Sam Mannering's steak and kidney pie

A steak and kidney pie is pretty up there in the pantheon of comfort food. I’ve dared to jazz it up a little with cumin and a healthy dose of parsley, but if that’s abominable to your sensibilities, then omit accordingly. I love cumin in just about anything that isn’t cereal, and the parsley is excellent for cutting through the richness, but you do you.

Either way, if some of us are still locked down by the time this goes out to print, heaven forbid, this will make things a little easier.

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 2 hours

Serves: 4-6

• 1.5-2kg beef cheek or similar

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• 500g lamb kidneys

• Olive oil

• Sea salt and black pepper

• 1 tablespoon plain flour

• 1 large onion, sliced

• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds

• 1 cup red wine

• About 500ml beef stock

• Large handful of flat-leaf parsley

• About 4-500g puff pastry

Method:

Preheat the oven to 160C on bake.

1. Cut the cheeks up into 3-4cm chunks and quarter the kidneys. Toss together in a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil, a good seasoning of salt and pepper and the flour.

2. Get a large lidded flameproof casserole going over a moderately high heat. Add a little olive oil, let it heat up, and then fry the beef and kidneys in batches, browning the pieces on all sides. Take care not to overcrowd the pan, otherwise your meat won’t brown. Remove to a warm plate and set aside.

3. To the same pan, add a little more oil and gently fry the sliced onion for about 8-10 minutes or so until soft, translucent and a little caramelised. Add the cumin and fry for a minute more.

4. Return the meat to the pan, bring up the heat, and then pour in the red wine and let it bubble up and cook off a bit.

5. Add the stock – enough to cover the meat – add a little water to top up if you don’t have enough, season well, pop the lid on and place in the oven to cook gently for at least an hour and a half, giving it a stir once or twice. By now, the beef should be meltingly tender and the sauce lovely and thick – try a bit and see – if not, give it another half-hour or so, then remove and allow to cool.

6. Bring the oven up to 180C on fan bake.

7. Chop up the parsley and fold into the cooled beef mixture. Taste and season.

8. Take a ceramic pie dish or similar (I used my trusty Lodge pan) and spread out the beef mixture in an even layer. Use the puff pastry to line the top, crimping the edges and poking a few holes in the top. Brush with beaten egg and scatter a few extra cumin seeds over the top.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/food-drink/recipes/300409916/sam-mannerings-steak-and-kidney-pie