The Classic Steak And Kidney Pie Recipes

Steps:

• Cover beef kidney with lightly salted water. Cover, and refrigerate overnight. Drain off water. Cut out tubes and white membrane with scissors. Dice meat
• In a stew pot, brown kidney and steak in hot fat. Add onions, seasonings, and 1 1/2 cups water. Simmer until meat is almost tender, about 1 hour.
• Add potatoes and continue simmering until potatoes are tender, about 1/2 hour.
• Blend together flour and remaining 1/2 cup water; stir into meat mixture. Continue cooking and stirring until mixture thickens. Pour into 3 quart casserole.
• Roll out pastry slightly larger than top of casserole. Place over meat mixture, and trim to overhang 1 inch. Fold under, and flute against inside edge of casserole. Cut several steam vents in center.
• Bake at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) until lightly browned, about 30 minutes.

Steps:

• Cut out and discard the thin tubes from the kidneys. Rinse the kidneys in cold water until the water runs clear, then chop them into small pieces. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or deep sauté pan. Add the onions, bay and thyme sprigs and fry over a medium heat for 8-10 mins until the onions are really golden, stirring often. Put the kettle on.
• Add the steak and kidney to the pan and stir-fry briefly, just until it loses its pink colour. Turn up the heat, pour in the wine, stir to deglaze the bottom of the pan, then let it boil over a high heat for 2-3 mins until reduced and absorbed into the meat. Stir in the tomato purée and mustard powder. Sift in the flour, stirring, then stir for a couple of mins. Pour in 400ml boiling water and continue stirring until the mixture starts to boil and is thickened. Tip in the carrot and both mushrooms, reduce the heat, cover with a lid, then leave to simmer gently for about 1 hr, stirring occasionally. Remove the lid and simmer another 25-30 mins or until the meat is very tender and the gravy has thickened slightly.
• Remove from the heat and remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Stir in the parsley, season to taste, then transfer to a pie or ovenproof dish (22-23cm in diameter, 6cm deep, 1.7-litre capacity or similar), then leave to cool slightly. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
• While the meat is cooling, make the pastry. Put the flour, and thyme if using, into a bowl. Grate in the cold or frozen butter, make a well in the centre, then add the yogurt, olive oil, a pinch of salt and a good grinding of black pepper. Using a round-bladed knife, mix together with 2 tsp cold water, then gently gather together with your hands to form a dough. Remove from the bowl and knead briefly until smooth.
• Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface so it's slightly bigger than the top of the pie dish. Lay the pastry over the meat and trim the edges with scissors so it slightly overhangs the edge of the dish. Make 2 small slits in the centre. Flute the edges, then roll out the trimmings and cut out 6 diamond-shaped leaves. Dampen one side and lay them on the pastry lid. Place the dish on a baking sheet, then bake in the oven for about 25 mins or until the pastry is golden.

Steps:

• In a pressure cooker, brown the beef, kidney and onion in the olive oil. Add the Guinness, boullion, bay leaves, worcestershire, thyme, salt and pepper. Cover and cook for approximately 20 min from the time the cooker starts to whistle.
• Once it's safe to remove cover, do so.
• Dissolve cornstarch in the water and then add mixture to the beef, bringing back to a boil to thicken.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Pour beef into a large baking dish and top with puff pastry.
• Bake till golden, approximately 40 minute.

Steps:

• It's important to cook the meat a day ahead, so that you can discard any fat that has risen to the top, and so that the pastry doesn't slump in the face of a too-warm filling, so up to 48 hours ahead -make the pastry. Whizz the flour and a pinch of fine sea salt together for a few seconds in a food processor, then add the butter and whizz until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs. Whisk together the egg yolk and 3 tbsp water and whizz with the pastry until it collects in a ball. Wrap in cling film and leave it to rest in the fridge for at least one hour.
• Cut button-mushroom-sized lobes of kidney from the white central core (discarding). Cut the beef into bite-sized cubes and cut the mushrooms into chunks.
• Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large, heavy frying pan over a medium-high heat. Throw in the kidney and fry until lightly coloured. Tip into a colander to drain.
• Wipe out the frying pan and return it to a low-medium heat, adding 25g/1oz of the butter and 1 tbsp oil. Tip in the onion and fry for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and slightly golden. Transfer to a large casserole, using a slotted spoon.
• Preheat the oven to 160C/gas 3/fan 140C. Tip the 85g/3oz flour into a large plastic bag, and season it generously. Throw in the beef and shake until lightly floured.Return the frying pan to a mediumhigh heat, adding a little more oil and butter if needed. Shake off any excess flour (reserving it) then fry the beef in batches until golden-brown. As each batch is done, transfer it to the casserole.
• Adding more oil and butter to the frying pan if necessary, fry the mushrooms for about 2 minutes until starting to wilt, then add them to the casserole with the drained kidneys, hot water, bouillon powder and bay leaf, plus the excess flour in the bag if you like a thick gravy. Stir well, cover and cook in the oven for 75-90 minutes until the meat is tender and the sauce is thick. Cool thoroughly, then put in the fridge (preferably overnight) so any fat will solidify - it can then be skimmed off and discarded.
• In the morning - return the pastry to cool room temperature, then roll it out thinly on a wellfloured surface. Invert a 28-30x23cm, 6.5cm deep pie dish on to the pastry. Mentally add an extra 1cm all round, then use the dish as a guide to cut out the pastry lid. From the remnants, cut out enough 6cm-wide strips of pastry to go round the dish - they should cover the flat rim and about halfway down the insides.
• Lightly butter the rim of the dish and line it with the strip(s) of pastry, sealing any joins with a little dab of water. Butter the shoulders of a pie raiser or an upturned egg cup and stand it in the middle. Spoon in the meat mixture to come level with the top of the dish. Don't overfill: reserve any excess gravy to serve hot with the pie.
• Brush the pastry rim with a little water, then drape the pastry lid over it, pinching the edges to seal. Cover with cling film and keep in the fridge if not baking immediately.
• Finally, an hour before serving - preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6/fan 180C. Make four slashes in the lid of the pie, then brush with the egg wash. Bake for 35-45 minutes until the pastry is golden brown, turning the heat down 10-20° after about 20 minutes. Remove the pie from the oven and leave it to rest for around 10 minutes before cutting into it.