Description
This homemade steak and kidney pie is made of two layers of buttery pastry encasing tender chunks of beef and kidney coated with tasty gravy. It’s warm, satisfying, and absolutely delicious.
Ingredients
Scale
For the filling:
- 340 g lamb, veal, or pig kidney (0.75 lb or 12 oz)
- 240 ml whole milk (1 cup)
- 2 medium-sized yellow onions
- 800 g beef stew meat (1.75 lb or 28 oz), chuck roast is the traditional cut
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil, plus more if needed
- 1 ½ tsp fine sea salt
- ½ tsp black pepper, freshly ground
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour, heaped
- 415 ml beef stock (1 ¾ cups)
- a dash of Worcestershire sauce
- 2 bay leaves
- 30 g cornstarch (¼ cup)
- 45 ml water (3 tbsp)
For the pie crust (shortcrust pastry):
- 560 g all-purpose flour (4 cups)
- 1 ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 175 g butter (1 ½ sticks), fridge-cold
- 100 g lard* (8 tbsp or ½ cup), fridge-cold
- 120 ml cold water (½ cup)
- 1 egg, to glaze the pie
Instructions
- Prepare the kidney. If your kidneys still have a membrane surrounding them, cut into it with a sharp knife and remove the membrane. Trim off the lumps of white fat and discard them. Cut each kidney in half and remove any pieces of membrane or fat in the center of each kidney half. Cut each half into bite-size pieces, 3 cm (1 ¼ in) chunks will do. Put the kidney pieces in a bowl and pour the milk over them. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge until needed.
- Cook the beef. Peel the onions, thinly slice them and set them aside. Cut the beef into 4 cm (1 ½ in) pieces and remove any excess white fat. Heat half of the oil in a large heavy-based non-stick pan or a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add half of the chunks of meat in a single layer and cook until dark brown on each side, stirring from time to time with a wooden spoon, about 8 min. Transfer the pieces to a plate and add the rest of the oil to the pan. Brown the other batch of meat in the same way and transfer it to the plate. Tip the sliced onions into the empty pan and cook until softened, stirring occasionally, about 5 min. Add a bit more oil to the pan if needed to keep the onions from sticking to the bottom. Return the meat to the pan. Season with salt and black pepper. Sprinkle the flour over the meat and onion and stir with the spoon until everything is well coated. Pour in the stock and Worcestershire sauce and add the bay leaves. Stir, then bring to a boil over high heat. Cover the pan with a lid and lower the heat to low. Cook for 1h50.
- Finish the filling. A few minutes before the beef is done simmering, remove the bowl with the kidney from the fridge. Drain the kidney pieces in a colander and rinse them gently under cold running water. Pat them dry with paper towels and add them to the pan. Give it a good stir, put the lid back on and cook the stew for 10 min. Remove the bay leaves and discard them. In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch and water together. Stir this slurry into the stew. Increase the heat to medium and let the stew simmer until the sauce has thickened, about 5 min. Transfer the filling to a heatproof container and leave uncovered to cool down to room temperature. Then cover the stew and refrigerate until needed. I usually prepare the filling the day before and leave it overnight in the fridge. You can make the filling on the day when you will bake the pie but make sure the filling has enough time to cool down. It should be as cold as the pie dough when you fill the pie crust.
- Make the pie crust dough (shortcrust pastry). Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Dice the butter and lard and rub them in the flour with your fingers until it looks like big breadcrumbs. It might take up to 6 min to get this result. Make a well in the center and pour in ¾ of the water. Stir with your fingertips, trying to gather all the flour in the mixing bowl. If necessary, add the rest of the water and more (1 tsp at a time), and stir until all the flour has been incorporated. When the dough sticks together, gently press it into a smooth ball. Divide the dough equally in half, and gently flatten each half into a disc. Wrap each disc tightly in plastic wrap and leave in the fridge to chill for 20 min.
- Assemble. Preheat the oven to 220 °C (430 °F). Lightly grease a 26 cm (10-inch) pie pan with butter. In a small bowl, beat the egg with a fork until blended and set the egg wash aside for now. On a floured work surface with a floured rolling pin, roll out one of the discs of dough into a thin circle about 33 cm (13 inches) in diameter. The dough should be about 4 mm (⅐-inch) thick. Line the pan with the dough, allowing the excess dough to hang over the edges, leaving it untouched for the time being. Ease the dough across the bottom and up the sides of the pan with your fingers. Spoon the filling onto the pie crust and press down to level the surface. Roll the other disc into a thin circle about 33 cm (13 inches) in diameter and 4 mm (⅐-inch) thick. Brush the edges of the dough in the pan with egg wash. Center the second dough circle over the filling. Fold the bottom crust excess over the top crust excess. Pinch the edges together to seal both crusts.
- Bake. Lightly brush the top of the pie with egg wash. Cut a small slit in the center of the top crust so that steam can escape whilst cooking. It will help the crust be less soggy. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set the pie on it. Bake the pie for 45 min in the center of the oven. After half an hour of baking time, you can cover the sides of the pie with foil if you notice that they are over-browning. When ready, the pie will be golden brown and the sauce will be bubbling through the slit. Leave the steak and kidney pie to stand for 15 min on a cooling rack before serving.
Notes
* If you don’t want to use lard, use 275 g (2 ⅓ sticks) of butter in total for the pie dough instead.
Leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator for 4 days. I usually leave my homemade steak and kidney pie in the pie pan and cover it tightly with aluminum foil.
To reheat, preheat your oven to 180 °C (355 °F). Put the slices in a baking dish (or on a baking pan) lined with parchment paper. Cover the slices loosely with aluminum foil to prevent over-browning in the oven. Reheat the slices in the oven for 15 min. To make sure that the filling is warmed through, insert the tip of a knife into the middle of the filling. Check with your finger or your tongue how warm the tip of the knife is when you pull it out. If it is warmed to your liking, then your homemade steak and kidney pie is ready to be eaten again!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 990
Keywords: british pies, cooking kidney, british pub food, traditional british recipes, hearty winter food