Steak And Kidney (or Mushroom) Pie

Total Time: 1 hr 45 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 15 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 1 1/2 lbs lean beef sirloin or 1 1/2 lbs top round steaks, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 lb veal kidney, peeled, trimmed of fat, and cut into 1-inch cubes (or any beef or lamb kidneys or substitute more mushrooms)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup rendered beef suet (or use 3 t butter and 1 t vegetable oil) or 1/4 cup lard (or use 3 t butter and 1 t vegetable oil)
• 1 cup thinly sliced fresh mushrooms (about 1/4 lb)
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 1/2 cups water (or use beef broth, if preferred)
• 1/4 cup dry sherry or 1/4 cup dry red wine
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
• 1 (17 1/4 ounce) package frozen puff pastry (take frozen pastry out of freezer 1-2 hours before use to thaw) or 1 (17 1/4 ounce) package homemade puff pastry (take frozen pastry out of freezer 1-2 hours before use to thaw)
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon cream or 1 tablespoon half-and-half or 1 tablespoon milk

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 425°f.
• 2 pat cubed meat with paper toweling until dry. sprinkle with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. combine meat and flour in a ziplock bag and shake around to coat.
• 3 in a large heavy skillet, heat suet until it is spluttering (but not smoking or scorching). brown a few (10-12) cubes of meat at a time, turning often, until browned, about 2-3 minutes. reduce heat if needed to prevent scorching. remove from pan to a heavy 2-quart deep casserole (about 4 inches deep) when browned.
• 4 repeat until all the meat is cooked. add more suet as needed.
• 5 reduce heat to medium and add mushrooms and onions. saute 2-3 minutes or until tender. transfer mushrooms and onions to casserole.
• 6 add water to skillet and bring to boil over high heat, scraping skillet with spoon to remove and browned bits. pour over meat mixture in casserole.
• 7 add sherry, parsley, thyme, worcestershire sauce, and remaining salt and pepper (or to taste) to mixture in casserole. stir gently to combine.
• 8 on a lightly floured board, roll puff pastry out into a rough rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. cut 2 12x1/2 inch strips from ends of pastry. lay strips end-to-end around rim of casserole and firmly press into place. moisten slightly with cold water.
• 9 drape remaining pastry over the rolling pin and transfer to casserole. with a small, sharp knife, trim off excess pastry. crimp edges.
• 10 reroll excess pastry and cut into decorative shapes (leaves, flowers, or whatever). moisten back sides of pastry cutouts with a mixture of the egg yolk and cream and place arrange attractively on top of the pie.
• 11 slash 2 parallel cuts about 1 inch long in the center of the pie. brush crust with the egg yolk and cream mixture.
• 12 bake in center of oven at 425°f for 30 minutes. reduce heat to 350°f and bake an additional 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
• 13 serve immediately, while fresh and hot.