Rustle these up with Rosemary: My traditional steak and kidney pie -International Issue news portal

In her new book, chef Rosemary Shrager guides you through tried and tested recipes that she vows will turn you into a better cook

Start prepping this dish the day before for a wonderful melt in the mouth pie that can't be beaten

A good steak and kidney pie is a wonder to behold. It’s best to start preparing this the day before.

Serves 4

300g (10½oz) ox kidney
50g (1¾oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
900g (2lb) chuck steak, trimmed and cut into 3cm cubes
2tbsp olive oil
60g (2¼oz) butter
1 large onion, finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
200g (7oz) button mushrooms
1tbsp chopped thyme
800ml (1½pt) good beef stock
2tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 x 400g packet of puff pastry
1 egg, beaten
Fine sea salt and black pepper

Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6. First prepare the kidney.

Slice it in half to expose the tough white core inside. Remove this core by cutting around it with a sharp knife, then cut the kidney into large pieces.

Put the flour in a large bowl and season with salt and plenty of black pepper. Add pieces of kidney and steak and toss to coat.

ROSEMARY SAYS...

If you’re one of those people who don’t like kidney, don’t worry – just leave it out and add more steak instead. Your pie will still be utterly delicious.

Heat the oil in a large, flameproof casserole dish and brown the meat in batches. Don’t overcrowd the pan or the meat will steam, not brown.

Set the meat aside as it is done. Turn down the heat and add the butter, then sauté the onion and garlic until soft.

Add the mushrooms and thyme and sauté for another few minutes, then add any leftover flour, and cook for a further minute. Pour in the stock and the Worcestershire sauce.

Put the meat back in the dish and bring to the boil. Cover the casserole, place it in the middle of the oven and cook for 30 minutes.

Reduce the oven to 170°C/fan 150°C/gas 3½ and cook for another 1-1¼ hours, until tender. Check for seasoning.

Tip into a deep pie dish, either an oval dish about 26 x 19cm or a rectangular one with a similar capacity. Leave to cool. It’s good to get all this done the day before you want to serve the pie, if possible.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6. Roll out the pastry on a floured work surface to a thickness of about 3mm and about the same shape as your pie dish.

Cut a 2cm-wide ribbon from the pastry and place around the rim of the dish, pressing it down. Brush this rim of pastry with water.

Trim the rest of the pastry to about 2.5cm bigger than the top of the pie dish. Sit a pie funnel in the centre of the filling.

Roll the pastry lid on to the rolling pin and place it over the filling. Trim off any excess pastry, then press the edges with a fork to seal.

Brush the top of the pie with beaten egg and make a hole in the centre over the funnel. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the pastry is golden and the filling is hot.

Extracted from Rosemary Shrager’s Cookery Course by Rosemary Shrager, published by BBC Books, £20. Offer price £16 until 06/10/2018, order at mailshop. co.uk/books or call 0844 571 0640, p&p is free on orders over £15. Photography © Andrew Hayes-Watkins.

ROSEMARY'S GOLDEN RULES

Rosemary's golden rules include buying everything fresh and being organised

I’m all for breaking rules but there are some kitchen habits I stick to.

Buy everything as fresh as possible. Supermarkets have their place, but look at local farms and markets too.

Be organised when preparing food. Keep your ingredients on your left and prepped food on your right.

When preparing ingredients, finish one task before starting the next, ie. skin all your tomatoes, then chop – don’t peel one, chop it, then go back to peeling. It’s just not efficient.

Clear up as you go. Mess is stressful.

A word on herbs

One way of building flavour in cooking is by the clever use of herbs. The following lists suggestions for which herbs work best with which foods. Remember that if you’re using dried herbs, you need only about a third of the amount of fresh as the flavour is more intense

Basil: Tomatoes, vegetables, salad, pasta, chicken, lamb, pork.

Bay leaves: Soups, pasta sauces, fish, beef casseroles.

Chervil: Fish, chicken.

Chives: Eggs, sauces, salad, potatoes, lentils, chicken.

Coriander: Tomatoes, vegetables, beans, chicken

Dill: Eggs, vegetables, fish, shellfish, chicken, pork.

Fenugreek leaves: Indian dishes, chicken, pork, vegetables, sausages.

Marjoram: Tomatoes, soups, beans, stuffings, chicken, lamb, beef.

Mint: Sauces, coulis, sweet dishes, beans, chicken, pork, lamb.

Oregano: Soups, tomatoes, beans, ham salad, pork, beef.

Parsley: Eggs, beans, potatoes, shellfish, fish, chicken, pork, lamb, beef.

Rosemary: Potatoes, squashes and other vegetables, stuffings, chicken, lamb, beef.