Steak and Kidney Pie

The cooler weather is coming and it makes me think of casseroles. Not everyone likes kidneys so I know not everyone will be interested in this recipe. I can say however this dish is excellent. My mom used to make kidney stew and it had a distinctive smell in the house. Some say it smells like pee, I think its just because they think of what it is and smell that. However the best kidneys to use are lamb or veal kidneys. They are much smaller and tender. My mom used to buy beef kidneys tho and cleaned them and cut them up. I grew up with that and since I love strong flavors it never bothered me.

However this recipe calls for the lamb kidneys and I have used them. It is much better with those. You can soak the kidneys in milk for a hr or so tho. It is said that will tame the smells and strong flavor some.

I once made this for a potluck. We used to have different kinds of potlucks at the Yacht club where we had our sailboat. This wasn't one of 'THOSE' kind of yacht clubs, we were the poorer folks . So we made our own fun. Someone suggested having an English Potluck. I laughed because I know about food and knew ........ummmmmmm how many things could possibly qualify for that? But I volunteered to make Steak and Kidney pie.

I had to search all over just to find any kind of kidneys for it around here. That sort of surprised me because I know on the east coast that stuff was always right there in the stores. Different out west I guess. But eventually I found enough to make this dish. Another sneaky reason for offering to make this was, I figured no one would eat it. Since I don't make it just for myself, I expected leftovers to bring home :) I thought I was being so sneaky and smart.

There was none left!!!!!!!! Honestly ......and they knew what it was too! And I heard them say ....omg you gotta taste this!! to others. So I know for a fact this is a good recipe. It was given to me by a dear lady I knew who belonged to our Ladies gourmet group in NJ. We would meet once a month and have a themed meal, with recipes we all had to cook and bring. My friend Myra had an English meal featuring this dish. She was an English lady who had been married to an Egyptian man and lived in Egypt awhile too. Myra has passed on now but her dishes go on. THANK YOU MYRA FOR SOME GOOD RECIPES!!!

STEAK AND KIDNEY PIE

3lbs. stewing beef (chuck takes awhile, round is shorter cooking time)
1 lb. lamb or veal kidneys
1 tb. flour
Salt and pepper to taste
1 onion, chopped
1 can beef bouillon and 1 can water
1/2 tsp. thyme
1 c. red wine
Puff pastry ( I just buy it in the frozen foods area)

Cut beef and kidneys into small cubes, roll in flour seasoned with salt and pepper. Fry in a bit of oil to brown and seal in juices. Saute onions next. Add broth, water, wine and thyme. Bring to a boil and simmer slowly till meat is nearly tender. Put meat in casserole. Cover with puff pastry. Bake in preheated 425 degree oven for 25 min., then lower heat to 300 degrees for a further 10 min.