The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook - Dinah Bucholz [58]
This national British dish first appeared in the mid-1800s. To feel authentic, bring it to the table in the bowl it was cooked in, wrapped in a clean white napkin or cloth. Suet puddings are uniquely British, but butter or margarine, easier to find, yields acceptable results. Serve this dish with boiled new potatoes and Brussels sprouts or with mashed potatoes and steamed peas and carrots for a very traditional British meal.
“Suet” Crust
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1½ sticks (12 tablespoons) butter or margarine, cut into small chunks
½ cup ice water
Filling
1 pound chuck steak, chopped into ¼-inch pieces
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons tomato paste
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound lamb or ox kidneys, cut into ¼-inch pieces
For the crust, whisk together the flour, salt, and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Scatter the chunks of butter or margarine over the flour and rub it in using a pastry cutter or your fingertips. Sprinkle the ice water over the flour and fold it in with a spatula until the dough sticks together. If it's too dry, add ice water one tablespoon at a time. Remove 1/3 of the dough for the lid and reserve the rest for the base. Form both pieces of dough into disks, wrap them in plastic wrap, and refrigerate them while you prepare the filling, at least 30 minutes.
For the filling, sear the meat in batches over high heat in a large skillet on both sides until deeply browned. Do not overcrowd the skillet or the meat will exude too much liquid and will not brown well. Set the meat aside and wipe out the skillet.
Add the oil to the skillet and heat it. Add the onions and sauté over medium heat until the onions are golden brown. Add the garlic and sauté for just a few seconds until it's fragrant.
Stir in the meat. Sprinkle the flour over the meat and mix well. Slowly stir in the broth, then the tomato paste. The mixture will be very thick. Add the salt, pepper, and kidneys and cook, covered for 10 minutes. Uncover, raise the heat, and boil until the mixture is even thicker, about 5 minutes. Pour the filling onto a rimmed baking sheet and spread it around to cool it quickly. Cool the filling to room temperature.
To assemble the pudding, place a shallow bowl upside-down in a large pot and fill the pot 1/3 of the way with water. Bring to a boil. Grease and flour a 2-quart bowl with a tight-fitting lid. On a generously floured surface, roll out the larger disk of dough to a 14-inch circle. Fold the dough in quarters and unfold it in the prepared bowl, carefully easing the dough into the bowl and letting the edges hang over the rim. Roll out the second disk to an 8-inch circle.
Scrape the filling into the pastry-lined bowl. Cover the filling with the second round of dough. Press the edges together and fold them over (not under). You should have a rim of at least ½ inch to allow room for the dough to expand. Snap the lid tightly onto the bowl and carefully place it in the pot. The water should come halfway up the sides. Simmer for 2½ hours, checking the water level occasionally and adding more water as necessary.
Use oven mitts to carefully lift out the bowl. To serve, simply scoop out servings with a large spoon.
Serves 6
If you can't find kidneys or prefer not to use them, use a pound of sliced mushrooms instead.
Steak and Kidney Pie
Ron, the man with the indestructible appetite, actually forgets to eat his steak and kidney pie in his amazement that Harry, instead of being punished for flying on a broomstick, is placed on the Quidditch team as the youngest