Homemade Steak And Kidney Pie With Puff Pastry Recipes

THE CLASSIC STEAK AND KIDNEY PIE

Steps:

• Heat a large frying pan with a little of the dripping or oil. Season the diced beef with salt and pepper. Fry in the pan until well coloured and completely sealed. Life 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 2 - 3 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 220°C/425°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. 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.

STEAK AND KIDNEY (OR MUSHROOM) PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Pat cubed meat with paper toweling until dry. Sprinkle with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Combine meat and flour in a ziplock bag and shake around to coat.
• In a large heavy skillet, heat suet until it is spluttering (but not smoking or scorching). Brown a few (10-12) cubes of meat at a time, turning often, until browned, about 2-3 minutes. Reduce heat if needed to prevent scorching. Remove from pan to a heavy 2-quart deep casserole (about 4 inches deep) when browned.
• Repeat until all the meat is cooked. Add more suet as needed.
• Reduce heat to medium and add mushrooms and onions. Saute 2-3 minutes or until tender. Transfer mushrooms and onions to casserole.
• Add water to skillet and bring to boil over high heat, scraping skillet with spoon to remove and browned bits. Pour over meat mixture in casserole.
• Add sherry, parsley, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, and remaining salt and pepper (or to taste) to mixture in casserole. Stir gently to combine.
• On a lightly floured board, roll puff pastry out into a rough rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Cut 2 12x1/2 inch strips from ends of pastry. Lay strips end-to-end around rim of casserole and firmly press into place. Moisten slightly with cold water.
• Drape remaining pastry over the rolling pin and transfer to casserole. With a small, sharp knife, trim off excess pastry. Crimp edges.
• Reroll excess pastry and cut into decorative shapes (leaves, flowers, or whatever). Moisten back sides of pastry cutouts with a mixture of the egg yolk and cream and place arrange attractively on top of the pie.
• Slash 2 parallel cuts about 1 inch long in the center of the pie. Brush crust with the egg yolk and cream mixture.
• Bake in center of oven at 425°F for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F and bake an additional 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
• Serve immediately, while fresh and hot.