Steak & potato pie

Ingredients Edit and Save

Original recipe makes 1 10-inch pie, plus leftover fillingChange Servings

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup lard, chilled and cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup ice water, or as needed
• 2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless beef round steak, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 cups chopped sweet onion
• 1 cup beef broth
• 3/4 cup dry red wine
• 1 cup peeled and diced potatoes
• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves (optional)

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• PREP
  45 mins
• COOK
  1 hr 25 mins
• READY IN
  2 hrs 20 mins

Directions

1. Combine 2 3/4 cups flour and 1 teaspoon kosher salt in a large bowl. Cut lard into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse bread crumbs. Add ice water a tablespoon at a time, tossing to mix. Gather the dough into a ball, divide it in half, and wrap each piece in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough while you prepare the filling.
2. Mix together 2 1/2 tablespoons flour, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, paprika, pepper, ginger, and allspice in a bowl. Dredge the steak pieces in the seasoned flour and set aside.
3. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in beef cubes and onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent and the beef is browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Pour in beef broth and red wine and simmer until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes.
4. Roll out one pastry crust on a lightly floured surface to fit a 10-inch pie plate. Place the crust in the pie plate, cover it loosely with plastic, and refrigerate. Roll out the top crust for the pie and set it aside.
5. Stir the potatoes and carrots into the beef mixture and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and allow it to cool slightly.
6. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
7. Transfer the beef mixture to the pastry-lined pie plate. Sprinkle with an additional 1/2 teaspoon of thyme, if desired; cover the pie with the top crust and crimp edges to seal. Cut vents in the crust or prick with a fork to allow steam to escape.
8. Bake in the preheated oven until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbly, about 30 minutes.

Nigella's chocolate fudge cake

Chocolate Fudge Cake
Serves 10 (or 1 with a broken heart). Adapted from Nigella Lawson's Nigella Bites - Chapter Two: Comfort Food page 47

For the cake:

• 400 grams plain flour


• 250 grams castor sugar


• 100 grams brown sugar


• 50 grams best quality cocoa powder


• 2 teaspoons baking powder


• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 3 eggs


• 142 milliliters/small tub sour cream


• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract


• 175 grams unsalted butter, melted and cooled


• 125 milliliters corn oil


• 300 milliliters chilled water

Preheat oven to 180°C/gas mark 4.

Butter and line the bottom of two 20cm sandwich tins.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugars, cocoa, baking powder, bicarb and salt. In another bowl or wide-necked measuring jug whisk together the eggs, sour cream and vanilla until blended. Using a freestanding or handheld electric mixer, beat together the melted butter and corn oil until just blended (you'll need another large bowl for this if using the hand whisk), then beat in the water. Add the dry ingredients all at once and mix together on a slow speed. Add the egg mixture, and mix again until everything is blended and then pour into the prepared tins.

Bake the cakes for 50-55 minutes or until a cake-tester (toothpick or satay sticks) comes out clean. Cool the cakes in their tins on a wire rack for 15 minutes, and then turn the cakes out onto the rack to cool completely.

For the fudge icing:

• 175 grams dark chocolate, minimum 70% cocoa solids


• 250 grams unsalted butter, softened


• 275 grams icing sugar, sifted


• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Melt the chocolate in the microwave - 2-3 minutes on medium should do it - or in a bowl sitting over a pan of simmering water, and let cool slightly.

In another bowl beat the butter until it's soft and creamy and then add the sieved icing sugar and beat again until everything is light and fluffy. Gently add the vanilla and chocolate and mix together until everything is glossy and smooth.

Sandwich the middle of the cake with about a quarter of the icing, and then ice the top and sides too, spreading and smoothing with a rubber spatula.

Steak and Kidney Pie with dough

 For the pastry

         250g plain flour, plus extra for rolling

         140g cold unsalted butter, roughly cubed

         1 large egg yolk

         1 small egg whisked with 1 tbsp milk, for the egg wash

For the filling

         1 ox kidney, about 400g/14oz, get it fresh from your butcher. Pig's and lamb's kidneys aren't suitable as they only need short cooking

         1kg trimmed British top rump beef

         250g flat mushrooms, unpeeled but wiped with a damp cloth

         3 tbsp groundnut or vegetable oil

         100g unsalted butter

         1 large onion, peeled and thickly chopped

         50-85g plain flour, depending on how thick you like your gravy

         600ml off-the-boil water

         1 tbsp Marigold Swiss vegetable bouillon powder

                  1 large bay leaf

Method

It's important to cook the meat a day ahead, so that you can discard any fat that has risen to the top, and so that the pastry doesn't slump in the face of a too-warm filling, so up to 48 hours ahead -make the pastry. Whizz the flour and a pinch of fine sea salt together for a few seconds in a food processor, then add the butter and whizz until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs. Whisk together the egg yolk and 3 tbsp water and whizz with the pastry until it collects in a ball. Wrap in cling film and leave it to rest in the fridge for at least one hour.

Cut button-mushroom-sized lobes of kidney from the white central core (discarding). Cut the beef into bite-sized cubes and cut the mushrooms into chunks.

Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large, heavy frying pan over a medium-high heat. Throw in the kidney and fry until lightly coloured. Tip into a colander to drain.

Wipe out the frying pan and return it to a low-medium heat, adding 25g/1oz of the butter and 1 tbsp oil. Tip in the onion and fry for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and slightly golden. Transfer to a large casserole, using a slotted spoon.

Preheat the oven to 160C/gas 3/fan 140C. Tip the 85g/3oz flour into a large plastic bag, and season it generously. Throw in the beef and shake until lightly floured.Return the frying pan to a mediumhigh heat, adding a little more oil and butter if needed. Shake off any excess flour (reserving it) then fry the beef in batches until golden-brown. As each batch is done, transfer it to the casserole.

Adding more oil and butter to the frying pan if necessary, fry the mushrooms for about 2 minutes until starting to wilt, then add them to the casserole with the drained kidneys, hot water, bouillon powder and bay leaf, plus the excess flour in the bag if you like a thick gravy. Stir well, cover and cook in the oven for 75-90 minutes until the meat is tender and the sauce is thick. Cool thoroughly, then put in the fridge (preferably overnight) so any fat will solidify – it can then be skimmed off and discarded.

In the morning - return the pastry to cool room temperature, then roll it out thinly on a wellfloured surface. Invert a 28-30x23cm, 6.5cm deep pie dish on to the pastry. Mentally add an extra 1cm all round, then use the dish as a guide to cut out the pastry lid. From the remnants, cut out enough 6cm-wide strips of pastry to go round the dish – they should cover the flat rim and about halfway down the insides.

Lightly butter the rim of the dish and line it with the strip(s) of pastry, sealing any joins with a little dab of water. Butter the shoulders of a pie raiser or an upturned egg cup and stand it in the middle. Spoon in the meat mixture to come level with the top of the dish. Don’t overfill: reserve any excess gravy to serve hot with the pie.

Brush the pastry rim with a little water, then drape the pastry lid over it, pinching the edges to seal. Cover with cling film and keep in the fridge if not baking immediately.

Finally, an hour before serving - preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6/fan 180C. Make four slashes in the lid of the pie, then brush with the egg wash. Bake for 35-45 minutes until the pastry is golden brown, turning the heat down 10-20º after about 20 minutes. Remove the pie from the oven and leave it to rest for around 10 minutes before cutting into it.