With a cold winter weekend heading our way, Paul Mercurio has offered up this this heart classic to warm your cockles.

Steak & Kidney Pie

Ingredients

• 1 red onion – sliced
• 3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
• 130 slice of chili pancetta – cut into lardons
• 250g lamb kidneys – fat removed cut into small dice
• 1tbls each of rosemary and thyme – finely chopped
• Plain flour
• Salt
• Pepper
• Paprika
• 750g blade steak – cut 3cm dice
• 1 cup of beef stock
• 1 330mil bottle of Leffe Radieuse – a strong Belgian Ale
• 1 stick of cinnamon
• ½ cup of sultanas
• 1 cup of tomatoes – diced
• 1 cup eggplant – cubed
• 1 cup Swiss/brown mushrooms – small dice
• Olive oil
• 4 sheets of Puff pastry
• 8 sheets of short crust pastry
• 8 pie tins, or use a large muffin tray or you can make one large pie in a 22cm spring form cake tin although you will need to blind bake the pastry if you go the one large option

Method

Pre heat oven to 160°c

For pie filling:
In a large oven proof pot over medium high heat cook the onions in the olive oil until translucent and then add the garlic and pancetta lardons and continue to cook for another 5 minutes or so before adding the chopped herbs and the kidneys. Cook for about 5 minutes stirring to combine then remove the mix from the heat and put in a bowl and set aside and keep warm.

Whilst the onions are cooking cut the beef into cubes about 2 cms by 2cm square or so. Put the flour into a plastic bag and season with the salt, pepper and paprika and then put the meat into the bag and give it all a big shake to coat well. Add more olive oil to the pan that the onions, bacon and herbs were cooked in and brown the beef in batches making sure to shake off excess flour and adding more olive oil for each batch.

Once all the meat is browned remove it to a bowl. Deglaze the pan with half the beef stock stirring vigorously and scrapping the bottom of the pan to loosen all the flavor burnt on when browning the meat. Add 100mils of the beer and continue to stir and scrape to combine the liquid and the scrapings. Add the browned beef into the pan and add the onion, kidney mix also then add the rest of the beef stock and about another 150mils of the beer and bring to the boil. Add in the stick of cinnamon and taste for seasoning adding salt and black pepper as needed. Cut out a circle of baking paper so it fits snuggly on top of the meat and seals the side of the pan, then cover with a lid and put into the oven. Cook for 40 minutes.

Check meat and add the tomato, sultanas, mushrooms and the egg plant and cook for another 20 – 30 minutes or so until the meat is tender and pulls apart easily. Do not over cook as this will dry the meat out. If you still have a lot of liquid in the pan remove all the solids and keep warm and put the pot on the stove and boil to reduce and thicken the sauce to your desired consistency – it should be unctuous and thick. Once reduced take off the heat reintroduce the solids to the sauce and let it all cool down before you make your pies.

Pre heat oven to 200°C

[amazon-product]174266542X[/amazon-product]

Wipe a little olive oil in each of the pie tins and then cut out eight rounds from the short crust pastry – these will be the bottom of your pie so make sure you cut a big enough circle to fit in your pie tin or muffin tin and up over the sides with excess hanging over the sides – I used a tea cup saucer as a guide. Fill your pie base with the cold filling and then cut out 8 rounds from the puff pastry to make your lids – I used the pie tin as a guide. Brush the overhanging pastry with the egg mix then lay your lid on top of the pie and fold the bottom over the top and twist as you go to seal together. Brush a little more of the egg mix over the top and then sprinkle with poppy seeds. Pierce the top with a sharp knife so the steam may escape while the pie cooks.

Bake in the oven for 25 – 30 minutes or until golden. Remove and let sit for a few minutes before turning out and eating.

Makes 8

Editor’s beer match recommendation: something with more malt body to match the richness of the meat, such as White Rabbit Dark Ale, Vale DRK, a dry stout (4 Pines) or Bridge Road’s Robust Porter. I’d also like to try it with a something like a sour Belgian red ale.

For more beery recipes, check out Paul Mercurio’s excellent Cooking with Beer, which comes highly recommended by Australian Brews News (no money has chnaged hands for that recco either!)