A reader who isn’t squeamish about eating organ meats has requested a recipe for steak and kidney pie.
This dish is a common British dish, so my cookbooks suggest, and many recipes exist, many similar but with slight variations in seasonings and vegetables used with the meat. The most common recipes use beef kidneys but I also found some with lamb kidneys and others with pork kidneys.
The true test will be finding kidneys on a regular basis but the butchers at local meat counters are always helpful when approached with special requests.
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Classic Steak & Kidney Pie
1 tbsp. cooking oil
1 1/2 lbs. chuck steaks, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 lb. beef or lamb kidney, trimmed and diced
12 oz. puff pastry
2 onions, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 5/8 inch pieces
butter
4 large flat mushrooms, cut into thick slices
2 tbsps. flour
1 tsp. tomato puree
1 bay leaf
1 pint veal or beef stock (or water and stock cube or granules
worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper
1 egg, beaten, for glazing
Heat a large frying pan with a little of the oil. Season the diced beef with salt and pepper. Fry in the pan until well coloured and completely sealed. Lift out the meat and transfer to a large saucepan. Add a touch more oil, if necessary, to the frying pan. Season the kidneys and also fry quickly to seal and colour in the hot pan. Also transfer to the saucepan.
Melt a knob of butter in the pan and cook the onions and carrots in the melted butter for two to three minutes. They will lift any flavours left from the meats. Put into the saucepan with the meat. Fry the mushroom slices in a little more butter, just turning in the pan for a minute or two; keep to one side.
Place the saucepan on medium heat, stirring in the flour, and allow it to cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomato puree, bay leaf and mushrooms. Pour in the stock and bring to a simmer, skimming off any impurities. The meat should just be covered with the stock; if not, top with a little more stock or water. Simmer gently, partially covered, for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. During the cooking time it may need to be skimmed several times.
After 1 1/2 hours, check the meat for tenderness. If not quite soft enough, cook for the additional 30 minutes. If the meat is cooking gently, it will not need to be topped up with any additional stock or water. The sauce will have reduced, thickening it's consistency and increasing it's flavour.
Taste for seasoning, adding a dash or two of worcestershire sauce to the mixture. Transfer to a 2 pint pie dish and allow to cool to lukewarm. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Roll the pastry 1/4-inch thick. Cut a strip of pastry to sit around the rim of the dish. This will help the top to stay on. Place meat mixture in the pie dish. Brush the rim of the pie dish with some beaten egg and apply the strip. Brush again with egg. Making sure the pastry top is bigger than the dish, sit it on top. Push down around the sides, trim and crimp for a neat finish. Brush completely with egg wash and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until golden brown.
Meat mixture can be prepared the day before and stored in the refrigerator. Skim off any fat before placing in pie crust.
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Non-traditional Kidney Pie
pastry for 1 crust pie
1 beef kidney
2 lbs. round steak, cubed
2 tbsps. oil, drippings, or shortening
2 cups chopped onions
2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 bay leaf
2 tsps. Worcestershire sauce
2 cups water
4 cups diced raw potatoes
6 tbsps. flour
Cover beef kidney with lightly salted water, cover and refrigerate overnight. Drain; cut out tubes and white membrane with scissors. Dice meat.
Brown kidney and steak in hot fat. Add onions, seasoning, and 1 1/2 cups water. Simmer until meat is almost tender, about 1 hour.
Blend together flour and remaining 1/2 cup water; stir into meat mixture. Continue cooking and stirring until mixture thickens. Pour into 3 qt. casserole.
Roll out pastry slightly larger than top of casserole. Place over meat mixture and trim to overhang of one inch. Fold under and flute against inside edge of casserole. Cut several steam vents in centre.
Bake at 425 degrees F until lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Serves eight.
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Suet Kidney Pudding
Filling:
1 lb. stewing steak
1-2 small kidneys
2 onions
4 oz. button mushrooms
2 tbsps. worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
water or stock
Suet Pastry:
8 oz. flour
3-4 oz. shredded suet
2 tsps. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
cold water
Sift flour, baking powder and salt and add into suet. Add enough cold water to make a soft but not sticky dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured board and roll out as required.
Grease a pudding basin and line with three-quarters of the pastry.
Skin and core the kidneys and cut into small pieces. Dice the steak into small pieces. Toss both meats in a tablespoon of seasoned flour. Dice the onions and mushrooms. Mix the seasoned meat with the vegetables. Place in the lined pudding basin.
Mix the stock or water with the worcestershire sauce and pour over the meat and vegetables.
Cover with pastry and seal tightly. Cover the pudding basin with grease-proof paper, leaving room for the pudding to expand. Place into a steamer filled with simmering water and cook for at least three hours.
Let cool before turning the pudding out onto a large plate. Serve with mashed potatoes and peas and carrots. Serves four.
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Thought for the day: “The two hardest things to handle in life are failure and success.” — Dr. Joyce Brothers
Joyce Walter can be reached at 691-1259 or jwalter@mjtimes.sk.ca
