Steak, mushroom and kidney pudding

By Matt Tebbutt
From Saturday Kitchen

Ingredients

For the Pastry

• Self-raising flour: 350g/12oz, plus extra for dusting
• Beef suet: 175g/6oz
• Free-range egg yolk: 1
• Milk: splash, to bind
• Black pepper: to taste

For the Filling

• Beef shin, cubed: 600g/1lb 5oz
• Plain flour: 2–3 tbsp
• Beef fat: 2 tbsp
• Whole beef kidney, membrane removed and cubed: 1
• Chestnut mushrooms, quartered: 8
• Onions, chopped: 2
• Bay leaf: 1
• Chopped fresh thyme leaves: 1 tbsp
• Worcestershire sauce: 200ml/7fl oz
• Tomato purée: 2 tbsp
• Red wine: 250ml/9fl oz
• Hot beef stock: 800ml/1½ pints
• Butter: for greasing
• Salt and black pepper: to taste
• Buttered greens: to serve

Method

Preparing the Pastry

1. In a food processor, combine flour, suet, egg yolk, and black pepper.
2. Blend ingredients, gradually adding small amounts of milk until the dough comes together.
3. Remove dough from the processor, wrap it, and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Making the Filling

1. Season beef with salt and pepper, then coat with flour.
2. Heat beef fat in a pan over high heat. Add beef and sauté for 8-10 minutes until well-browned on all sides. Remove from pan.
3. Add kidneys to the pan and sauté for 4-5 minutes. Remove from pan.
4. Sauté mushrooms for 2-3 minutes until colored. Remove from pan.
5. Add onions, bay leaf, and thyme to the pan. Fry for about 10 minutes until soft.
6. Add Worcestershire sauce and cook until reduced.
7. Stir in tomato purée and red wine. Reduce by half.
8. Return mushrooms and beef to the pan. Add stock and simmer for 1 hour 30 minutes.
9. After simmering, add kidneys back to the pan.

Assembling the Pudding

1. Grease and line a 2-liter pudding basin.
2. Divide pastry into two portions: two-thirds and one-third.
3. On a floured surface, roll out both portions to 2cm thickness.
4. Use the larger piece to line the pudding basin, reserving the smaller piece for the lid.
5. Fill the lined basin with the prepared filling.
6. Brush pastry edges with water, cover with the lid, and pinch edges to seal. Trim excess pastry.

Steaming the Pudding

1. Prepare a cartouche: Cut a piece of baking paper the same size as a large piece of kitchen foil. Butter one side of the paper.
2. Place the buttered side of the paper facing up on the foil.
3. Create a 2.5cm pleat in the center of both layers to allow for expansion.
4. Cover the pudding with the cartouche and foil, butter side down.
5. Secure the covering around the basin edges with string.
6. Steam in a large pan with a tight-fitting lid for approximately 2 hours 30 minutes.

Serving

Serve the pudding with buttered greens.