New Year's Pie

I took it into my head to make a steak and kidney pie for lunch on New Year's Day, to which end I consulted Fannie Farmer (reference 1) resulting in the post at reference 2. With Bing turning up a pretty good likeness of the version - among many other versions - that we have on our book shelf.

It turned out that the good ladies of Boston do not do kidney, with there being no entry in the index for steak and kidney pie. There was something called English meat pie which involved oysters, and then I turned up a Canadian meat pie which was made with steak and kidney. I was attracted to the suggestion that one cooks the meat, then drain off the liquor and make the gravy with it, adding a suitable fraction back to the meat on its way into the pie. Which seemed a better way forward that flouring the meat and cooking that - an approach which works but which is likely to result in the meat catching on the bottom of the pan.

Procured about a pound and a half of good looking beef and just the one kidney, probably a pig's kidney, not terribly fresh, from the butcher in Manor Green Road. An older gentleman there thought that they don't use offal in the States at all, which explained the absence of the pie from the index. I dare say it is part of their diet, but maybe not as big a part as it used to be here, say forty years ago. I used to make stews with ox kidneys until ten years ago, and with hearts rather less recently. BH tried tripe just the once, and my recollection is that we were not that impressed. Apart from anything else quite a lot of bother. The remarks about liver at reference 3 are also relevant.

Asked at the Waitrose meat counter where it turned out to be the sort of thing which turned up from time to time, but no joy on this day. Asked in the butcher in Upper High Street and he had, rather to my surprise, no kidney at all. No call for it was his story. So one kidney was going to have to do.

Started by frying a finely chopped onion in a little oil. Then added the chopped meat and cooked for 20 minutes or so, turning to make sure it was brown all over. Then added half a pint or so of water and simmered for around half an hour. A little too long as it turned out.

Strained off the liquor and worked it into a roux made with butter and flour. Left both the meat and gravy to cool, separately. Put the meat in a pie dish and added some of the gravy.

Over to BH at this point who made a short crust pastry top, using two parts of flour to one part of fat, Trex rather than lard.

Cooked for around 45 minutes at 200°C, too high and/or too long as it turned out. But it looked good.

Served with brussels, mash, roasted up left over potatoes, the remainder of the gravy and Fleurie.

Not bad for a first attempt at a pie for a long time, but I though the meat was a little overcooked and the pastry was a little dry, a bit like that you get with some Cornish pasties.

As it happened, Fannie had suggested using what she calls plain paste, which is made in the way of our puff pastry. While I have a soft spot for pastry made with suet rather than with flour.

So, to be tried again in due course. More kidney, tweak the pastry and a bit less cooking. But the basic recipe was good. Maybe take on the comments of a correspondent in Tooting who knows all about the meat and potato pies of his native Barrow-in-Furness. A place where the inhabitants - the male ones that is - fuss as much about their meat pies as the inhabitants of Islington might fuss about their Camemberts.

PS: an invitation to a fancy hotel in the Red Sea arrived in my email this morning. Another from a camp site operator in France. And YouGov wanted to know about my television watching habits - on which, for once, having switching to streaming since they last asked, I had some news for them.

References

Reference 1: Boston Cooking School Cook Book - Fannie Farmer - 1896.

Reference 2: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2022/12/every-house-must-have-one.html.

Reference 3: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2023/01/leatherhead.html.