2 lbs thick beef steak, cut into large bite-size pieces
¾ lb calf's kidney
2 tablespoons flour
1 level teaspoon salt
½ level teaspoon black pepper
4 tablespoons butter or suet (or half and half mixture)
4 shallots, finely chopped
½ pint rich beef stock
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
Pinch each powdered clove, marjoram
Flaky pastry, to cover (see later)
1 tablespoon dry sherry
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Clean kidney, split, remove fat and large tubes and soak in salted water for 1 hour. Dry kidney and cut into ¼-inch slices. Mix flour, salt and pepper and roll beef and kidney in this mixture. Melt butter or suet in a thick-bottomed saucepan or iron casserole and sauté finely-chopped shallots until golden. When shallots have taken on a little colour, add beef and kidneys and brown them thoroughly, stirring almost constantly. Moisten with beef stock, add pepper, bay leaf, chopped parsley, powdered clove and marjoram; stir; cover, and simmer over a low flame for 1-1½ hours or until meat is tender. If liquid is too thin, thicken with a little flour mixed to a smooth paste with water.
Grease a deep baking dish, place a pie funnel in centre of dish, add meats and liquid and allow to cool (I sometimes get as far as this one day and put the crust on the next). Make flaky pastry crust and place over meat. Make vents or slits in the pastry to allow steam to escape and bake in a hot oven (450°F) for 10 minutes. Lower heat to moderate (375°F) and continue baking until pastry crust is golden brown (15-30 minutes). Just before serving the pie, insert a small funnel into centre vent and pour in a mixture of 1 tablespoon of dry sherry and 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce.
Great Dishes of the World