That soft crust indicates that this is a steamed steak and kidney pudding, rather than a crusty pie. The topping for such a ‘pie’ is made from suet. (Photo: Tony Jackman)
The “puddings” of the older English meat pies weren’t sweet but savoury fillings for either a flaky, puffy crust of the type we know today or the soft, suet encasement of steamed “puddings” now out of favour. In early Victorian times, you’d find either steak or kidney in them, but not both. The marriage ensued later, and all of us who adore a steak and kidney pie are the happier for it.
A “pudding”, in this sense, is a steamed savoury dish. I was brought up with them by my British parents. In those days you could buy steak and kidney puddings in large tins at the grocery store. The crust is soft and made of suet, and the “pudding” is steamed. They’re quite different from the crispy crust we are accustomed to today. Suet is the hardish fat around the kidneys of cows and sheep, so it makes perfect sense to use in the wrapping for a steak and kidney pie.
Recipes for steak and kidney pie date as far back as 1694 in a book called The Compleat Cook listed ingredients that included currants, prunes, and nutmeg. But not of course Worcestershire sauce, which was only invented in 1835 by Lea & Perrins, yet which is today regarded as essential to these pies.
In Mrs Beeton’s Household Management, published in 1859, it is explained that the combination of steak and kidney within a pastry crust, whether as a pie or the old English notion of a savoury “pudding”, originated in Sussex so was only a regional dish and unknown in the other counties. Sussex was then a single county though today it is two, West Sussex (with Chichester as the county town) and East Sussex with its famed port city of Brighton.
Wikipedia notes that Mrs Beeton “suggested that steak and kidney could be ‘very much enriched’ by the addition of mushrooms or oysters”. Well, that didn’t seem to catch on. Mushrooms, yes, but oysters, though then cheap, became much more expensive and a luxury item later on.
Jane Grigson, writing in 1974, called for veal or ox kidney to be used, though many modern cooks prefer lamb or mutton (sheep) kidneys. Ox kidneys are slightly less in favour today, though older-school “celebrity” chefs such as Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Delia Smith and Mary Berry are said to favour ox kidney.
A frequent supper for the wizards at Hogwarts, steak and kidney pie was also on the menu at JK Rowling’s fictional Leaky Cauldron pub, while in Cockney rhyming slang you might order one at your local pub as either a Kate and Sidney pie, snake and kiddy pie or, worse and offensive to the modern ear, a snake and pygmy pie.
Often it would also have stout such as Guinness in it or another variety of beer. I used a Black Label lager, chiefly because my local did not have Guinness, and I did use Worcestershire sauce, but I also added hot English mustard and Port, because the latter gives a little sweetness to offset the bitter bite of the beer. Tasting the result confirmed, for my palate, that it was a good idea to include those two, and it added rather than took away from a steak and kidney pie which still tasted like the real deal, if with a bit of extra pizzazz.
Other known ingredients of this Brit classic have included bacon (which makes sense but which I did not include), and mushrooms (which I used).
I doubt very much that the old British recipes for the English palate used garlic, but what harm can a couple of cloves of it do? I also used some fresh rosemary.
What there can be no dispute about is that your steak and kidney pie must have steak, kidney, and onions. And a lovely crunchy pie crust. I used puff pastry, the shop-bought variety, and you can use that or shortcrust pastry too. A hot water pie crust is also suitable.
As for accompaniments, you might think that mashed potato was the obvious choice, as it goes with a lot of pies, but the thinking is that chips make a better match for a steak and kidney pie.
Finally, make sure the filling is nice and saucy, so that it self-sauces from within. You can, however, make a traditional onion gravy to go with it.
Find my recipe for steak and kidney pie here. DM/TGIFood
Tony Jackman is Galliova Food Champion 2021. His book, foodSTUFF, is available in the DM Shop. Buy it here.
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