Steak and kidney pie night!

Last night was Steak and kidney pie night! We have this with a crusty crust sourdough bread loaf and vegetables (last night steamed Choko, and steamed Broccoli with mashed Potatoes).

I pre-cook the steak and kidney the night before and make up the pie on the night.

INGREDIENTS
600g (just over 1lb) of topside steak cut into 2cm cubes
4 lambs kidneys halved, pelvis removed and chopped into 5 pieces each
1 cup of beef stock
2 stalks of Coriander finely chopped
1 tablespoon of fresh chives - finely chopped
6 medium white button mushrooms (Swiss mushrooms are fine as a replacement)
3 tablespoons of plain flour
1 teaspoon of cooking salt
1/4 teaspoon of coarsely ground black peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
sprinkle of dried chili flakes
2 sheets of puff pastry (generic shop bought is fine)
1 egg and a dash of milk for an egg wash

METHOD
place flour, salt, peppers and chili into a plastic bag, add the chopped steak and kidneys and shake well to ensure an even coat.
Place the meat mix into a slow cooker and pour over the beef stock.
Top with chopped mushrooms and the coriander and chives
slow cook on a low setting for four hours.
DO NOT LIFT LID DURING COOKING - discipline please chefs!

After the meat is done, thicken with some extra flour if the mixture is too moist and return to the low heat for another half hour.

Remove meat from the slow cooker, cover with plastic wrap and allow it to stand overnight - unless the weather is warm, it can be left outside the refrigerator but place in the refrigerator if ambient temperature is warmish!

COOKING THE PIE
Preheat oven to 210C (about 410F)
Place meat mixture into a 2 litre ovenproof pie dish and smooth off the top of the mixture. I cut a thin strip off one of the puff pastry sheets - about 2cm or 1 inch wide and line the inside lip of the pie dish with this, using some egg wash for adherence and pressing firmly to the surface.

From the remainder of that sheet I cut out a circle of pastry that just overfills the top of pie mixture and backs up onto the strip inside the lip. I then coat the surface with the egg wash. I then cover this layer of pastry with the second sheet of puff pastry, easing it into the corners ensuring there are no rips or tears and then pressing this against the pastry on the inside of the lip to get a good seal.

Decorate the surface with left over pieces of puff pastry - I used a flower pattern - and coat this with egg wash.

place into your preheated oven in the centre of the middle shelf and cook for 20 minutes or until the pastry puffs up and is golden brown.

Serve directly onto a heatproof base on the table and spoon the pie contents onto the side of your plate of cooked vegetables.

A nice Italian-style Lambrusco wine goes well with this meal - enjoy!