History Cookbook: Steak and Kidney Pie

Healthiness : (21 votes)

Tastes in the interwar years were very conservative. Most people (except the very rich and very poor) expected a substantial main meal of meat and two vegetables every day. Many people were suspicious of foreign food. Steak and kidney pie was a well-known favourite in this era.

For the filling:

• 1 lb (464g) of shoulder steak
• 2 sheep's kidneys
• 1 tablespoon of flour
• salt
• pepper
• 1 minced onion
• stock or water

For the flaky pastry:

• 8 oz (230g) flour
• 3 oz (85g) butter
• water
• 1 teaspoonful baking powder
• 4 oz (115g) lard
• pinch salt

1 oz = 28.35g

• Weighing scales
• Chopping board
• Sharp knife
• Tablespoon
• Measuring jug
• Wooden spoon
• Mixing bowl
• Sieve
• Dish
• Food brush
• Pie dish

Always wash your hands before preparing food.

Preparing the filling:

1. Cut the steak into very thin slices
2. Split, skin, core and slice the kidneys
3. Mix the flour and seasoning
4. Dip the meat in the flour and seasoning mix
5. Pack the pie dish loosely to a little above the level of the dish
6. Fill with water or stock
7. Cover with flaky pastry
8. Place in the oven for 1 hour and a half

Making the flaky pastry:

1. Sift the flour with the baking powder
2. Rub in butter and add enough water to mix to a stiff paste
3. Put lard on a well-floured board and press out into thin pieces with a rolling pin
4. Roll out pastry to a square shape
5. Cover pastry with the pressed lard and then fold the pastry sides to the centre both ways, then fold in half again. The pastry should then be folded in eight
6. Roll the pastry slightly larger than the top of the dish
7. Cut two bands about 1/2 inch wide
8. Moisten the rim of dish with water and lay the bands of pastry around the dish edge
9. Moisten the pastry edge and lay on the main pastry cover
10. Decorate the edges with the prongs of a fork
    Cut a hole in the centre of the pastry and brush the top only with egg

There are 3 comments for this recipe.
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Name: Dorie	8th December 2011
You've really captured all the essentials in this sujbcet area, haven't you?

Name: Nerys	13th November 2011
I made this last night. Yummy. Tip to make it nicer - bash up the slices of beef, coated in flour, with a meat mallet before frying them first. Bashing them flat is quite fun as long as you wash your hands carefully afterwards, and helps stop the meat being chewy.

Name: Alan M	17th August 2011
Tell you what, the Trench Stew from the WW1 period "Avoid" food sounds better than this!

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