Steak & Kidney Pudding

Recipe for: BEEF – STEAK & KIDNEY PUDDING

Ingredients:

·        1 tblsp beef dripping or olive oil

·        1 onion, thinly sliced

·        1 carrot, peeled and diced

·        1 bay leaf

·        Small bunch of thyme leaves

·        400g chuck/ stewing steak, chunked

·        150g kidney, chunked

·        1 tblsp plain flour

·        Seasoning

·        150ml stout/ dark beer

·        150ml beef stock

·        For the pastry:

o   250g plain flour

o   2 tsp baking powder

o   ½ tsp salt

o   ½ tsp mustard powder

o   125g suet

o   More thyme leaves

o   Oil to grease

Method:

1.      Heat the dripping/ oil in a large pan and add the onion, carrot & herbs until lightly caramelised

2.      Remove and set aside

3.      Toss steak and kidney in flour, then brown in batches

4.      Pour in the stout and deglaze the pan

5.      Add the stock and onion/ carrot mixture

6.      Raise the heat, partially cover and simmer for 60-90 minutes until the meat is tender

7.      Season and allow to cool

8.      Meanwhile make the pastry in a bowl

a.      Mix flour, baking powder, salt and mustard powder

b.      Rub in the suet and thyme

c.      Add enough cold water to make a firm dough

d.      Cut off a quarter and set aside

e.      Roll out the rest on a floured board to ½ cm thick

9.      Grease a 1 litre pudding basin generously and line with the pastry, without stretching

10.   Fill the bowl with cooked meat up to 2cm from the top

11.   Roll out the lid and cover, sticking to existing pastry with a little cold water

12.   Cover the basin with foil, and fashion a string handle to lift it

13.   Put basin in a large pan half filled with boiling water

14.   Cover and simmer for 90 minutes, topping up the water as necessary

15.   Lift out, removing string and foil

16.   Place a plate over the top of the bowl then turn over to allow the pudding to come out of the bowl