Stake and kidney pudding.

Another classic British dish that is a real winter warmer and knowing the British summertime an all round dish.

You will need.

For the filling.
675g/1½lb chuck steak, cut into 2.5cm/1in cubes
225g/8oz ox kidney, cut into 2.5cm1in cubes
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 stick of celery
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Some fresh thyme leaves
A bay leaf
2 tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp butter
150ml/¼pt fresh beef stock
100ml/4 floz ale.

For the Suet pastry
400g/14oz self-raising flour
200g/7oz beef or vegetarian suet
Salt freshly ground black pepper to taste.
290ml/½ pint cold water

Now to start with if you are going to make a steak and kidney pudding you should cook the meat in the pastry for about five hours. But I do not do it like that.

First, take your beef and brown that of in a saucepan, then add of your onions and celery add them to the pot. Make sure that you get a good dark brown colure on the meat and onions as this will give the colure to the gravy. Add the bay leaf and the thyme the beef stock and bring to the boil then simmer until the meat is cooked. Once the meat is cooked, add the kidney to the pot and cook until the meat is tender. If you look like you are boiling dry just add a little extra water. Once every thing is cooked take of the heat and place in a bowl add the beer and then chill till the meat is cool.

Once every thing is fully cooled and the meat has had time to marinade in the stock and beer separate the meat from the liquids. Remove the bay leaf and any twigs from the thyme. Take a pan melt the butter and add the flour to make a roux then add the beef stock and beer. Then add the liquids to the pan and make your gravy. Once you have done this you can make your pastry.

Sift the flour in to a bowl, mix with the suet then season. Then add the water and mix until you have a good pastry mix. Then roll and line the pudding basin add the meat to the pudding and then pour the gravy over the meat. Then top the pudding with a disc of pastry or fold the pastry over to cover the fill.

Now if you want to make individual Puddings using this method it is perfect because you can make sure that you have the same amount of meat and gravy in each pudding. Also by making the pudding like this you can guaranty that all, the meat will be fully cooked.

Then steam the pudding for about one and a half hours and it is ready to serve.