Steak and Kidney Pie

This recipe started out on Dishy (Dishyapp.com).  Bonzo doesn't eat fungi so this doesn't include mushrooms but it doesn't suffer from the lack.  Although it takes a while to cook, hence not suitable for my Friday evenings, it is worth the effort.

1)  Heat some oil in a large saucepan;

2)  Cut 400g of braising steak into 2cm cubes and dry with kitchen towel (learnt this from Julie and Julia and their Boeuf Bourgignon) which helps it to brown;

3)  Brown the steak in batches.  Again, doing this means that the meat browns rather than boiling in it s own juices and coming out grey;

4)  Dissect 400g of lamb kidneys, removing the white grisly bits.  Dry with a kitchen towel;

5)  Brown the kidney in batches;

6)  Whilst all this frying is going on, finely chop a medium onion and two medium carrots;

7)  Once all the meat is browned, add more oil to the pan if needed then sweat off the onion and carrots on a mdium hat ie soften without browning;

8)  Tip the meat back into the pan and add a tablespoon of plain flour.  Cook for one minute;

9)  Add 450ml of beef stock (1 sachet of Knorr stock in my case);

10)  Add a teaspoon of dried mixed herbs plus salt and pepper to taste;

11)  Bring to the boil and then put on a very low heat to simmer (with the lid on) for 2 hours or until the meat is soft;

12)  Heat the oven to 200C;

13)  Tip the stew into a pie dish;

14)  Roll out sufficient defrosted puff pastry to cover the dish.  I usually buy ready rolled. Trim it to size and press it into the pie dish to seal. No need for egg or milk wash;

15)  Put in the oven for however long it tells you on the puff pastry packet.

Confession time:  Saturday is strictly my husband's turn to cook.  I put the pie in; he was in the kitchen; I assumed that he was watching it.  Not completely ruined as he did his duty and cut the burnt bits off.  Just enough to feed three of us without any extra potatoes or veg.

I'd give it a 3 for preparation as frying the meat in batches is a bit of a faff but well worth it.  I forgot to ask the others for a score but Bonzo cleared his plate including the pattern and the Wrigglebottom didn't.  I reckon that makes it about an 8.5 so 11.5 overall. That would mean that it wouldn't make it onto the list but I think I'd have ariot on my hands if I didn't make it again this year!

Still to come - waffles with honey, yoghurt and pecans, roast chicken on a weeknight and chicken pie....

Bon appetit!