Book of Days Tales

The second Thursday in March is designated as World Kidney Day whose purpose is to is to raise awareness of medical problems associated with kidney failure. As I age I become increasingly sensitive to issues concerning my internal organs, and – touch wood – so far, so good. I do make sure that I am adequately hydrated at all times, and that my fluid output is what it ought to be (in every respect). That said, I am also a big fan of eating kidneys – common in British cooking. People in the U.S. generally have a hard time with preparing and eating kidneys, as they do with most “variety” meats – tripe, heart, etc. Best they can manage on a good day is some kind of liver.  It’s not my purpose in life to change other people’s likes and dislikes, but I will take a moment to talk about kidneys.

            Steak and kidney pudding and pies are mainstays of English cooking and I make them regularly when I can get the kidneys. In Cambodia it is not too difficult to get pig’s kidneys, but ox and lamb are rarities. In fact, I have never seen lamb’s kidneys on sale. I have also never seen suet (the fat around kidneys) for sale. On a good day I can score ox kidneys in a supermarket that is a long bike ride from my apartment, and I venture up there on the off chance now and again.  Right now I have 3 ox kidneys in my freezer which I will get around to soon enough.

            The usual response I get from cooks in the US concerning kidneys is that they are put off by the smell. The brave ones put the raw kidneys in milk in the refrigerator for several hours, or overnight, and then prepare them. The smell of kidneys does not bother me, so I just dissect them as needed. The main concern is cutting out the white tubules at the center of each kidney which can be fiddly with small ones, such as lamb’s kidneys. Step one is to slice the kidney in half lengthwise  and then use a paring knife to cut away the white stuff.  From there, you can use lamb’s kidneys as is, and you can cut ox and pig’s kidneys into bite sized pieces.

            Frying kidneys is a challenge because they contain a lot of water. You have to work in small batches over very high heat. The water will boil off and then you can brown the kidneys.

            Lamb’s kidneys are usually deviled for a breakfast dish. Once they are well browned add a small amount of beef stock and a good quantity of English mustard to make a spicy gravy. It is traditional to serve them on toast but you can also simply add them to the plate of a full English. In Victorian times you would find them in a chafing dish on the morning sideboard. Here is a serviceable steak and kidney pudding recipe. You can dispense with the carrot and tomato if you want a plainer but richer pudding.

Ingredients

    For the steak and kidney filling:

1 tbsp oil or beef drippings
1 tbsp butter, unsalted
1 ¾ pounds (800 grams) beef chuck roast or shoulder/stewing beef, cut into ½-inch (1¾ cm) cubes
½ cup (57 gm) carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 cup (128 gm) yellow onion, peeled and chopped
⅓ cup (70 gm) beef kidneys, chopped (see above)
½ tsp garlic, chopped or grated
¾ tsp mustard powder
1 tbsp tomato paste/tomato puree/tomato concentrate
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 ½ tbsp all-purpose/plain flour
¼ cup (60 ml) dark English ale/beer
⅓ cup (78 ml) beef stock or broth
½ tsp thyme
salt and pepper to taste

    For the pastry:

2 ⅓ cups (300 gm) all-purpose/plain flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup + 2 tbsp (150 gm) beef suet or lard
softened butter

Instructions

    For the steak and kidney filling:

Add the oil and butter to a large, heavy, ovenproof saucepan or braising pan over medium high heat. Add the beef, season with a little salt and pepper and brown, turning the pieces until brown on all sides. Remove and set aside.

To the same pan, add the carrot and onion, cook until the onions soften, about 5 minutes. Add the kidney and garlic, stir and cook for 1 minute (taking care not to burn the garlic). Add tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to mix well and cook for 1 minute.

Sprinkle in the flour and mustard powder and thyme, stir well until all the flour is well mixed. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the ale and stir until it starts to thicken. Stir in the beef stock and beef. Season with a little salt and pepper, stir.

Cover with a lid and allow to come to a low simmer for 35-45 minutes. Remove the lid and simmer for 15 more minutes to thicken the liquid. You do not want the liquid too runny, it should be thick so cook with the lid off until the liquid is reduced. The meat should be quite tender, but will also continue cooking in the pudding. Taste for seasoning and add salt or pepper if needed. Set aside while you make the pastry.

    For the pastry:

Add the flour, baking powder, salt and suet to a large bowl. Drizzle in the water and mix using a fork until it starts to come together and holds together when pressed in your hand. You may not need all of the water. If using lard or shortening, you will need to rub between your fingers until it looks like breadcrumbs, then add the water. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Cut off a ¼ of the dough and set aside.

Use the butter to grease well the inside of a 1.2 liter (2.5 pint) (6 x 4-inch/15 x 10 cm) ceramic pudding bowl/basin.

Roll out the large piece of dough into a 15 inches (38 cm) round, large enough to leave some hanging over the edge of the bowl. Transfer to the bowl and press evenly onto the inside of the bowl leaving some hanging over. Add the steak and kidney filling (reserving some gravy for serving) and flatten the top. You don’t want too much gravy in the filling as it may make the dough soggy. Roll out the ¼ piece of the pastry into a circle to fit the top of the pudding. Fold the edges over the top of the circle and use water to wet your fingers to smooth the edges and create a nice seal.

    Cut 2 circles of parchment paper to fit inside the bowl and a large circle of foil large enough to cover and a little down the side. Use the butter to grease both of the parchment pieces and lay one on top of the pudding, butter side down and the other on top of that, butter side down. Cover with foil and seal firmly. Tie a length of string around the rim to keep the foil in place. You can also tie another piece of string to that to make a handle. See the video to see step-by-step.

    Add a riser of rolled up foil shaped into a circle or a small ceramic ramekin and place in the bottom of a large pan that has a lid. This is to keep the bowl off the bottom of the pan. Place the bowl on the riser in the pan and fill with water up to ¾ of the side of the bowl. Cover the pan with a lid. Bring the water to a boil and simmer for 2 hours. If your lid is well sealed the water should not evaporate, but keep an eye on the water level and fill if needed.

After 2 hours remove the bowl from the pan and allow to cool slightly before removing the foil and parchment paper.

Place a large plate on top of the pudding and flip over. Slice and serve.