Steak and kidney pie
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil (approx.)
- 2 tbsp butter (approx.)
- 2 onions, chopped
- 90g button mushrooms, halved
- 200g lamb kidney, diced
- 600g braising steak, trimmed and cut into 1cm cubes
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- salt and pepper
- leaves from 3 sprigs thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 600ml beef stock
- beaten egg to glaze
- For the pastry
- 200g plain flour
- 100g butter, diced
- pinch salt
- 1-2 tbsp water
Method
- Prepare the filling: Heat 1 tbsp oil and 1 tbsp butter in a large, deep frying pan over a medium heat.
- Add onions and cook until caramelised.
- Remove and set aside.
- Add mushrooms to the same pan, brown, remove and set aside.
- Add kidney to the pan, adding a little more oil and butter if necessary, sear on all sides, remove and set aside.
- Place beef in a plastic bag, add 2 tbsp flour and a good pinch of salt and pepper and toss until well coated. Shake off excess.
- Add more oil and butter to the pan and brown the beef on all sides.
- Put the onions, mushrooms and kidneys back in the pan, pour in the stock, add thyme and bay leaf, stir well and bring to the boil.
- Turn down heat, cover and simmer for 1½ hours until the beef is tender and the gravy has thickened.
- Remove from heat and leave to cool completely.
- Make the pastry: Sift the flour into a large bowl, add the butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- Add a pinch of salt and 1-2 tbsp cold water and mix with your hands to make a dough.
- Roughly shape into an oval.
- Wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for at least 30 mins before use.
- Make the pie: When the meat mixture is completely cool, skim off any fat which has come to the top, then place in a pie dish. Do not overfill or the gravy will escape during cooking. Reserve any gravy which is left over to serve with the pie.
- Preheat oven to 200C/Gas 6.
- Roll out pastry, top the pie, make four slashes in the pie lid and glaze with beaten egg.
- Place pie on a baking tray and bake for 20-25mins until pastry is golden.
- Turn the heat down 170C/Gas 5 and bake for a further 15-20 mins.
- Remove from the oven and set aside to rest for 20 mins before serving.
