Chef's Corner

Steak and Kidney for Pies and Puddings
This is so quick and easy to put together, once again leaving you free to do other things! As a pudding, it is great for a winter Sunday lunch, following a walk on one of the crisp clear crunchy days to really build up an appetite. As a pie, the weather does not have to be quite so cold, and is perfect for a lunch or supper-party.

Ingredients (for 8 people)
  • 900g casserole steak cut into 2.5 cm cubes
  • 300g ox kidney (lamb or pig’s is just not the same) cut into 1.5 cm cubes
  • 2 large onions, medium chopped
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme or half a teaspoon dried
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 bottle red wine
  • 1 heaped tablespoon plain flour
  • 300g mushrooms of your choice
  • sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Put the meats, onions and herbs into a cast iron enamelled casserole. Sift the flour over the meat and mix in. Pour in the wine and stir well. Put the lid on the casserole and place in a pre-warmed oven on Gas mark 5 or 190C, or the top oven of an Aga for 30 minutes, after which it should be turned down to gas mark 2 or 150C or put into the lower (cooler) Aga oven. Give the pot a stir when doing this and then leave it to cook for 1hr 30 minutes. Check the meat with point of a sharp knife and if it is cooked remove from the oven - if not put it back and cook for 20 minutes longer or so. This is now at a stage where you can leave it for a day or more in the fridge to mature and bring out the flavour.

If you wish to make a pie, buy 2 x 454g packs of fresh puff pastry (Saxtys is good). Sauté the quartered mushrooms in a frying pan in a tablespoon of butter and then add to the cooked steak and kidney. Then put it all in a large pie dish with a china blackbird in the centre – Susan Gibson uses an upturned eggcup instead! Roll out one block of pastry and cut enough 2cm wide strips to edge the dish, then stick them on with a little water. Put the rest of the pastry to one side while you roll out the other block to approximately the size of the pie dish. Trim the piece to size, erring on the generous side, and cut a cross for the bird’s beak (or eggcup) to come through. Brush the top of the pastry edges with a little water and then carefully place the lid on top. Crimp the edges and use the rolled pastry you put to one side to make leaves and flowers to decorate the top. Brush the pastry with an egg beaten with a little water, then place the pie in a hot oven, top if its an Aga, or 200C or gas mark 6, for 1 hour. Check to see if the pastry is cooking too fast (burning). If it is, take a large piece of greaseproof paper, fold it in half, crumple it up and rinse under the cold tap. Wring out then flatten it out whilst keeping it folded in two. Place over the pie and continue cooking. Serve with creamy mashed potatoes and steamed carrots and broccoli.

If you wish to make a pudding, you will need a large traditional pudding basin that has been well greased and you will need to make a quantity of suet pastry. It will also not be necessary to cook the meat for quite so long before making it into the pudding. An hour should be plenty and the mushrooms can be added raw to the mixture.
For the pastry you will need 450g. of self-raising flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, 200g. suet, 200/250ml water.

To Cook
Sieve the flour and salt into a bowl and mix in the suet. Make a well in the centre and gradually add the water, mixing with a palette knife until you have a soft dough that forms a ball and can be turned out on to the work surface. Knead gently and then roll out into a circle which you judge to be a little larger than the diameter of the bowl. Cut out a quarter of it to use (once reshaped) as the lid and then fit the main piece into the pudding basin, pressing together the cut edges so you finish with a completely lined basin. Fill it with the meat and mushrooms, using a slotted spoon in order to leave as much of the gravy behind as possible, and then shape the remaining piece of pastry to make the lid, again using a little water to seal the edges. Cover the top with a generous sized piece of foil lined with a piece of greaseproof paper into which you will put a pleat in to allow for expansion, then tie firmly with string. If you are clever enough, make a handle so it will be easier to lift out of the steamer. Place in a large sauce pan, preferably on a trivet to keep the bowl off the bottom of the pan, in approximately 4cms water and steam for 2 hours over a gentle heat (the water must simmer, not boil). Keep checking to see that it has not boiled dry.

When you are ready - and this is a dish that can wait for you - serve with a fine selection of fresh vegetables and the remaining gravy which has been heated well. Potatoes are not strictly necessary, but you could serve some that have simply been boiled and tossed in butter.

If ordering the ingredients for this via the web site or by mail order, please remember to ask us for some kidney to go with it!

© Emma Elkerton 2002