Ingredients
For
the suet crust pastry:
350g/12oz self-raising flour
175g/6oz shredded beef suet
cold water to mix
salt and freshly milled black pepper
For the filling:
560g/1¼lb chuck steak
225g/8oz ox kidney after trimming (so buy 275g/10oz)
2 tbsp well-seasoned flour
1 medium onion, sliced
cold water
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
salt and freshly milled black pepper
For the gravy:
meat trimmings from the steak and kidney
1 onion, halved
570ml/1 pint water
1 tsp beef dripping
2 tbsp flour
few drops of Worcestershire sauce
salt and freshly milled black pepper
You will also need a
well-buttered, 1.5 litre/2½ pint capacity pudding basin and a steamer.
|
Method
Make the pastry: first sift the flour and the salt into a large mixing
bowl. Add some freshly milled black pepper, then add the suet and mix it
into the flour using the blade of a knife. When it's evenly blended, add
a few drops of cold water and start to mix with the knife, using curving
movements and turning the mixture around. The aim is to bring it
together as a dough, so keep adding drops of water until it begins to
get really claggy and sticky. Now abandon the knife, go in with your
hands and bring it all together until you have a nice smooth elastic
dough, which leaves the bowl clean. It's worth noting that suet pastry
always needs more water than other types, so if it is still a bit dry
just go on adding a few drops at a time.
After that, take a quarter of the dough for the lid, then roll the rest
out fairly thickly. What you need is a circle, about 32.5cm/13in in
diameter. Now line the bowl with the pastry, pressing it well all
around. Next chop the steak and kidney into fairly small cubes
(reserving the trimmings for the gravy), toss them in the seasoned
flour, then add them to the pastry-lined basin with the slices of onion.
Add enough cold water to reach almost the top of the meat and sprinkle
in a few drops of Worcestershire sauce and another seasoning of salt and
pepper.
Roll out the pastry lid, dampen its edges and put it in position on the
pudding. Seal well and cover with a double sheet of foil, pleated in the
centre to allow room for expansion while cooking. Now secure it with
string, making a little handle so that you can lift it out of the hot
steamer. Then place it in a steamer over boiling water. Steam for five
hours, topping up the boiling water halfway through.
Make the gravy: simply place the meat trimmings in a saucepan
with the half onion, cover with one pint of water, add some seasoning
and simmer for approximately one hour. Then strain the stock, and in the
same pan, fry the remaining onion, chopped small, in the beef dripping
until soft and blackened at the edges. Then stir in the flour, gradually
add the stock little by little to make a smooth gravy, adding a spot of
gravy browning if it's needed. Taste to check the seasoning and add a
few drops of Worcestershire sauce.
To serve: either serve the pudding by spooning portions straight
out of the bowl, or slide a palette knife round the edge and turn the
whole thing out on to a serving plate (which is more fun!). |
