Steak And Kidney Or Mushroom Pie Recipes

STEAK AND KIDNEY PIE WITH BACON AND MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Cut the kidneys in half, and remove the tubes and skins; rinse well under cold running water. Pat dry, and cut into 1/2 inch dice. Pour the vegetable oil into a large, heavy bottom pot, and set over medium-high heat. Season the flour to taste with salt and pepper in a bowl. Toss the kidney and stew meat in the flour; shake off the excess. Sear the meat in the hot oil until well browned, then remove. Add the bacon to the pot and cook until crisp. Stir in the onion and mushroom, and cook to soften, about 2 minutes. Pour in beef stock, wine, and browned meat; bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until the mixture starts to thicken, about 5 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low, and simmer 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until meat is tender. Remove from heat, and cool to room temperature.
• Place potatoes in a saucepan with enough water to cover, over high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Drain, then mash with the butter and milk; season with salt and pepper. Allow to cool.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Press one sheet of the puff pastry into a 9 inch pie dish, and trim the edges to fit. Fill with the cooled meat mixture. Spread mashed potatoes over top, about one inch thick. Place the remaining sheet of puff pastry over the top of the pie. Trim the excess pastry around the edges, then flute the edges with a fork. Brush the top with the beaten egg.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until crust is golden.

THE ULTIMATE STEAK AND KIDNEY PIE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Add the steak, kidney, flour, salt, and pepper to a large bowl. Toss until well coated.
• In a large Dutch oven or other heavy-duty pot, heat the 2 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon oil on medium-high heat.
• When the butter melts, add the meat to the pan, in batches if necessary. Cook until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes per batch. Refresh the butter and oil in the pan between batches as needed. Remove the meat to a plate as it becomes done. Set aside.
• If the pan is dry, refresh with 1 tablespoon oil. Add the onions and carrots. Cook until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
• Return the meat to the pan with any accumulated juices from the plate. Add the stock and stir to combine.
• Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the meat is tender and the sauce has thickened, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove the cover and continue to cook to thicken the sauce, stirring frequently, 30 minutes more.
• Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat, place into a 6-cup deep pie dish, and let cool completely.
• Gather the ingredients.
• Put the flour, salt, and butter in a large bowl.
• Rub the butter into the flour with your fingers until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, working as quickly as possible to prevent the dough from becoming warm.
• Add 2 tablespoons of water to the mixture. Using a cold knife, stir until the dough binds together. Add more water, a teaspoon at a time if the dough is too dry.
• Form the dough into a disk, wrap, and chill for about 30 minutes.
• Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 400 F. Roll out the pastry to 1/8-inch thick and wide enough to cover the pie dish.
• Cut a tiny hole in the center to slip over a steam funnel if using. Alternatively, cut 3 to 4 (1-inch) slits in the center of the dough to vent the filling while baking.
• Brush the rim of the pie dish with water and place a pie funnel in the center of the filling, if using.
• Place the pastry over the dish and funnel (if using), pressing it down, trimming to fit the rim of the dish.
• Crimp the edges of the dough using your thumb and first finger.
• Beat the egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Brush the top of the pie with the egg wash.
• Bake until the pastry is crisp and golden, about 40 minutes.
• Serve immediately.

THE ULTIMATE MAKEOVER: STEAK & KIDNEY PIE

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.

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 ALE PIE WITH MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Place the beef stew meat, onion, and ale in a large saucepan. Simmer over low heat until the meat is tender, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Season the beef with garlic, thyme, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Mix in the potatoes and mushrooms. Cover and simmer over medium heat until potatoes are just tender enough to pierce with a fork, 10 to 15 minutes. Whisk a small amount of the sauce together with the flour in a small bowl, and stir into the beef. Simmer until slightly thickened.
• Fit one pie crust into the bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch pie plate. Spoon the hot beef mixture into the crust and top with the remaining pie crust. Cut slits in the top crust to vent steam and crimp the edges to seal them together.
• Bake in preheated oven until the crust is golden brown and gravy is bubbling, 35 to 40 minutes.

PROPER BEEF, ALE & MUSHROOM PIE

Steps:

• If you're using the porcini mushrooms, cover 10g of mushrooms in boiling water for 20 mins, then squeeze out but keep the soaking water.
• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a large casserole dish, brown 1kg large chunks of braising steak really well in batches, then set aside.
• Add 2 large onions, roughly chopped, and 4 large carrots, chopped into large chunks, to the pan. Add a drizzle more vegetable oil, then cook on a low heat for 5 mins until coloured.
• Add the soaked porcini mushrooms, sizzle for 1 min more, then scatter over 2 tsp golden caster sugar and 4 tbsp plain flour, stirring until the flour turns brown.
• Tip the braising steak and any juices back into the pan and give it all a good stir.
• Pour over 300ml dark ale, 2 beef stock cubes mixed with 400ml boiling water and the porcini mushroom soaking liquid, discarding the last few drops.
• Season the stew, tuck in a small tied-together bunch of thyme, bay leaf and parsley, and bring everything to a simmer.
• Cover with a lid and place in the oven for about 2 hrs, until the braising steak is really tender.
• While the stew is cooking, heat a drop more vegetable oil in a frying pan and sizzle 200g smoked bacon lardons for 3 mins until crisp.
• Turn up the heat, add 200g halved chestnut mushrooms and cook for 4 mins until golden. Remove from the heat and, when the stew is cooked, stir them through.
• Leave everything to cool completely - better still, make this up to 2 days in advance and keep it in the fridge as the pie will be better if the filling is fridge-cold when added. Can also be frozen for up to 3 months and defrosted when needed.
• Make the pastry up to 2 days before you want to assemble the pie. Crumble 650g plain flour and 250g cold diced lard or butter, together with a generous pinch of sea salt until completely combined, then add up to 200ml ice-cold water to make a soft dough. This can be done in a food processor if you want.
• Knead the pastry, then wrap in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for at least 1 hr. The pastry can be made up to 2 days ahead and kept in the fridge or frozen for up to a month.
• When you want to make the pie, heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7 and place a flat baking tray in the oven. Heavily grease a 24-28cm pie dish and dust well with flour.
• Cut a third off the pastry and set aside. Roll out the pastry to a thickish round that will easily line the pie dish with an overhang, then line the tin.
• Add the braising steak to the dish using a slotted spoon so some gravy is left in the container, as you don't want too much sauce in the pie. You want the filling to be slightly higher than the rim of the dish. If you have a bit too much, set it aside.
• Roll out the remaining pastry to a thick round big enough to cover the dish. Brush the edges of the pastry in the dish with 1 beaten egg yolk, then cover with the pastry lid.
• Trim the edges, crimp the pastry, then re-roll your trimmings to make a decoration, for example, pastry leaves. Brush the top heavily with egg. Make a few little slits in the centre of the pie, place on the hot baking tray.
• Bake for 40 mins until golden. Leave the pie to rest for 10 mins while you heat up the gravy left in the container. Serve the pie at the table with a jug of gravy and a big pile of greens.

A GOOD STEAK & KIDNEY PIE

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.