Steak and kidney pie is a traditional British dish made with diced beef steak, diced kidneys, vegetables, herbs, and gravy cooked in a crust. The recipe dates back to the early 1900s and has evolved over time with added ingredients such as Worcestershire sauce or mushrooms. The dish originated from basic beef pies and the addition of kidneys provided flavor and texture. Steak and kidney pudding was a precursor to the pie.
Steak and kidney pie is a traditional British dish consisting of steak, kidneys, vegetables, herbs and gravy cooked in a crust. Also called ‘Kate and Sidney’, the ‘Snake and Kiddy’ pie or ‘Snake and Pygmy’ in British parlance, steak and kidney pie dates back to the early 1900s. dish, the basic recipe remains very similar over a century after its conception.
The traditional filling of a steak and kidney pie is made with diced beef steak and diced kidneys of ox, lamb or pork tossed with a simple beef broth-based sauce. Fresh herbs, such as thyme or parsley, are added to the broth along with salt and pepper, onions, and a thickening agent such as flour or cornstarch. While other foods have become readily available over the years, certain ingredients have been added to the recipe with some chefs adding Worcestershire sauce or port and others using garlic or mushrooms for added flavour.
The pie crust version uses flaky pastry or short pastry. This only covers the top of the pie without fully enclosing the filling from below. Steak with two tarts and kidney pie are usually made with shortbread with hot water to keep the filling from soaking into the bottom of the crust.
Hot pies were eaten in England up until the 15th century, but it wasn’t until the late 1800s that meat became a staple ingredient. A basic beef pie consisted of hot beef, stock, and mushrooms under a crust. Steak and kidney pie is thought to have evolved from these pies, in part, for economic reasons. Kidneys were cheaper than beef and could be used to replace some while still providing a large meal. The addition of kidneys also served to give flavor and an interesting texture to the traditional beef pie.
Steak and kidney pudding was a precursor to steak and kidney pie. It was made by coating a dish of suet crust pudding made from tough beef or mutton fat removed around the kidneys of the animal. After filling the dish with sirloin steak and gravy, whole kidneys were often incorporated and the top covered with more suet crust.
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