To one of the previous posters, I am going to sound stupid, being raised in the country, but here it goes, how do you cook beef kidneys? do you have to clean them like a chicken gizzard or liver if you process the hen yourself (the only reason I ask is I don't trust not asking and get it from the local processor and find out somebody got distracted or the new guy on the job didn't clean them at all or not completely and I being ignorant cook it and get sick). I know that is a popular food in England but have no clue how to start on it, or even if my local processor has any to sell. They have stopped selling brains before the mad cow scare, beef and pig brains.
The butcher that processes my cow for me does all the prep, all I have to do is the cooking. I soak them overnight either in buttermilk or a pint of Guiness and it takes away the smell which a lot of people find pretty off putting. Once they've soaked overnight, I slice them thin and toss them and the chunks of beef in flour to coat them and fry them in LARD, tastes oh so much better than veg oil. I also use Baby Portobello mushrooms because I've never seen chestnut mushrooms here in the US.
Here's the recipe I use, just remember I soak the kidney overnight which this recipe doesn't call for.
CLASSIC DISHES – Steak and Kidney Pie
Filed under:
Gordon Ramsay Recipes —
2 Comments
4 March, 2007
Steak and Kidney Pie
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
50g plain flour
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
600g chuck (or braising) steak, cut into 3cm pieces
30g unsalted butter
Olive oil, for cooking
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
2 tsp tomato purée
450ml beef stock
1 bay leaf
Leaves from a few sprigs of thyme, plus a few sprigs for garnish
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
100g chestnut mushrooms, trimmed and halved
300g ox (or lamb) kidney, trimmed and chopped into large pieces
300g puff pastry
1 large egg yolk, beaten to glaze
METHOD
1 Mix the flour with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Toss the steak pieces in the seasoned flour, tip into a large sieve and shake off any excess flour.
2 Melt half the butter in a large, heavy-based casserole with a drizzle of olive oil (which will help prevent the butter from burning too quickly). Fry half the steak pieces over a medium-to-high heat until browned all over.
Remove to a plate and continue with the remaining meat, adding more oil and butter as necessary, until you¹ve browned all the steak.
3 Add a little more oil and fry the onion until softened and lightly golden.
Add the tomato purée and stir for a couple more minutes. Pour in the stock and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to deglaze. Return the browned meat to the pan and add the bay leaf, thyme and Worcestershire sauce. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer gently for 2½-3 hours until the beef is fork tender. Stir in the mushrooms and kidney, then turn off the heat. Transfer the mixture to a 1.5 litre or 1.7 litre pie dish.
4 Preheat the oven to 200C (Fan 180C)/Gas 6. Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured work surface to the thickness of a £1 coin and cut out a shape 5cm wider than the pie dish. Using the pastry trimmings, cut out 2.5cm wide strips for the edges of the dish. Brush the lip of the dish with water and press the strips of pastry on to it. Brush the strips with water and place the pastry over the top. Press down the edges to seal then trim off any excess pastry on the sides. Insert a few sprigs of thyme in the centre of the pie to allow steam to escape, and garnish with some pastry leaves, if you like. Brush the pastry with the beaten egg then bake for 30-40 minutes until golden brown and crisp.
punching radio) NO THEIR NOT!!!!!!!!
