Sunday, October 2, 2011

Steak and Kidney Pie

Another typical British delicacy today: Steak and Kidney Pie. And our favorite British wizards are eating this British favorite when Harry tells Ron that he will be playing the favorite sport in the Wizarding World:

"Ron had a piece of steak and kidney pie halfway to his mouth, but he'd forgotten all about it" (Sorcerer's Stone 152).

You may well ask how on earth I will make a vegetarian Steak and Kidney Pie. Well, I'm told that kidney has a similar texture to portobello mushrooms (this fact might alter my perception of portobellos...). So I will be modifying the recipe from The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook by using vegan steak and portobello mushrooms!

For the Crust, You Will Need:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (oops, I used 2.5... but my crust was still a bit sticky...)
1 tsp salt
9 Tbs chilled vegetable shortening
8 Tbs (1 stick) cold butter, cut into chunks
1/2 to 3/4 cup ice water

For the Filling, You Will Need:
1 pound your favorite vegetarian steak (I'm using Gardein's Beefless Tips) chopped into 1/4" pieces
3 Tbs vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 Tbs all-purpose flour
1 cup vegetable broth
3 Tbs tomato paste
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 pound portobello mushrooms, finely diced (I only used 6oz, 'cause that's all I had)


1. To make the crust, place the flour and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine. Scatter the shortening and butter chunks over the flour mixture and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.


2. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl. Sprinkle in 1/2 cup ice water and fold with a spatula until the dough holds together. If the dough is too dry (doubtful!), add more water 1 Tbs at a time.

3. Divide the dough in half and form into disks. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.


4. To make the filling, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and saute, stirring occasionally, until the onions are golden brown.


5. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, just a few moments.
6. Stir in the "steak" (it should be a bit thawed and cut into appropriately sized pieces).


7. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and mix well. Slowly stir in the broth and tomato paste. It will be very thick.

8. Add the salt, pepper, and mushrooms. Stir. Cook for 10 minutes, covered. If you like, uncover and cook another 5 minutes to thicken the mixture even more (I didn't really). Remove from the heat and allow to cool as much as possible while preparing the pie pan. (It is recommended that you spread the mixture out on a rimmed baking sheet to cool it faster. I didn't do this because I really hate doing dishes, so anything that avoids dirtying more dishes is always my choice!)


9. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Roll out one of the disks of dough on a well-floured surface into a 12" circle. Fold the dough in quarters, then unfold it inside a 9" pie pan.
10. Scrape the pie filling into the prepared pie pan and smooth it to the edges.


11. Roll out the second ball of dough into a 12" circle, fold it in quarters and unfold it over top of the filling. Trim any overhang and crimp the edges together with a fork. My pie looks pretty... rustic. Rather like a steak and kidney pie made by Hagrid might look... but I'm okay with that.

12. If you like, brush the top of the pie crust with an egg beaten with a bit of water (I didn't, but this will make the top of your pie all golden and shiny). Use a knife to cut at least 4 vents in the top crust. Bake for 25 minutes.
13. The official recipe says at this point to reduce the heat to 350 and continue baking for another 30 minutes... but there's no real meat in our pie... so this seems unnecessary to me. And I'm hungry. So I say, reduce the heat and continue baking until you like the color of the crust.


14. Be sure to wait at least 20 minutes before cutting the pie so the filling has time to firm up a bit more.

Holy moly! This pie is delicious! Infinitely more delicious than I thought it would be! So serve yourself up a slice, perhaps paired with some lovely mashed potatoes, and enjoy!


2 comments:

  1. There's nothing more satisfying that tucking into a homemade pie and steak and kidney is one of my favourites! Looks delicious!

    ReplyDelete