Steak and kidney pie
Ready in 3¼ hours + cooling Serves 6
3-4 sheets puff pastry
1 egg, lightly beaten, to glaze
FILLING
3 Tbsp butter or extra virgin olive oil 250g mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 large onions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 leek, halved and thinly sliced (optional) 1.2kg blade or chuck steak, cut into
3cm chunks
4-6 lambs kidneys, quartered
2 bay leaves
2 cups beef stock
½ cup sherry or port (or use extra
½ cup of stock)
1½ tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
¼ cup cornflour mixed with ¼ cup water
To make pie filling, heat butter or oil in a large, deep-lidded pot and cook mushrooms, onions, garlic and leek, if using, over a medium heat until softened (10 minutes). Stir in steak, kidneys, bay leaves, stock, sherry or port, salt and pepper, cover with baking paper cut to fit the pot, then the lid, and simmer gently until meat is very tender (about 2 hours).
Stir in cornflour mixture and simmer until lightly thickened. Discard bay leaves. Cool for at least 2 hours, chill for up to 4 days or freeze. Bring back to room temperature before making the pie. Preheat oven to 180C fan bake and preheat an oven tray. Stack 2 sheets of pastry and roll out to 5mm thickness. Use to line the base and sides of a deep 26cm pie dish or shallow casserole dish, ensuring it overlaps the rim. Add cooled filling and brush rim with egg.
Roll another sheet of pastry out to a little larger than the top of the dish. Place over the pie, press around the edges to seal and crimp with a fork or your fingers. Trim excess pastry and use to decorate the top, securing with a little beaten egg. Cut a couple of slashes in the top, then brush with egg. Place on pre-heated oven tray and bake until golden (25-30 minutes).
If you prefer an old-school dumpling topping in place of the pastry, combine 1 cup flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 2 tsp each finely chopped rosemary and thyme leaves and ¼ tsp salt. Mix in about ¾ cup milk, or more if needed to form a soft dough. Drop spoonfuls on to your thickened simmering stew, cover tightly and cook for 20 minutes until dumplings have risen and are cooked through.