Recipe - Beefsteak And Kidney Pie

4 small Veal or Baby Beef Kidneys
1 One half pound Rump or Round Steak (to be
cut into 1" pieces
1 cup Claret or other Dry Red Wine
2 Onions, 1 cut or sliced up ; 1 minced
2 Bay Leaves
One half cup Parsley, chopped
One half cup Celery, chopped (including
tender leafy tops)
1 cup Mushrooms, cut or sliced up
Suet or Bacon Drippings
Flour for dredging and
thickening
1 pt Hot Water
Salt
1 teaspoon Coarse Black Pepper
1 teaspoon Marjoram
Pastry of puffpaste, pie
crust, or biscuit dough (to
cover casserole)

Separate the kidneys with a sharp knife, discarding all gristly
portions and fat. Sprinkle with salt. Cover with claret, add bay leaves,
cut or sliced up onion, pepper. Let it marinate 2 hours.
Pound the steak with flour, and cut into 1" pieces. Brown suet or heat
bacon drippings in iron skillet. Then add minced onion and cook until clear;
remove onion from skillet.
Over medium heat, brown steak well. Next drain the kidneys, reserving
the marinade; dredge with flour, and brown, stirring carefully. Add 1 pt or
less or hot water, stir well, add chopped celery and parsley, and marjoram.
Mix all well, and transfer to the casserole from which you intend to
serve the pie. Strain into it the marinade. Cover with a tight lid, and
bake at 325øF for about 1 hour.
Remove from oven. Brown the mushrooms in bacon drippings, and if they
need thickening, thicken with flour mixed in cold water and stirred
carefully to avoid lumps. Add the mushrooms to the casserole mixture. Cover
with a crust of puffpaste, pie crust, or biscuit dough, and return to
400øF oven, and bake until brown, about 20 to 30 minutes. Serve at once.

Source: The First Ladies Cookbook 1969 . Chapter on George & Marsha
Washington

Posted by: Sandy May 11/93

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini