British🥩 Meat

Steak & Kidney Pudding

Name: Steak & Kidney Pudding
Total time: 2 h 25 min
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: ~600 g lean stewing beef; 1 tbsp cooking oil (olive oil); 1 medium onion, finely diced; ~600 ml beef stock; ~200 g kidney, diced; ¼ tsp salt; ¼ tsp black pepper; 2 bay leaves; 1 tbsp tomato puree or paste; 2 tsp cornflour (cornstarch); 40 ml cold water; 3 tsp baking powder; ~300 g plain or all-purpose flour; ~100 g butter; ~100 g suet; ~2 leeks; ~150 ml milk; ~1 tbsp lard (for greasing bowl)

⏱ 145 min

A classic British steak and kidney pudding with a light steamed suet and leek pastry crust encasing tender stewed beef and kidney filling.

Adapted from a video by John Kirkwood

Steak & Kidney Pudding: King of Savoury Puddings

Watch on YouTube

Ingredients

lean stewing beef~600 gest.
cooking oil (olive oil)1 tbsp
medium onion, finely diced1
beef stockor use beef stock cubes if fresh stock is unavailable~600 mlest.
kidney, dicedoptional; if unavailable or disliked, add more beef instead~200 gest.
salt¼ tsp
black pepper¼ tsp
bay leaves2
tomato puree or paste1 tbsp
cornflour (cornstarch)heaped, mixed into cold water2 tsp

Steps

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1
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Once hot, add the beef and fry until browned.
2
Add the diced onion and fry, tossing occasionally, for a couple of minutes until the onion colours.
3
Transfer the browned beef and onion to a medium-sized saucepan with a lid. Switch to medium heat and add the beef stock.
4
Check the seasoning and add a quarter teaspoon each of salt and black pepper.
5
Add two bay leaves and a tablespoon of tomato puree or paste. Bring to a simmer, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 1 hour.
6
When 15 minutes remain, add the diced kidney and continue simmering until the hour is complete.
7
Once cooked, check the meat is tender. Ladle out half the beef stock (to be used for gravy later) and remove the bay leaves.
8
Mix two heaped teaspoons of cornflour with 40ml of cold water to make a thickener. Gradually add the thickener to the pot, stirring until the filling reaches the desired thickness. Cover and cool completely.
9
Make the pudding pastry: add three teaspoons of baking powder to the plain flour and mix. Sift into a medium bowl, pushing any lumps through with your fingers.
10
Add butter to the flour and rub together with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
11
Add the suet and mix everything together. If suet is unavailable, add an extra 55g of butter, lard, or vegetable shortening instead.
12
Add the leeks (or spring onions if unavailable) and mix. Add a pinch of salt if desired, but remember that baking powder already contains salt.
13
Add milk and use a dinner knife to cut everything together, forming a sticky dough.
14
Tip the dough onto the work surface, knead it together, form into a disc, return to the bowl, cover, and rest for 10 minutes.
15
Prepare a pudding bowl or basin, greased with lard, and a round piece of parchment paper to fit it.
16
Remove the pastry from the bowl and cut off 100g (3.5 oz) for the lid. Form the larger piece back into a disc.
17
Dust the work surface with flour, place the pastry in the centre, and roll out to a 6mm (1/4 inch) thickness using a rolling pin.
18
Once rolled, cut out a small wedge as shown, then carefully line the greased bowl with the pastry, ensuring the entire interior is covered with about 1/4 inch overhanging at the top.
19
Form the lid pastry piece and the cut-out wedge into a disc, roll out to 6mm (1/4 inch) thickness, and check it fits the bowl opening.
20
Spoon the cooled filling into the bowl, stopping about an inch from the top of the pastry. Tap the bowl gently to release any air pockets.
21
Carefully place the lid pastry on top of the filling. Pinch the edges of the wall and lid pastry together all the way around the bowl.
22
Brush water around the edges of both pastries with a pastry brush. Using a small knife, gently fold the wall pastry over the lid to blend and seal it completely.
23
Center a pleated parchment paper over the pudding and secure with an elastic band or string. Place in a steamer pot over boiling water, reduce heat to low, and steam for 1 hour. Alternatively, place the bowl directly in shallow boiling water with a lid on the pan and steam for 30 minutes.
24
Once steaming is complete, carefully lift the pudding out onto a towel. With oven gloves on, place it on a plate, cut the string or elastic band, and slowly peel away the parchment paper. Let it rest for 10 minutes.
25
Run a finger around the top edge to ensure it's loose all around. Place a plate on top of the pudding and, with one hand on the bowl and one on the plate, gently flip it over. The bowl should slide off easily.
26
Using a sharp thin-bladed knife, cut a slice out and try to lift it onto the serving plate in one piece.
27
Make the gravy: heat the reserved beef stock in a small saucepan and thicken with the remaining cornflour slurry. Serve alongside the pudding.

Steak & Kidney Pudding

Ingredients

Steps

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