This recipe was contributed by jgilhousen to a troll diary, but I have honestly been meaning to try making a steak and kidney pie. Although I rarely eat meat, I do enjoy ethnic food at restaurants. Steak and Kidney Pie was quite tasty. Preparing kidneys is alleged to be difficult, but the results are quite nice. This recipe would be an interesting change from Clean Out the Crisper quiche.
Traditional Steak & Kidney Pie.
Not to be confused with Steak & Kidney Pudding.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients:
FOR THE PASTRY
7 oz/200g all purpose/plain flour
pinch of salt
4 oz/ 110g butter, cubed or an equal mix of butter and lard
2-3 tbsp cold water
1 beaten egg for glaze
FOR THE FILLING
1oz/25g all purpose/plain flour
1 ½lb/700g braising or stewing steak cut into 1"2.5cm cubes
½ lb/250g kidney, cleaned and chopped into ½'/1.3cm cubes
¾ oz 20g butter
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 large onions, thinly sliced
2 carrots chopped in to 1"/2.5cm cubes
3 ½ cups/850 ml hot beef stock
Salt and ground pepper
Preparation:
Make the pastry following these instructions
Place the flour in a large bowl and season with salt and ground black pepper, add the cubes of steak and kidney and toss well in the flour until evenly coated.
Heat the butter and oil in a large, flameproof, casserole dish until the butter has melted. Add the meat to the fat in small batches and stir quickly for about a minute, or until the meat is browned. Remove with a slotted spoon.
Add the onions and carrots to the pan and fry gently for about 5 minutes then return the meat to the pan, stir then add the stock. Season with plenty of black pepper and a little salt. Bring to a gentle boil, cover with a lid and reduce to a gentle simmer. Cook slowly for about 2 hours or until the meat is tender and the sauce thickened. Remove from the heat, place into a 2½ pint/1.5 litre deep pie dish and leave to cool completely.
Heat the oven to 400°F/200°C/Gas 6.
Roll out the pastry to 1/8"/3mm and large enough to cover the pie dish, cut a tiny whole in the centre to slip over the funnel. Brush the rim of the pie dish with water and sit a pie funnel in the centre of the filling. Place the pastry over the dish and the funnel pressing it down, trim to fit the rim of the dish. Crimp the edges using your thumb and first finger
Brush the top with beaten egg. Bake for 40 minutes or until the pastry is crisp and golden. Serve immediately with seasonal vegetables.
http://www.dailykos.com/...
There have already been several useful suggestion about how to clean kidneys, but other suggestions would be welcome. What are the relative merits of raw kidneys vs. simmering with onions?
http://www.dailykos.com/...
The Worcestershire sauce sounded like a great idea.
There is nothing quite like a good lard crust. My Great Aunt R used to make lard crusts for her fruit pies, although I usually use oil. jgilhousen notes:
By the way, I don't use Lard in cooking any more. If it didn't give me a stroke, it might well give my cardiologist one. However, it you're gonna serve this to a Brit, omitting the Lard changes the taste and texture sufficiently that he or she will contest the authenticity of the recipe.
Note To Vegetarians: Yes we know that meat is unethical, bad for our arteries, pollutes rivers, causes global warming, destroys the world economy and Prevents World Peace. If you have a vegetarian version of Steak and Kidney pie please feel free to share. Some of the Brits may question the authenticity of your recipe, though. Please avoid pie fights.
P.S. Is it wrong to add parsnips? Parsnips are the Food of the Gods.
More rescued culinary hints below the curly garnish
The dratted troll deleted the diary. Fortunately the recipe has been rescued. Here are the culinary tips rescued from that diary. When I asked 'How should the kidneys be cleaned?'
I find copious quantities of Green Tea effective. (1+ / 0-)
Oh.
Those Kidneys.
I merely rinse them thoroughly, and remove any globules of fat which might remain.
I have also been known to marinate kidneys or liver in Worcestershire, if it is going to be served to someone who has expressed an aversion to the flavor.
by jgilhousen
Sounds tasty, although I prefer Oolong. (2+ / 0-)
Oh, and the Worcestershire sounds good, too. Thanks.
by allie4fairness
Yeah, Green Tea is not my first choice . . . (2+ / 0-)
aesthetically, but at my age, I need all the antioxidants and metabolism boosts I can get.
And, you're very welcome.
By the way, I don't use Lard in cooking any more. If it didn't give me a stroke, it might well give my cardiologist one. However, it you're gonna serve this to a Brit, omitting the Lard changes the taste and texture sufficiently that he or she will contest the authenticity of the recipe.
I actually just posted it because posting recipes to troll diaries used to be the thing to do. I'm surprised and delighted to find that anyone had an interest in it beyond that purpose.
by jgilhousen
I actually copied your recipe and put it into (1+ / 0-)
my computer recipe file. I usually make oil crusts for my pies, but there is nothing in this world like Great Aunt R's lard pie crusts. Every now and then the rare bit of badness is worth it.
by allie4fairness
and another helpful culinary hint:
Flush thoroughly with beer.
Lots and lots of beer.
Then to prepare the BEEF kidneys:
Rinse thoroughly and trim off fat as jgilhousen states. But then I put them in a pot, covered with salted water. Add about a cup of chopped onion and simmer for about 30 minutes. Discard the liquid and then follow your recipe directions.
A word to the wise is sufficient. Republicans need at least a paragraph.
by d3clark