Game of Thrones and Beef Pie with Stilton and Stout

It turns out that this beef pie with stout and stilton that I made for my entry on the first two books of the Song of Ice and Fire series (A Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings) is not only perfect for the book, but now that we are in March, a perfect St. Patrick's Day kind of dish since it has Guinness and seems like something you would it in a pub in Ireland.  There has been a lot of space in the blogosphere devoted to the food of George R. Martin's brilliant fantasy series - A Song of Ice and Fire, and my little addition here is likely much less imaginative or true to the novels than others, but it is damn tasty.  Contrary to my usual practice, I saw the TV version of Game of Thrones before I read the book - so for both the first and second book in the series  (there are currently five books).   This meant I knew the major plot points (and there is a real doozy at the end of the first book), but it really didn't lessen my enjoyment of the books.  These are big, hefty complicated books  - the kind of books that have maps and an index of the characters in them.  They are the kind of books you also can get lost in - and I mean lost in a good way - after reading for a half hour you look up and are not quite sure where or when you are?  When a book is over 600 pages, it is also nice when it is divided in digestible chunks, and Martin's chapters are each told from the perspective of a different character  - each has their own story to tell and two narrators may be in the same room or may be on different continents - so each chapter is its own little novel.  I have just started the third book, just as the third season of the HBO season is going to premiere.  I haven't decided yet whether I will plow through and wait on the series or put the book aside and just watch the series first.  The problem is I am dying to know what happens next, and the TV will tell me sooner....

George R. Martin's A Game of Thrones and Clash of Kings are the first two books in his fantasy series that are about an imaginary world called "Westeros."   This world is not affirmatively set in either the future or the past, but it certainly seems like the past - there is a distinct middle ages feel to the series with dark foreboding castles, ancient religions, horses not cars and rudimentary medicine.  The books feel rather Arthurian.  The book begins with a creepy story of some knights who are attacked in the forest by what appears to be the "undead."   We don't know who they are or what this all means, but the prologue is meant to set the tone of the book that something bad is about to happen in Westeros, something very bad.  The book then turns to Ned Stark, who is a lord in a Northern province and presides in his family seat of Winterfell.  The Stark's have ruled the North for centuries, and above all else Ned Stark is an honorable man.  Stark is the center point of the first novel and while the story ranges in many different directions, he is the central character.  A few years before the book begins Stark had assisted his friend, Robert Baratheon, in overthrowing the king of Westeros "mad" King Aeres Targaryen.  Ned and Robert were able to do this with the help of a rich and powerful Westeros family - the Lannisters.  As payback, Robert married the beautiful Lannister daughter - Cersei.  When the novel begins, this unhappy couple - the King and Queen, come North to visit the Starks.  Ned Stark is married to Caitlyn Stark - a tough woman who is part of another dynastic Westeros family, the Tully's of Rivverun.  As you can tell, there are a lot of names and places that get tossed around quickly, but I swear I had no trouble keeping track and was really never confused during these two novels of all the different families, places and schemes - Martin describes them in a way that really ingrains itself into your head.  The Stark's have many children - the eldest boy Rob, two younger songs Bran and Rickon, two girls - a girly beauty Sansa and a tomboy Arya.  And finally, Ned's bastard son John Snow.  Catelyn, Bran, Sansa and Arya become focal points of the next two novels with chapters told from their perspectives.  The King's visit sets off a series of events that cause the novel to move forward, with various of the characters splitting from Winterfell, some, like John Snow going North and others, like Ned, Sansa and Arya going south with the King to King's landing.   John is dispatched North because as a bastard his fate is to become part of the Night's Watch, a group of men that guard a massive wall that protects Westeros from "the others", the "wildlings" and lost of other mysterious and scary creatures.  Ned heads south to become "the Hand of the King," which is his closest advisor.  It becomes clear immediately that the good guys here are the Starks and the bad guys are the Lannisters - Queen Cersei is cruel and conniving and her twin brother Jaime is violent.  The only bright spot for the Lannisters is their brother Tyrion, who is a dwarf and is much smarter and kinder than the rest of his family.  He is a Lannister and will advance his family's cause at any cost, but he is not a monster and for me for the two books seemed to be the one of the main characters I was routing for.   I am not sure if I think this just because of the novel or because of Peter Dinklage's brilliant portrayal of Tyrion on the HBO Series, but I consider Tyrion Lannister one of the most unique and engaging characters in contemporary fiction.  Finally one other family that is the focus is that of the deposed king Targaryen - his son and daughter are exiles in a land across the sea and we also follow their journey and efforts to win back the kingdom.  I was completely captivated by the first two books - they are filled with plenty of action but also a real depth of character development and detailed and evocative descriptions of the world that these characters reside in.  Martin depicts each characters inner life in a way that fleshes out the story and makes it easier to follow some complicated background and plot maneuvering.  Of course this is a bit of a nerd's book series - I am a total sucker for this kind of thing (see Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings).  I think that Martin's series is a lot more accessible than Lord of the Rings and a lot more adult than Harry Potter (in fact there is a lot of sex and violence here).  I look forward to digging into the rest of the series, but don't feel I need to read the next books immediately in the way that I needed to read the Hunger Games series in one sitting.  This is a grown up's fantasy series that I highly recommend, not just to nerds but to anyone that likes a juicy story.

Steak and Stilton Pie, adapted from Saveur
While this exact pie was not specifically described in the books, there are lot's of places where some character or another is given a meat pie to eat. It seems to be a basic of Westeros cuisine.  I wanted something hearty but also with a touch of delicacy, the kind of pie that Tyrion Lannister would eat in the finest Westeros whore house.  The addition of Stilton here really kicks this up to a pungent, hearty feast.

Ingredients
 ¼ cup olive oil
1 ¼ lb. beef chuck, cut into 1" cubes
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 large yellow onions, sliced
2 ribs celery, thickly sliced
2 small carrots, thickly sliced
2 tbsp. minced rosemary
1 12-oz. bottle stout beer
¼ cup flour
2 cups beef stock
2 tsp. mustard powder
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
10 oz. mushrooms, quartered
6 oz. English Stilton, crumbled
1 10-oz. package frozen peas
1 14-oz. package puff pastry - defrosted
1 egg, lightly beaten

Directions:

1. In a large dutch oven, heat the olive oil.  
2. Add the beef cubes and brown on all sides, cooking for approximately 10 minutes.
3. Remove the beef from the pot and set aside.
4. Add the garlic, onions, celery, carrots and rosemary and cook over medium heat until translucent and soft, 10 to 15 minutes.
5. Add beer, cook until almost evaporated, stirring, 10 minutes.
6. Add flour and stir until smooth.
7. Add the beef back into the pan, add the stock, mustard powder and bay leaf and simmer partially covered on medium low heat until the beef is tender, about 1.5 to 2 hours.
8. Meanwhile when your beef stew is about done, in a large saute pan melt the butter.  Add the mushrooms and cook until nicely browned, about 8 minutes.
9. Stir the mushrooms, the cheese and the peas into the beef mixture.
10. Heat oven to 375.
11. Take your puff pastry out and roll it out so that it can cover whatever pie plate or plates you are going to use here.  You could make one big pie or a few small ones.
12. Divide the stew mixture among your pie plates (4 smallish ones is what this serves).  
13. Cover with puff pastry and brush with egg.  Cut slits in the pie.
14. Bake until the crust is golden, about 40 minutes.