melt the remaining butter in a small pan.
Spread the potatoes over the bottom of the dish, season with salt and pepper and pour over a little of the melted butter. Cover with the meat and sprinkle with half the cheese. Spread the remaining potatoes neatly over the meat and top with the remaining cheese. Spoon the remaining melted butter all over, cover with foil and place the dish in the preheated oven.
Cook for 20 minutes and then remove the foil and continue cooking until the potatoes are done, about 35 minutes. Allow the dish to stand for 5 minutes out of the oven before serving, so that all the flavours can blend. Sprinkle the top of the pie with the chopped parsley and bring to the table.