Steak and Kidney Pie
Units
Temperature
Servings
Ingredients
Filling
- 400 g beef kidney, trimmed of the white core, cut into 2 cm pieces rounded
- 500 ml milk, for soaking rounded
- 900 g braising steak, cut into 3 cm cubes rounded
- 50 g flour, for dusting the meat rounded
- 45 ml neutral oil, divided rounded
- 200 g onion, chopped rounded
- 200 g button mushrooms, halved rounded
- 600 ml beef stock rounded
- 200 ml stout rounded
- 15 g fresh thyme rounded
- to taste fine salt and black pepper rounded
Pastry
- 500 g puff pastry, ready-rolled, store-bought rounded
- 1 egg, beaten, for egg wash rounded
Method
Method
- Soak the trimmed kidney pieces in the milk for 1 hour. Drain, rinse, and pat dry. This draws out the strong flavour that gives the dish its bad reputation when skipped.
- Toss the steak cubes in the flour, shaking off the excess. Heat half the oil in a heavy pot over high heat and brown the steak in batches, setting each batch aside.
- Add the remaining oil. Sauté the onion for 5 minutes, until soft. Add the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes more.
- Return the steak to the pot along with the kidney, stock, stout and thyme. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook on low heat for 2.5 to 3 hours, until the steak is fork-tender.
- Uncover and simmer for a further 15 to 20 minutes, until the gravy has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool completely.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan). Transfer the cold filling to a deep pie dish.
- Roll the puff pastry slightly larger than the dish and drape it over the filling, pressing the edges to seal against the rim. Trim the excess and crimp.
- Brush with beaten egg and cut a steam vent in the centre.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the pastry is deeply golden brown and the filling is bubbling at the vent.
Notes
- Trim every trace of the white core from the kidneys and soak them in milk. Skipping either step is what gives steak and kidney pie its reputation for tasting sharp and ammoniated; done properly, the kidney adds a rounded mineral note rather than dominating.
- Braise the steak and kidney together low and slow until the steak is genuinely fork-tender. Rushed braising leaves the steak chewy no matter how well the kidney is prepared.
- Cool the filling completely before topping it with pastry, same reasoning as any pie: a hot filling melts the butter in the pastry before it sets, leaving a soggy result.
- It keeps and reheats well for 3 days, and the filling alone freezes well for up to 3 months.
Ingredient substitutions
- Lamb kidneys work in place of beef kidney, and need less soaking, about 30 minutes.
- A splash of Worcestershire sauce in the gravy is a common addition.
- Serve with mashed potatoes and peas, the classic pairing.