Steak, Kidney and Vegetable Pie

Steak, kidney and vegetable pie with honey roasted veg and chips

Coming Soon! - World Cup 2014

Next Thursday (June 12th) sees the start of the FIFA World Cup in Brazil. 32 nations from around the world will be taking part and here on this blog, I am going to feature many of the cuisines of the participating nations, giving each of them my own little twist. I hope you'll stop by to see some of the dishes I come up with, whether or not you are a fan of the tournament itself.

Steak and kidney pie is a classic English dish but this recipe is a slight variation on the traditional. While vegetables are often included in the pie filling, this recipe sees them included in greater proportion. The pastry used to top the pie is also puff pastry, whereas shortcrust may be more common.

I have to admit that I cheated a little bit with the honey roasted veg served with the pie. They were bought oven ready in a foil dish from the supermarket but you could of course prepare them yourself entirely from scratch. The principal vegetables included were carrot, onions, beetroot and parsnip, with a sprig of fresh rosemary and a small pack of honey glaze also included.

Vegetables for steak, kidney and vegetable pie

Ingredients

1/2 pound diced stewing beef
1/4 pound diced ox kidney
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Salt and black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 pint homemade beef stock
1 celery stick, trimmed and chopped
1/2 red onion, peeled and sliced
1 small carrot, trimmed and chopped
1 red chilli, seeded and finely chopped
1/4 pound puff pastry (for thicker pastry topping, use 1/2 pound pastry)
Flour for dusting/rolling pastry
Beaten egg for glazing pastry
1 pound pack of oven roasting vegetables
Homemade chips or French fries to serve

Browning steak and kidney for pie

Instructions

Pour the oil in to a large stew pot and gently heat. Add the steak and kidney, seasoning with salt, pepper and the dried thyme. Brown and seal the meat over a medium heat, stirring all the time with a wooden spoon.

Prepared vegetables are added to steak, kidney and beef stock

After two or three minutes and when the meat is evenly sealed, add the carrot, celery, onion and chilli as well as the beef stock. Stir well and bring to a simmer until the steak is tender. The timescale will vary depending upon which type of beef/steak you use but be prepared for it to take at least an hour, possibly significantly longer. When done, turn off the heat, cover and leave to cool completely. What you could do here is prepare the dish to this stage one night, let it cool and refrigerate it for easier dinner preparation the following evening.

Cutting pastry lid for steak, kidney and vegetable pie

Put your oven on to preheat to 210C/425F/Gas Mark 7. Select a pie dish which comfortably holds the pie filling. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface large enough that you can use the dish as a template for cutting the pastry lid to the correct size.

Steak, kidney and vegetable pie filling

Spoon the cooled steak, kidney and vegetables in to the pie dish and lay the cut pastry carefully on top.

Oven ready steak, kidney and vegetable pie

Crimp the edges of the pastry and glaze with beaten egg. Make sure you don't forget to cut two or three small steam vents in the centre of the pastry. Sit the dish on a roasting tray (this helps to contain any potential gravy leaks/spills) and place in to the hot oven for 35 to 40 minutes.

Steak, kidney and vegetable pie

Check the instructions on your veg roasting pack. These veg were required to be roasted for forty-five minutes so were placed in the oven soon after the pie. This allowed them to finish cooking while the pie rested briefly after being taken from the oven.

Honey roast vegetables

The honey and rosemary required to be added to these vegetables shortly before they were ready, carefully being stirred through the veg.

Cutting in to steak, kidney and vegetable pie

This recipe was made to serve two people so the pastry was firstly cut in half before being lifted one half over the other as shown above.

Steak, kidney and vegetable pie filling is plated

Half the filling was lifted to the first serving plate with a slotted spoon before the relevant half of puff pastry was sat on top.

Honey roasted veg are plated with steak, kidney and vegetable pie

Half the vegetables were added to the plate, followed by the homemade chips. This was delicious so if you like steak and kidney pie but are looking for a slight twist on your usual recipe, why not give this a try?

Tucking in to steak, kidney and vegetable pie with roast veg and chips

Homemade Venison Game Pie

Red deer venison game pie is served with homemade chips and garden peas

A game pie is very often - or perhaps even most often - made with a variety of three or more different types of wild game. That does not mean for a second, however, that an excellent game pie can not be made with just one type of wild game. In this instance, advantage was taken of a really good deal obtained on Scottish red deer venison and the pie was delicious. This recipe will work with any type of venison, from moose, to caribou to roe deer.

Ingredients for Two Servings

3/4lb chopped venison haunch
Olive oil
2 medium carrots
1 medium onion
1 tsp dried thyme
Salt and pepper
1 pint fresh beef stock
1/2 bottle red wine*
1/2lb puff pastry
Flour for rolling the pastry
Beaten egg for glazing the pastry
Homemade chips/French fries as required
Frozen garden peas as required

* Do you get confused about which type of red wine you should use in your cooking? I have heard some top chefs say that only the cheapest of red wine should be used in cooking (to save money) but equally, I have heard other top chefs say that only quality red wine that you would really enjoy drinking should be used. If top chefs can't agree, how can we be expected to judge? Personally, I tend to go somewhere between the two. You don't want to use a wine that is of such poor quality that you couldn't possibly force yourself to drink it - but equally, why waste the good stuff that is far better consumed straight from a glass? The bottom line is that it's all down to personal taste, as well as the nature of the dish you are making. In this particular instance, it doesn't really matter - go with what you can afford and what you prefer and don't get too hung up on the issue. 

Venison is quickly browned in a little olive oil

Directions

Add a tablespoon or so of olive oil (a good glug, is the technical term!) to a large pot and gently heat. Add the diced venison and brown and seal, stirring with a wooden spoon. This will take a couple of minutes.

Carrot, onion and seasoning is added to the browned venison

Peel the carrots and onion. Slice the carrots in to discs. Half the onions and finely slice. Add the vegetables and thyme to the venison and season. Stir for a further minute or so.

Red wine and beef stock are added to the venison and vegetables

Pour the stock in to the pot along with the red wine. Bring to a simmer and cook in this way for two hours, stirring occasionally and carefully keeping your eye on the liquid level. If your simmer is gentle enough, it should be fine, but you can top up with a little hot water if necessary. After two hours, try a small bit of the venison - it should be beautifully tender. Turn off the heat, cover and leave to cool completely. (This will take around another couple of hours but note that the meat combination could now be refrigerated to assemble the pie for dinner the following evening).
 

Venison and stock ready to be topped with pastry for the pie

Put the meat and stock in to a pie dish, measuring 9" by 6". The stock should almost but not quite cover the meat.

Rolling the pastry for the venison game pie

Roll out your pastry on a clean, dry, floured surface to about 10" by 7", so that it will be slightly larger than the pie dish. Lay it carefully on top of the dish and crimp and tuck the edges.

Venison game pie is ready for the oven

Glaze the pie with beaten egg, using a pastry brush. Remember also to cut a steam vent in the centre. Lay it on a roasting tray (helps prevent possible spillage necessitating an oven clean) and bake in the oven, preheated to 400F/200C, for around 40 minutes, until the pastry is beautifully risen and golden.

Venison game pie removed from the oven

When you take your pie from the oven, don't cut it for service immediately. Remember, meat should be rested after cooking, whether it be a roast or a pie like this. Set it aside for fifteen minutes.

Plating the meat of the venison game pie

Cut the pastry of the pie in half and remove to a temporary holding plate. Use a slotted spoon to divide the meat between two serving plates and top with the pastry. Serve with your homemade chips/fries and the frozen peas cooked as per the instructions on the packet.

Pastry is added to the venison game pie filling