STEAK, BACON AND KIDNEY PUDDING

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30215, 21 August 1963, Page 3

STEAK, BACON AND KIDNEY PUDDING

( By

ELIZABETH)

A steamed Steak and Kidney Pudding is welcome on cold and wintry evenings, for this is a dinner which has universal appeal. Traditionally cooked with a suet crust and uncooked steak and kidney, the pudding will require hours’ steaming. It may have mushrooms added if you like, a little onion, or, as here, bacon, for extra flavour. The second recipe uses ordinary dripping shortcrust pastry and a previously-cooked steak, kidney and bacon mixture and calls for only l|-2 hours’ steaming.

Traditional Pudding Ingredients: 1141 b stewing steak 3 kidneys 3 rashers bacon 2 tablespoons flour Salt and pepper 4 tablespoons stock or undiluted tomato soup 6oz suet 12oz flour 1} teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt Cold water Method: Mix flour, suet, salt and baking powder with sufficient cold water to bind to an elastic dough. Roll out and line a greased pudding basin, reserving enough for a lid. Cut meat, kidney and bacon into small pieces and toss well in seasoned flour. Pile into the basin, add stock or tinned tomato soup to moisten, cover with the pastry lid and tie down securely with butter papers. Steam about four hours. Shortcrust Pudding Ingredients: 2 cups flour 1 cup fine white dripping 1 teaspoon salt Cold water IJlb stewing steak 3 rashers bacon Salt and pepper 3 kidneys i cup flour Stock or water to moisten. Method: Chop steak, kidneys and bacon and toss well <n half a cup of flour, a little salt (the bacon salts it a little) and pepper. Place in a casserole and cook very •lowly in the oven until the meat is tender and the gravy thick and pinkish in colour Allow to become cold. Rub dripping into the flour sifted with salt and cut in just sufficient cold water to bind. Roll out fairly thin and line a greased bowl. Fill with the cold cooked meat, cover with a lid of pastry, sealing the edges well. Tie down with butter papers and steam lj-2 hours.

Baked Kidney Apples Attractive to look at and deliciously savoury to eat, are these apples baked on bread slices with a tasty kidney filling. Cooked this way, one calf’s kidney will make the main meal dish for six persons at a table wreathed with smiles. Cook carrots in parsley sauce and snowy mashed potatoes with a green vegetable also and you have a meal from a picture book. Ingredients: 1 calf’s kidney A cup flour. Salt and pepper 6 large cooking apples 6 slices bread 2 oz butter. Method: Cut kidney from core and cut the meat into small pieces Place in the top of a double boiler with half a cup of flour, a good shake of pepper, and i teaspoon salt Fork all well together, cover with a lid and cook slowly over boiling water until the kidney is quite tender in a thick gravy Allow to cool. Cut a slice from the stalk end of washed apples With a small melon ball scooper or a teaspoon, remove core, then scoop out small balls of apple leaving a thick shell Butter toastthickness slices of bread on both sides, removing outer crusts. Place in an ovenware dish and stand an apple shell on each. Fill with the kidney mixture and top with the cut-off lid of apple. Sprinkle the small scoopedout balls of apple round the dish and bake at 400 degrees about 1* hours or until the apple is tender, but not squashy. ¥ ¥ ¥ Sage And Onion Stuffing A request has been received for a recipe of Sage and Onion Stuffing. This one comes from “Good Housekeeping. " Ingredients: 2 large onions i-loz butter 4oz breadcrumbs 4-5 sage leaves or 2 teaspoons dried sage Seasoning

Pork, Apricot Rice ■Pork pieces make the meal of the week teamed up with leaks, celery, dried apricots and rice. It is a dish which comes to the table looking colourfully attractive and gives a new flavour as well Yet it is by no means a long or tedious job of preparation either. If you use en electric frying pan, make it in that. If not, fry on top and cook it the oven way. Ingredients: 6 pork pieces 1 cup finely chopped leeks 2 single sticks celery l-3rd lb dried apricots 1 tablespoon brown sugar 1 tablespoon vinegar i cup rice 1 small packet frozen green beans Salt and pepper. Method: Soak the apricots ar. cold water until softened, Shen with scissors cut into pieces, reserving both fruit and liquid. Heat a lightly greased pan and in it fry the pork pieces until well browned on one side. Turn a.nd scatter dry rice in to brown beside them. Turn the rice until the grains are browned. Add finely chopped leeks and celery, and brown alt together for a few minutes. Add the dried apricots and the liquid, salt and pepper, brown sugar and vinegar. Add stock or water to just cover the meat, cover and cook very slowly, forking from time to time, and adding more liquid as the rice absorbs ft. It should be moist but not too dry. Cook green beans separately and drain. Fork them through just before serving. Method: Blanch the onions, strain and cover with fresh boiling water; cook until tender. Drain well and chop finely. Add the other ingredients and mix well. ¥ ¥ ¥ Cracking Walnuts.—Walnuts will come out of their shells more easily if you soak them overnight in salt water before cracking them.