Gordon Ramsay\'s Great British Pub Food

SERVES 4

800g beef chuck or

braising steak

17Sg veal kidney

2Sg plain flour

sea salt and black pepper

sog butter, diced

2S0g chestnut

mushrooms, quartered

2 large onions, peeled

and chopped

2 garlic cloves, peeled

and chopped

330ml bottle Guinness or

brown ale

300ml veal or beef st ock

(see page 244 )

2 bay leaves

few thyme sprigs, plus

extra leaves to finish

1 tbsp tomato puree

1 tbsp Worcestershire

sauce

1-2 tbsp HP brown sauce,

to taste

bunch of flat-leaf

parsley, leaves only,

chopped

soog good-quality

ready -made puff pastry

2 medium egg yolks,

beaten with 1 tbsp

water, to glaze

138 PIES AND SAVOURY TARTS

Steak and kidney pie

This is traditional British pub grub at its f inest. If you're

not keen on kidney, simply replace with extra steak.

Cut the beef into 2.scm pieces. Halve the kidney and carefully remove

the sinewy core, then cut into small pieces. Season the flour with salt

and pepper. Toss the steak in the flour to coat, t hen do t he same with

the kidney pieces, keeping them separate.

Heat a wide, heavy-based pan, then add a few kno bs of butter and fry

the mushrooms with a little seasoning fo r 2-3 m inutes until lightly

browned. Add the onions and garlic and cook until the onion begins

to soften. Transfer the vegetables to a bowl and set aside.

Add a few more knobs of butter to the pan and fry the kidney for

, minute on each side, turning until evenly browr d; remove and set

aside. Add little more butter to the pan and brown. ,e stea k pieces in

batches; they should take about S-6 minut es to brown all over. Return

all the browned steak, kidney and vegetables t o the pan and pour in

the Guinness. Let it simmer until reduced by o ne-third.

Add the stock, bay leaves, thyme, tomato puree and Worcestershire

sauce. Bring to a bare simmer, partially cover a nd cook very gently for

,V2-2 hours until the meat is tender, giving a n occasional stir.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat, kidney and vegetables to a

large bowl. Discard the thyme and bay leaves. Boil the liquor steadily

until it has reduced to a thick coating conSist ency. Taste and adjust

the seasoning with salt, pepper and HP sa uce. Pour t he sauce over the

meat and vegetables, stir in the chopped parsley and leave to cool.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas 6. Roll out t he pastry on a lightly floured

surface to the thickness of a £1 coin. Cut out 4 rectangles, large enough

to top individual pie dishes. Cut 1-2cm wide strips f rom the trimmings.