Ruth Pinch’s beefsteak pudding

In Martin Chuzzlewit, Ruth Pinch – the sort of ingénue housekeeper that Dickens loved writing about – is worried that the beefsteak pudding she cooks for her brother Tom will ‘turn out a stew, or a soup, or something of that sort.’ Tom enjoys watching her cook, but later teases her when they realise she should have used suet for the pastry. Eliza Acton, author of 1845’s Modern Cookery for Private Families, gives Ruth the last word by devising this recipe, made with butter and eggs.

SERVES 4

FOR THE PASTRY

450g of self-raising flour

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Pinch of salt

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150g cold butter, cubed,

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plus extra for greasing 3 eggs

● FOR THE FILLING

500g stewing steak,

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cubed 1 onion, finely chopped

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2 tsps of freshly

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chopped thyme 2 tsps of freshly

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chopped parsley 3 level tbsps of plain flour

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150ml beef stock (or

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water plus a tbsp of Worcestershire sauce) Salt and freshly ground

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black pepper And any of Eliza Acton’s suggested additions, either:

A few whole oysters

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150g of kidney, chopped

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170g of ‘nicely prepared

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button mushrooms’ A few shavings of

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fresh truffle or 150–200g sweetbreads, chopped 1 Start by making the pastry. Sieve the flour and salt into a basin; add the butter and rub it in. Beat the eggs together with a dash of cold water, then stir them into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon.

2 Pull the mixture together with your hands, adding a little more water or flour as necessary. When you have an elastic dough, turn it onto a lightly floured board and roll out into a large disc. Cut a quarter out and put to one side.

3 Fold the two outer quarters over the middle quarter and put into a well-buttered two-pint basin, with the point in the bottom. Unfold the two outer quarters and push the pastry into the sides of the basin, wetting the edges so they seal together and the whole basin is fully lined. Trim the top edge so there is 1–2cm of pastry overhanging the edge. Roll out the remaining quarter to make a circular lid.

4 Mix the meat with the remaining ingredients except the liquid, making sure the flour is well distributed. Turn it into the pastry-lined basin and pour the stock or liquid over. Brush the top edge of the pastry in the basin with water and put the pastry lid on top, pinching around to seal. Put a lid of buttered foil or a circle of parchment paper and a cloth on top, adding a pleat to give room for the pudding to puff up.

5 Place the basin in a saucepan so that the water comes halfway up the side of the pudding. Cover and steam for up to 4 hours, checking and topping up the water level every half hour or so.

6 Serve straight from the bowl or turn it out and cut it into segments. The butter crust makes this easier to do than the traditional suet one.