This week I have got something different for you – an exclusive first look at some recipes from my new book, Back to Basics.
When I started to compile the recipes for this new book, I really wanted to share with you how easy and straightforward cooking can be without using the abundance of convenience foods that have becomes commonplace in our lives.
I’d like this to be a cookbook that becomes well-thumbed and dog-eared through use, a book that the entire family will dip in and out of. And I hope that my step-by-step methods will help your children master the fundamentals, making cooking an enjoyable and more understandable process.
If you work your way through my book, you’ll acquire a great set of kitchen skills that will enable you to deal with just about anything. You’ll be able to apply what you’ve learned to a host of other recipes too.
The book works well as a kitchen bible - you’ll find everything here for almost every occasion, whether it’s a quick kitchen supper or a big Sunday lunch with friends.
Traditional steak and kidney pie
Used in steamed puddings or baked in pies, suet pastry is sharper in flavour than other pastries, and is wonderfully light and airy.
Serves 4–6
250g (9oz) lambs kidneys
50g (4 tbsp) butter
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
2 onions, diced
3 garlic cloves
625g (1¼lb) beef stewing (round) steak, cut into cubes
200g button mushrooms, quartered
Salt and black pepper
2 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra for dusting
Pinch of cayenne pepper or smoked paprika
750ml hot beef stock
100ml red wine
1 tbsp tomato purée (paste)
1 bay leaf
3-4 sprigs of thyme
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 quantity suet pastry
Butter, for greasing and 1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tbsp milk, for brushing
1. Wash the kidneys and then cut in half. Remove the tubes and peel off the outer membrane.
2. Put the butter and oil into a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook for three to four minutes, until softened.
3. Add the beef and kidneys to the pan and cook for three to five minutes, until the meat is brown and sealed all over.
4. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and fry for a further two minutes, shaking the pan to combine.
5. Mix the flour and cayenne pepper in a small bowl, then sprinkle over the beef mixture. Stir well to coat, then cook for one to two minutes, until the flour has coloured too (this will give an extra flavour and thickness to the sauce later on).
6. Gradually pour in the stock and stir constantly until the sauce begins to thicken.
7. Add the wine, tomato purée, bay leaf, thyme sprigs and Worcestershire sauce. Stir and bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for one-and-a-half to two hours, until the beef is tender. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
8. Preheat the oven to 160°C/ 325°F/gas mark 3. Set aside one-quarter of the dough, then roll out the remainder on a lightly floured surface. Grease a one-litre pudding bowl (deep ovenproof dish) and line with the dough, making sure any splits are well sealed.
9. Spoon the meat into the bowl, reserving the gravy to thicken and serve separately.
10. Roll out the reserved dough to fit the top. Dampen the pastry around the edge of the bowl with egg wash and place the lid on top. Trim off the excess with a knife, then flute the edges by pressing the back of a knife into the pastry at regular intervals. Lightly prick the surface with a fork and brush all over with more egg wash.
11. Place the bowl in a roasting pan in the oven and pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up the outside of the bowl. Steam for two to two-and-a-half hours. Keep an eye on the steamer and, when necessary, top it up with boiling water to maintain a consistent level around the bowl. Do not use cold water, as it will make the pudding heavy.
Suet Pastry
Makes 350g (12oz) dough
225g (1¾ cups) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
100g (1/2 cup) shredded suet, or equal parts of butter and lard, finely chopped
2–3 tbsp cold water
1. Sift the flour into a large bowl with the salt and baking powder. Add the suet and mix together well.
2. Mix in just enough of the water to form a dough. For safety’s sake, add the water a little at a time.
3. Transfer the dough to a well-floured work surface and knead for a few moments. Shape into a rectangle, wrap in clingfilm and leave to rest in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Use as required.
Kevin Dundon’s Back to Basics, published by Mitchell Beazley, is in shops now and on www.octopusbooks.co.uk